Ahmadinejad calls for TV debate with Obama

IRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to face him in a televised one-on-one debate to see who has the best solutions for the world's problems.

The proposal comes as Iran deals with a new wave of international sanctions driven by Washington aimed at putting pressure on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.

"Toward the end of summer we will hopefully be there for the (U.N.) General Assembly and I will be ready for one-on-one talks with Mr Obama, in front of the media of course," Ahmadinejad told a conference of Iranian expatriates in Tehran.

"We will offer our solutions for world issues to see whose solutions are better."

Ahmadinejad suggested such a debate last September, which was not taken up by Washington. He said Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, had declined similar invitations because he was "scared."

Denis McDonough, chief of staff at the White House National Security Council, was non-committal about a potential presidential encounter. Tehran, Reuters