Ban meets with Iranian president

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, warning him against "potentially harmful consequences of inflammatory rhetoric" in the Middle East, officials said.

The two leaders discussed developments in Syria and the Middle East during the meeting that took place on Sunday on the sidelines of the recently-opened 67th session of the General Assembly.

Ban stressed "the grave implications" of the worsening situation in Syria and underlined the devastating humanitarian impact of the war there, said a UN statement. "He also drew attention to the potentially harmful consequences of inflammatory rhetoric, counter-rhetoric and threats from various countries in the Middle East," it said.

Ahmadinejad has repeatedly questioned the legality of Israel's existence and threatened to wipe it from the face of the Earth, drawing condemnation from around the world.

In addition, Ban urged Iran to take the necessary measures to build international confidence in Tehran's nuclear program, which the West suspects is a cover for developing atomic weapons but which Iran insists is for peaceful purposes.

"Iran's nuclear activities have been of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years, in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," the UN statement said.