Diplomats have walked out of a UN anti-racism conference during a speech by the Iranian president in which he described Israel as "totally racist".
Diplomats who remained applauded as Mr Ahmadinejad continued his address.
France said it was a "hate speech" and the US called it "vile". Some countries had boycotted the meeting altogether.
The walkout is a public relations disaster for the United Nations, which had hoped the conference would be a shining example of what the UN is supposed to do best - uniting to combat injustice in the world, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.
The walkout by delegates from at least 30 countries happened within minutes of the start of the speech.
French Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattei said: "As soon as he started to address the question of the Jewish people and Israel, we had no reason to stay in the room," the Associated Press news agency reported.
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