WASHINGTON (JTA) — A Republican and a Democrat in the U.S. Senate introduced a resolution calling on the United Nations to exercise its mechanisms to prevent genocide ahead of a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The non-binding resolution introduced Thursday by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) calls on various U.N. bodies to sanction and charge Iranian leaders for violating the U.N. Charter because of "offensive remarks, contemptible statements, and reprehensible policies aimed at the destruction of the State of Israel."
Among other measures, the resolution calls for Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khameini, Iran’s Supreme Leader, to face charges at the International Criminal Court.
Ahmadinejad is slated to address the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday during its opening session.
