Annan tells Iran Holocaust is undeniable

TEHRAN, Sep 3 (Reuters) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan today condemned an exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust in Iran and told Iranians the Holocaust was ''an undeniable historical fact''.

He was speaking at a news conference after meeting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has called the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis, a ''myth''.

Annan said during his talks in Tehran he had discussed the exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust, which was organised in retaliation for the September publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish and other European newspapers.

''I think all of us in this room remember the uproar the Danish cartoons created particularly in this region,'' Annan said, adding that the right to freedom of expression had to be exercised with sensitivity and responsibility.

''I think the tragedy of the Holocaust is a sad and an undeniable historical fact so we should really handle that, accept that fact and teach children what happened in World War Two and ensure that it is never repeated.

''We should be careful not to say anything that is used as an excuse for incitement to hatred or violence.'' A UN spokesman said Annan had condemned the Holocaust cartoons as ''distasteful''.

''As he condemned the Danish cartoons he condemned these cartoons as well,'' UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi, who is travelling with Annan in Iran, told Reuters.

A leading American Jewish group had urged Annan to speak out against the exhibition when he visited Iran.

The caricatures of Prophet Mohammad that were published in Europe sparked storm of protest in the Muslim world and prompted attacks on European embassies, including in Iran.

REUTERS LL BST1745