US Denounces Iran Pres' Call For Jewish State In Europe

Nasdaq:

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. State Department said Thursday that the Iranian president's suggestion that a Jewish state be established in Europe is " clearly both appalling and reprehensible."

Spokesman Adam Ereli said the statement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad certainly doesn't "inspire hope among any of us in the international community that the government of Iran is prepared to engage as a responsible member of that community."

According to a transcript of a news briefing, Ereli said the Iranian leader's comment was "part of what appears to be a consistent pattern of rhetoric that is both hostile and out of touch with values that the rest of us in the international community live by."