Iran’s first lady addresses meeting on world hunger
Updated: Monday, November 16, 2009
11:30GMT—6:30AM/EST
Washington, 16 November (WashingtonTV)—The wife of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday made a rare speech at a forum in Rome on the eve of a United Nations summit on world hunger.
First Lady Azam Farahi joined first ladies of countries of the Non-Aligned Movement for a meeting chaired by Suzanne Sabet, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The meeting focused on the role of women combating world hunger and their access to productive resources, reports AFP.
According to Iran’s state-funded Press TV network, Farahi urged world countries to take seriously the crisis in the Gaza Strip.
“The world needs to hear the voice of Palestinian women and children,” the first lady said.
Farahi also criticized the continued Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory, which has made some 80 percent of Gaza residents dependent on UN aid, reports Press TV.
She did not take the podium, but spoke from her seat among the rows of spouses of some 60 heads of state expected to attend the three-day UN summit in Rome, reports the Associated Press.
It was believed to be Farahi’s first address to a public gathering, AP said.
Ahmadinejad is not attending the summit, which begins today, according to AFP.
Sources: Press TV, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press
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