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Despite U.S. and Israeli Objections, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Attend Conference in Iran
(New York Times) Rick Gladstone - On Wednesday the UN announced that Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general, would join officials from 120 countries in Tehran next week for the summit meeting of the Nonaligned Movement, that Iran has trumpeted as a vindication of its defiance and enduring importance in world affairs. Ban's decision to attend the meeting came despite objections from both the Americans and Israelis, including a phone call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A number of pro-Israel voices in the U.S. had exhorted Ban not to visit Iran. American Jewish Committee executive director David Harris said: "We are stunned that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would honor a regime that consistently ignores both him and the world body he heads in ways that threaten regional and global security."