Welcome to live coverage of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's address to the UN general assembly, which is expected to begin at 11am ET / 4pm BST.

We'll also be bringing you coverage of David Cameron's first speech to the UN since becoming British prime minister.



Unlike last year, when he sought to grab international headlines, Ahmadinejad is likely to play to a domestic audience this year in an attempt to demonstrate his power and quash suggestions that a once powerful figure has already become a lame-duck president two years before his term ends in 2013.



Last week, in the latest episode of his confrontation with the conservatives close to the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he failed to fulfil his pledge to release the US hikers immediately and take them to New York before his visit, and thus gain the credit himself for their freedom.

Instead, he was embarrassed by the judiciary, which contradicted his remarks and insisted that they and not the president were in charge of the fate of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who were held in Iran as spies.

But Ahmadinejad's dilemma back in Iran is far more complex than the controversies over the release of the two Americans. After publicly challenging Khamenei over a cabinet appointment in April, Ahmadinejad abruptly lost his position as the protege to the Ayatollah, who holds the ultimate power in Iran.

Since then, he has increasingly become isolated with only a handful of serious supporters on his side, losing the support of the elite revolutionary guards and the majority of his hitherto backers both in the parliament and the establishment.

Supporters of Khamenei are worried about the influence of Ahmadinejad and his team in Iran's politics and have accused them with everything from revolutionary deviancy to financial corruption and even sorcery.

Ahmadinejad's troubles were highlighted again on Thursday when it emerged that speculation is rife among Iranian MPs that there will be a move to bring back the position of prime minister instead of the current system of presidency. If this turns out to be the case, this would constitute an attempt by MPs to take power, as any prime minister would be appointed by them, unlike a president, who is elected by the people.

Speaking at the general assembly will give Ahmadinejad a great opportunity, more than anything else, to fight back against his opponents. During his stay in New York, the president - who is bombarded by interview requests from the US media - has a great opportunity to garner publicity and distract attention from his political mismanagement in Iran, especially his appalling record of violating human rights. Ironically, Ahmadinejad this time is not receiving the attention he needs in his home country, with even some semi-official media giving scant coverage to his visit to the UN.

To obtain that publicity, Ahmadineajd is likely to talk about a controversial subject which would help him to once again become the centre of attention. He may decide to talk about Palestinian statehood and president Obama's support for the Israelis, or perhaps the US and Britain's apparent lack of interest in the uprisings in Bahrain and Yemen. All eyes are once again on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The New York Times has interviewed Ahmadinejad ahead of his address to the UN general assembly.

The Iranian president began with:

I would like to, with your permission, greet all of your readers as well as Web viewers and wish all of them the success and blessings of the Almighty.

He repeated his conditional offer to stop nuclear enrichment, made earlier this month:

If they were willing to sell us the 20 percent enriched uranium, we would have preferred to buy it. It would have been far less expensive. It's as though you wish to purchase a vehicle for yourself. No one is willing to sell it to you, then you must set up your own production line to produce your own vehicle.

Ahmadinejad told Syria to stop its violent crackdown on protesters (some have accused Iran of helping in the crackdown) but said in Iran "things were quite different [with respect to cracking down on protesters]".

On the infamous killing of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became a symbol of the green revolution in Iran, Nicholas Kristof writes:

A hint of sadness crossed Mr Ahmadinejad's face. I thought, for a moment, that he was going to apologise. Instead, he constructed his own reality: He suggested that she had been murdered by his opponents, working with the BBC, as part of a bizarre snuff film. "We do search for those who are truly guilty of murdering this young lady," he said.



Ahmadinejad ended the interview with:

We truly like and love the people of the United States.

Ahmadinejad's rhetoric at the UN has often prompted walk-outs but, this year, Canada's representative is boycotting him before he's even begun speaking (he's due on any minute), the Toronto Sun writes:

"We are refusing to give Ahmedinejad an audience. He does not deserve one," said a senior [Canadian] government official. In previous years, Canada, the US, Australia and some other western democracies have been present for the beginning of Ahmadinejad's annual speech here, but then they make a show of walking out en masse as soon as he begins what inevitably becomes an anti-Semitic, anti-West rant. Last year, Canadian and American diplomats lasted a few minutes and left when Ahmadinejad began trotting out the theory that the U.S. government and not radical Islamic terrorists were responsible for 9/11 ... "Canada made a powerful statement by walking out on Iran's hate-filled speech two years ago. We will make another powerful statement tomorrow. Our chair will sit empty," the official said.

We're still waiting for the Iranian president to begin.

In an interview with Iranian TV on Wednesday, he declared his country to be "a new model for life to the world," CNN reports:

The Iranian leader said "that the world is in need of change, and Marxism, liberalism, humanism and the West could not solve man's problems," his office said. Ahmadinejad added that "relying on its culture and rich civilization," Iran is "the only nation" that "can offer a new model for life to the world". He told the students "that the US may be willing to highjack the regional uprisings but a stormy movement is under way," IRNA [Iran's state-run news agency] reported. "Elsewhere in his speech, he said that the UN was set up with the objective of preventing bullying in the world, but this did not happen," IRNA reported.

Ahmadinejad should be on this livestream when he appears.

The president of Cyprus is talking at present.

The president of Tanzania has just started speaking, so still we await Ahmadinejad.

Protesters against Ahmadinejad have gathered outside the UN headquarters. There are some pictures on this blog.

While we continue to await the Iranian president, here are some of Ahmadinejad's past controversies, compiled by my colleague Sam Jones:

At his first appearance [at the UN general assembly] six years ago, he launched a barely veiled attack on the US, telling delegates: "State terrorism is being supported by those who claim to fight terrorism." A few weeks later, he informed a conference titled The World Without Zionism that "the regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time". In 2006, Ahmadinejad took to the UN podium to lambast the US's "hegemonic power" and influence over the UN and to pose the question: "If the governments of the US or the UK, who are permanent members of the security council, commit aggression, occupation and violation of international law, which of the organs of the UN can take them to account?" The next year, his request to visit Ground Zero to lay a wreath to commemorate the September 11 attacks was turned down. In 2008, he accused Israel of manipulating the US presidential race, suggesting that "a small but deceitful minority of Zionists are playing with the American public". His presence at the general assembly in September 2009 provoked a series of diplomatic walkouts after he again attacked Israel, accusing it of genocide, barbarism and racism. Ahmadinejad upped the ante still further last year — and prompted another exodus from the chamber — when he claimed most nations believed the September 11 attacks were the work of the US government. He told the assembly that there was a theory "that some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order to save the Zionist regime". In slightly more measured terms, President Barack Obama described the accusations as "hateful, offensive and inexcusable".

Sorry, it looks like we could be waiting for some time still. Alassane Ouattara, the president of the Ivory Coast has just begun speaking.

Before Ouattara, it was the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. His regime has previously blamed Iran for the protests led by the majority Shia population against the Bahraini regime and has met demonstrations with a bloody crackdown, ironically not dissimilar to the methods employed in Iran against protesters.

-

CNN journalist Mitra Mobasherat has posted a picture online of Ahmadinejad, who has entered the UN assembly hall.

He is due to speak after the current leader at the podium, Chile's Sebastian Pinera.

A couple of interesting items from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

It reports that the Tehran regime has detained filmmakers:

On 17 September 2011 Iranian authorities detained six independent documentary filmmakers. According to Campaign sources the filmmakers include Mohsen Shahrnazdar, Hadi Afarideh, Katayoun Shahabi, Naser Safarian, Shahnam Bazdar and Mojtaba Mir Tahmaseb. A pro-government news agency, Young Journalist Club, accused the detained filmmakers of working for BBC Persian and engaging in espionage on behalf of the news service. Several sources reported that the detainees have been taken to Ward 240 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. "BBC Persian has no one working for it inside of Iran, officially or unofficially," Sadeq Saba, director of BBC Persian, told the Campaign. "If these people are detained under charges of cooperation with BBC Persian, since we have no one working for us in Iran, then they are victims of policies directed at pressuring BBC Persian. I am truly sorry for the detainees, their families, and their associates."

The campaign has also been speaking to four New Yorkers who follow Iranian developments about Ahmadinejad's visit (see above video):

Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is joined by Professor Hamid Dabashi of Columbia University, Bitta Mostofi, a lawyer and human rights activist, and David Fine. Fine, an undergraduate student at Columbia and managing editor in chief of its newspaper, The Current, argues why Columbia students invited to dine with Ahmadinejad should not be "thrilled" and refuse him the occasion for self-aggrandizement

Ahmadinejad is speaking.

He begins by giving thanks to Allah.

The Iranian president pays tribute to those killed as a result of natural disasters over the past year.

Ahmadenijad says, this year, he plans "to analyse the current [global] situation from a different angle".

Human societies "are yet far from fulflling their noble desires and aspirations".

He refers to wars, mass murder, poverty which "infringe upon the rights and sovereignty of nations".

Ahmadenijad reads out stastics demonstrating the plight of the poorest people in the world.

He refers to inequality in the United States.

Ahmadinejad is talking about slavery:

Who abducted forcefully millions of people from their homes in Africa?

He also refers to colonialism and the plunder of resources.

Who caused the first and second world wars?



Who created the wars in the Korean peninsual and in Vietnam?

The Iranian president makes his first reference to Zionism.

He also refers to the dropping of nuclear bombs on "defenceless people", the stockpiling of weapons, and imposing and supporting military dictatorships and totalitarian regimes on Asian, African and Latin American nations.

Who encouraged Saddam Hussein to attack Iran and equipped them with chemical weapons?

Who used the "mysterious September 11 incident" as a pretext to war and to dominate the Middle East.

He is prefacing all his comments with "Who....?" He's not saying it explicitly but it's pretty obvious he talking about the US aka 'the Great Satan' in particular and the Nato in general.

In a similar vein, he continues:



Who is responsible for the economic crisis?

Of course the answers are clear...it is as lucid as daylight...can the flower of democracy from Nato's missiles, guns or bombs?

He calls for reparations to the victims of slavery.

Lots of people are walking out of the UN general assembly now, has has become customary during Ahmadinejad's appearances.

This is David Batty, I'm taking over the live blog. You can follow me on Twitter @David_Batty.

The US is among those who've walked out.

He's accusing Nato of sanctioning of allowing drug trafficking, claiming that production of illegal drugs has increased despite Nato's 'occupation'.

Ahmadinejad's now criticising the killing of Bin Laden and his burial at sea, contending he should have been brought to trial.

He mentions September 11 again, before launching into another attack on Zionism.

More than a dozen diplomats from other countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Ireland, have also left the chamber. Canada and Israel were not present at the start.

Ahmadinejad has finished making what is probably his most controversial speech yet to the UN general assembly.

His speech ticked all the boxes: Attacks on Zionism, 9/11 conspiracy theories, the US and the West are to blame for all the world's ills.

Of course there was no mention of the suppression of Iran's Green movement, or its own terrible record of human rights abuses.

Outside the building hundreds of people protested against the Iranian president's presence at the assembly.

While Ahmadinejad was addressing the general assembly, former US ambassador John Bolton gave a speech outside the meeting in which he accused the Obama administration of doing "almost nothing" to protect Iranians from the violence of their own regime.

The former US envoy to the UN said the US had failed to stop Iran from torturing and killing its own people. He added that the release yesterday of two American hikers held for years by Iran was "just Broadway theatre."

Here's a link to the full text of Ahmadinejad's UN speech.

Here's the most controversial excerpts:



Who used the mysterious September 11 incident as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, killing, injuring, and displacing millions in two countries with the ultimate goal of bringing into its domination the Middle East and its oil resources? It is as lucid as daylight that the same slave masters and colonial powers that once instigated the two world wars have caused widespread misery and disorder with far-reaching effects across the globe since then. Do these arrogant powers really have the competence and ability to run or govern the world. Is it acceptable that they call themselves the sole defender of freedom, democracy, and human rights, while they militarily attack and occupy other countries? Can the flower of democracy blossom from NATO's missiles, bombs and guns? If some European countries still use the Holocaust, after six decades, as the excuse to pay fine or ransom to the Zionists, should it not be an obligation upon the slave masters or colonial powers to pay reparations to the affected nations? Drug-trafficking and killing of innocent human beings are also allowed in pursuit of such diabolic goals. Despite NATO's presence in the occupied Afghanistan, there has been a dramatic increase in the production of illicit drugs there. By using their imperialistic media network which is under the influence of colonialism they threaten anyone who questions the Holocaust and the September 11 event with sanctions and military action. Last year, when the need to form a fact-finding team to undertake a thorough investigation concerning the hidden elements involved in September 11 incident was brought up; an idea also endorsed by all independent governments and nations as well as by the majority in the United States, my country and myself came under pressure and threat by the government of the United States. Instead of assigning a fact-finding team, they killed the main perpetrator and

threw his body into the sea.



Would it not have been reasonable to bring to justice and openly bring to trial

the main perpetrator of the incident in order to identify the elements behind the safe space provided for the invading aircraft to attack the twin world trade towers? Why should it not have been allowed to bring him to trial to help recognize those who launched terrorist groups and brought wars and other miseries into the region? Is there any classified information that must be kept secret?

In his first address to the UN general assembly, David Cameron says the Arab Spring is a "massive opportunity to spread peace, prosperity, democracy and security."

He described the Libyan revolution as the most dramatic episode the the Arab spring.

Cameron urges the UN to be more ready to take action against oppressive regimes.

Mounting a strong defence of interventionism, the prime minister said the Arab Spring uprisings and conflict in Libya demonstrated that the UN needs "a new way of working".



To fail to act is to fail those who need our help. The UN has to show that we can be not just united in condemnation, but united in action, acting in a way that lives up to the UN's founding principles and meets the needs of the people. You can sign every human rights declaration in the world, but if you stand by and watch people being slaughtered in their own country, when you could act, then what are those signatures really worth? As people in North Africa and the Middle East stand up and give voice to their hopes for more open and democratic societies, we have an opportunity - and I would say a responsibility - to help them.

The Prime Minister said the international community needed to use a combination of military action or "hard power" and "soft power" like diplomacy and financial aid.

Cameron says the Arab Spring cannot succeed unless the rights of women in the region are recognised.

Lets be clear, you cant build strong economies, open societies and inclusive political systems if you lock out women. So the Arab Spring will not succeed if the opportunities that are opening up are denied to half the population.

Cameron also singled out Yemen and Syria as being in need of reform.

He adds that Iran and Syria face a challenge to give their people "the freedom they deserve".

Cameron also criticised the African Union's response to the Arab Spring.

Many will find it hard to understand why countries in Southern Africa which have fought so hard to throw off oppression have been so slow to respond to the Arab Spring.

He also said Palestinians had a right to a "viable state of their own" and that the international community should help them achieve this.

Peace will only come when Palestinians and Israelis sit down and talk to each other, make compromises, build trust and agree. So our role is to support this to defeat those who embrace violence stop the growth of settlements and support Palestinians and Israelis alike to make peace.

But the prime minister added that no resolution could provide the "political will" needed for lasting peace and called on both Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table for direct talks.

He said the Arab spring was not just about democracy but also security.

Some have argued that stability in the Arab world can only be achieved by the tight control of strong authoritarian regimes and that reform is a threat to stability. In fact the opposite is true. Reform is the basis of long-term stability. Authoritarianism threatens it.

He added that such democratic reform would also tackle terrorism.



We must recognise that political and economic reform in the Middle East is not just good in its own right, but its also a key part of how in the end we will defeat al Qaida.

Cameron has now finished his address.

Here's a link to the full text of his speech.

In an interview for Channel 4 News, the prime minister was asked whether he was blocking progress towards a Palestinian state. Cameron replied:



I am campaigning for Palestinian statehood. I want to help make it happen. We will only support measures and processes if they actually help to get these talks back on track. I'm a practical person, I don't believe in lofty declarations. I believe in rolling up sleeves to get things done.

We're wrapping up this live blog now.

Here's a summary of the speeches made at the UN general assembly by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and British prime minister David Cameron.

Ahmadinejad's speech was full of his usual dramatic rhetoric and extravagant claims:

• He blamed the West, particularly the US and Nato for oppressing and exploiting weaker nations, for denying them their rights and stealing their resources.

• He claimed the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an excuse to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, and dominate the Middle East and its oil resources. His description of the destruction of the World Trade Centre as a "mysterious incident" played to conspiracy theorists.

• He also made his usual attack on Zionism and the Holocaust.

Cameron's speech presented a defence of interventionism and praised the Arab spring.

• He said the Arab Spring represented a "massive opportunity to spread peace, prosperity, democracy and security."

• He described the Libyan revolution as the most dramatic episode the the Arab Spring.

• He said the UN must intervene to prevent human rights atrocities.

• He said Palestinians had a right to a "viable state of their own" but peace will only come when they and Israelis sit down and talk to each other.

• He said democratic reform in the Middle East would help defeat al Qaida.

Thank you for reading and for your comments below.