White House condemns Tehran Holocaust conference

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) The White House today condemned a conference in Tehran questioning the Holocaust, saying it was an affront to civilization and contrary to the values of the Iranian people.

The two-day conference questioned whether Germany used gas chambers to kill 6 million Jews during World War II. It was run by the Iranian government, but included some Westerners who have cast doubt on the Holocaust.

''The gathering of Holocaust deniers in Tehran is an affront to the entire civilized world, as well as to the traditional Iranian values of tolerance and mutual respect,'' the White House said in a statement.

''The Iranian regime perversely seeks to call the historical fact of those atrocities into question and provide a platform for hatred,'' it said.

The conference yesterday and today at a Foreign Ministry institute was inspired by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has drawn international condemnation by terming the Holocaust a ''myth'' and calling Israel a ''tumor''.

The White House praised protests by Iranian students in Tehran yesterday.

''This is a reminder that many people in Iran do not believe the government represents the true interests of the Iranian people,'' said White House spokeswoman Dana Pernod.

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