By Xinhua
New York : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s request to lay a wreath at the World Trade Centre memorial for 9/11 victims during the opening of the United Nations General Assembly next week has been denied, New York City police officials said.
An advance team for President Ahmadinejad asked earlier this month that he be allowed access to the pit, where construction is taking place, according to news from the New York Times website.
The Police Department’s spokesman Paul J. Browne said Wednesday that police commanders had already decided that a visit to Ground Zero by President Ahmadinejad was not feasible for reasons of security and safety.
The Iranian president is expected to arrive in New York late Sunday, address the UN Monday, and leave the city Wednesday, according to police officials here.
During his visit to New York in September 2005, he addressed the General Assembly in a 29-minute speech, in which he refused to rein in his nuclear programme and criticised the US and its allies, accusing Americans of brutalising Iraqis and Afghans.