Apr 15, 2006, 14:34 GMT
Berlin - Politicians in Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU) called Saturday for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be barred from Germany during the World Cup.
'It would be a welcome move if the government made clear through diplomatic channels that a visit to Germany by Ahmadinejad is undesirable,' Wolfgang Bosbach told the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
Bosbach is the deputy floor leader in parliament of the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
Iran is one of the 32 nations participating in the month-long World Cup beginning June 9. There has been speculation the Iranian president might want to visit Germany to watch his team.
CDU parliamentary spokesman Georg Brunnhuber called on football's governing body FIFA to declare Ahmadinejad persona non grata for the duration of the tournament.
'The European Union should coordinate on the matter and support the German government if it decides to declare him an unwelcome visitor,' Brunnhuber said.
The CSU's spokesman on domestic affairs, Hans-Peter Uhl, said: 'We should make it clear to Ahmadinejad that he should refrain from paying a visit to Germany.'
The controversial president has caused an international outcry by denying the existence of the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be 'wiped off the map.'
Denying the Holocaust is a crime in Germany, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Ahmadinejad restoked the controversy on Friday by speaking of Israel's demise and again casting doubt on the Holocaust.
'There might be doubts over the Holocaust, but there are definitely no doubts about the Holocaust happening in the recent years in Palestine,' Ahmadinejad said at a conference in Tehran aimed at raising money for the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority.
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