Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi: The Holocaust Conference Will Take Place in the Fall; I've Seen Some of the Camps in East Germany and Poland, and the Issue Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

Following is an excerpt from a press conference held by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on September 3, 2006:

Hamid-Reza Asefi: The [Holocaust] conference will take place, Allah willing. It will be held in the fall, as has already been said. At any rate, Holocaust is not a sacred issue, which cannot be approached. The issue should be discussed, and we can get to the bottom of it.

Reporter: Mr. Asefi, since we are dealing with Holocaust - according to the news yesterday, a group of "Holocaust" survivors wrote a letter to the president, demanding to attend the Holocaust conference. I would like to know if Iran will respond positively to their call.

Hamid-Reza Asefi: We have not received this invitation. If we do... Where is this conference supposed to be held?

Reporter: To participate in the Holocaust conference in Tehran, the survivors...

Hamid-Reza Asefi: Oh, they want to come? I thought they were having their own conference. Well, let's see whether they have articles to present. It is up to the organizers of the Holocaust seminar. It is only natural that in our seminar... Since it is a scientific project... We have no problem with people with different views, who accept or reject... I've seen these camps myself. I saw some of them when I was an ambassador. In my opinion, this has been greatly exaggerated. What I saw close up in the former East Germany and in Poland is very far from what is being propagated.