Meanwhile, hundreds gathered outside the UN to protest Ahmadinejad’s presence. Bitta Mostofi is an organizer with the Iranian pro-democracy group Where Is My Vote?

Bitta Mostofi: “We want the human rights of the Iranian people to be respected, that we want Ahmadinejad, who is standing before the United Nations as the representative of the people, to be held accountable for the crimes against the people. And we want any — any policy or discussion that’s taken towards Iran to consider the humanitarian situation of the people themselves, which means to prevent any type of military aggression, as well, and to prevent any type of crippling sanctions that could further deteriorate the human rights condition that we see right now.”

Also speaking at the protest was Denis Halliday, the former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq. Halliday criticized the Iranian government but rejected calls to impose sanctions.

Denis Halliday: “One the issues today is the issue of sanctions and UN sanctions on the people of Iran, for whatever cause. I am opposed to the use of sanctions. Sanctions represent warfare. They may be legal under the United Nations, but they tend to be imposed on the weak, the isolated, and the countries of the South. If the UN were to go ahead and impose sanctions on Iran for nuclear issues or issues of human rights violations, it’s not the government that will suffer. It’s the people of Iran who will pay the price. And there’s no justification for that, and it serves no purpose.”