Iran's Ahmadinejad leaves for US

TEHRAN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran on Sunday for his third trip to the United States, saying the visit was a good chance to present Iran's solutions for the problems of the world.   

Ahmadinejad, who is due to address the UN General Assembly in New York and hold other meetings, said he would be meeting "intellectuals and independent US politicians" on his trip to Tehran's arch foe.   

"The General Assembly of the United Nations is a good opportunity to present the solutions of the Iranian people to solve the problems of the world," the president told reporters before leaving, according to the Fars news agency.   

"The United States has had influence in international relations since World War II but the American people have suffered in diverse ways and have been deprived of access to accurate information," he added.   

"We need to take advantage of such opportunities to present the positions of the Iranian people as they (the Americans) are very keen to hear them."   

Since taking office, Ahmadinejad has addressed the UN General Assembly in both 2005 and 2006, the only realistic chance for an Iranian president to travel to the United States given the current frozen ties.   

The 2007 trip has already created controversy over Ahmadinejad's calls for the destruction of Israel and his questioning of the scale of the Holocaust.