Holocaust-denying Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said no thanks to a freeze-for-freeze nuclear agreement offer from the West, instead calling for a debate between himself and President Obama.
"Our talks (with major powers) will only be in the framework of cooperation for managing global issues and nothing else. We have clearly announced this," Ahmadinejad said. "The nuclear issue is a finished issue for us."
What Ahmadinejad wants is to meet Obama during the U.N. General Assembly in September to debate "world issues and the way toward peace."
The U.S. and its allies had asked that Iran suspend ramping up its nuclear program in return for a promise that the U.N. Security Council would put an end to further sanctions against the Middle East nation.
Obama has been trying in vain to break with the Bush Administration's policy of refusing to engage Iran directly without prior conditions. Ahmadinejad remains unmoved by the new approach.
Ahmadinejad's rejection of the proposal should come as no surprise. With an election coming on June 12, now is not the time for him to appear to buckle in the face of pressure from the U.S.
That said, shutting down Facebook is no way to win votes from anyone -- except maybe MySpace shareholders.
