Ahmadinejad blames global big business for poverty

UNITED NATIONS - Iran's president predicted the defeat of capitalism Tuesday and blamed global big business for the suffering of millions, but Germany's chancellor said market economies were key to lifting the world's least-developed countries out of poverty.

The clash of visions at the UN anti-poverty summit drew a line under the stark differences on easing the misery of the one billion people living on less than $1.25 a day.

More than 140 presidents, prime ministers and kings are attending the three-day summit that started Monday to assess and spur on achievement of UN targets set by world leaders in 2000.

The plan called for an intensive global campaign to ease poverty, disease and inequalities between rich and poor by 2015.

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, however, never mentioned the Millennium Development Goals in his speech to the 192-member General Assembly. Instead, he took aim at capitalism and called for the overhaul of "undemocratic and unjust" global decision-making bodies, which are dominated by the United States and other Western powers.

"It is my firm belief that in the new millennium we need to revert to the divine mind-set . . . based on the justice-seeking nature of mankind, and on the monotheistic worldview . . .," the Iranian leader said in a brief speech.

Ahmadinejad proposed that the UN name the coming 10 years "the decade for the joint global governance."

Soon afterward, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the world's fourth-largest economic power, took an opposite tack, probably speaking for the rest of the capitalist world.

Stressing that "the primary responsibility for development lies with the governments of the developing countries," she said the key to economic prosperity was good governance and a flourishing capitalist economy.

Oxfam, one of the world's most respected aid organizations, slammed Merkel's address. In an unusually blunt assessment, spokeswoman Emma Seery said more had been expected from the Germans, who "failed to explain how they will meet their promises of aid to poor countries, and sidestepped their responsibility to make aid work by laying this at the door of the poorest countries."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said the world is "on track" to cut extreme poverty by half, the No. 1 goal, though some critics say it's mainly because of big strides in China and India. Many recent reports show that the world's poorest countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, have made little progress in eradicating poverty.

And in Africa, Asia and Latin America there also has been a lack of progress in meeting other key goals: reducing mother and child deaths, increasing the number of people with access to basic sanitation, and promoting women's equality. Ban is expected to launch a new initiative today to spur action on improving the lot of women and children.