Sincerely, Mitt Romney

The NY Times reported today that Mitt Romney will send a letter to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, tomorrow. The letter addresses Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's planned visit to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

"The only way he should be greeted in the United States is with an indictment under the Genocide Convention," says Romney's letter.

Romney and U.S. Ambassdor John Bolton accuse Ahmadinejad of "incitement of genocide," which is prohibited under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Ahmadinejad has openly called for the destruction of Israel.

Romney's letter not only adivses the U.N. on what action to take with Ahmadinejad, it seems to deliver an ultimatum:

"A failure by the United Nations to take a strong stand against Iran’s President Ahmadinejad would be especially disturbing given the United Nations’ record of failure to prevent genocide in other circumstances and the failure of the United Nations Human Rights Council to confront the Iranian regime and others among the world’s worst human rights abusers. Failure to act would mean that the United States must RECONSIDER ITS LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND FUNDING for the United Nations as we look to rebuild and revitalize effective international partnerships to meet 21st century threats."

Strong words...does Romney know that candidates don't have any real power?

In January, the Boston Globe reported that Romney called for "anti-apartheid-like sanctions" against Iran. He called for an indictment of President Ahmadinejad on genocide charges as well as an end to Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Romny tried the intimidation tactic then, too. He made it clear that Ahmadinejad's desire for nuclear capabilities was a source of peril for the Iranian people -- "The military option remains on the table," said Romney.


On a semi-related (not really) Romney-Iran note:
In September 2006 Harvard University invited former President of Iran Mohammed Khatami to speak on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Harvard requested that a security escort take Khatami from the airport to the school, but then-governor Romney promised that no state resources would be used to protect Khatami. Romney then criticized the school harshly.

"There are people in this state who have suffered from terrorism, and taking even a dollar of their money to support a terrorist is unacceptable," he said. He went on to say that inviting "a terrorist" to the U.S. was "a disgrace to the memory of all Americans who have lost their lives at the hands of extremists."

Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, which invited Khatami, issued the following statement: "We can understand and often share his disagreement with the positions of Khatami, the school nonetheless believes that active and open dialogue are a critical part of effective education and policy."

In the end, the Boston Police Department elected to step in. "We were asked by the State Department to assist in protecting a guest of the United States, and the Police Department plans to oblige," spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said.