Unthinkable
January 26th, 2006, 10:36 PM
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=2006-01-18T142221Z_01_ALL851863_RTRIDST_0_OZASP-GERMANY-WORLDCUP-IRAN-20060118.XML
BERLIN (Reuters) - An Israeli member of parliament has written to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging her to prevent Iran from taking part in the soccer World Cup unless it retracts inflammatory statements about Israel and the Holocaust.
"Dr. Merkel, you have a rare opportunity to take action and to signal to Iran that this latest behaviour is unaccepted by the international community and unaccepted by Germany and on German soil," writes Gilad Erdan, a member of the Likud party who is chairman of the Israeli parliament's sports subcommittee.
A copy of the letter, which is dated January 17, was obtained by Reuters.
"I'm sceptical about demands for a ban," Merkel told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "One would have to reconsider if the World Cup were held in Iran. But the Iranian team can't influence the comments of their president. That's why I think it's difficult to punish a team by banning them."
BERLIN (Reuters) - An Israeli member of parliament has written to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging her to prevent Iran from taking part in the soccer World Cup unless it retracts inflammatory statements about Israel and the Holocaust.
"Dr. Merkel, you have a rare opportunity to take action and to signal to Iran that this latest behaviour is unaccepted by the international community and unaccepted by Germany and on German soil," writes Gilad Erdan, a member of the Likud party who is chairman of the Israeli parliament's sports subcommittee.
A copy of the letter, which is dated January 17, was obtained by Reuters.
"I'm sceptical about demands for a ban," Merkel told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "One would have to reconsider if the World Cup were held in Iran. But the Iranian team can't influence the comments of their president. That's why I think it's difficult to punish a team by banning them."