TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad congratulated Pope Benedict XVI on the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ and the New Year in a message on Wednesday.

The president expressed hope that the New Year would be the year when cruelty and aggression are abolished.
“I hope 2008 will be the year of peace and friendship, and that people’s rights will be more respected and morality will be promoted in societies throughout the world,” he stated.
Al divine religions convey a similar message, and that is the need to worship God, defend the oppressed, and promote moral values, he said.
Ahmadinejad also sent separate Christmas greeting messages to his counterparts in Christian countries.
Peace, friendship, brotherhood, justice, and security will be established anywhere in the world that Jesus Christ’s teachings are put into practice, the president said in the message.
“Let us all play a role in establishing justice and love in the world,” he added