Saudi-UN interfaith conference condemned for presence of Israelis

Iran's Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham on Saturday condemned presence of the Israeli government in the Saudi-sponsored UN interfaith conference, saying the regime has nothing to do with religions.

He said the conference with participation of Israel cannot be successful. The two-day special high-level UN General Assembly meeting on dialogue among different religions, attended by leaders and diplomats from 70 countries, was inaugurated by King Abdullah, who on Wednesday denounced terrorism as the enemy of all religions.

Israel was to be represented by President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Elham reiterated that the "Zionist regime" has a secular nature.

The issue of Judaism is completely different from Zionism, he said, adding that today, the followers of the Judaism have announced their disavowal of the Zionists. Judaism is a divine religion, Elham noted, stressing that all divine religions respect people's dignity.