TEHRAN, September 23, SPA -- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that the American people are eager to hear different opinions about the world, and he is looking forward to having the chance to voice them during his trip to theUnited States, state media reported. The Iranian leader left Sunday for New York toaddress the U.N. General Assembly and speak to students andteachers during a forum at Columbia University. Ahmadinejad said the American people have been denied«correct information,» and his visit will give them achance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA newsagency reported. «The United States is a big and important country with apopulation of 300 million. Due to certain issues, theAmerican people in the past years have been denied correctand clear information about global developments and areeager to hear different opinions,» Ahmadinejad was quotedby IRNA as saying. State-run television also quoted Ahmadinejad beforeboarding his presidential plane Sunday as saying that theGeneral Assembly was an «important podium» to expressIran's views on regional and global issues. He is scheduled to address the Assembly on Tuesday _ histhird time attending the New York meeting in three years. He is also set to speak at a Columbia Universityquestion-and-answer forum on Monday in New York. His request to lay a wreath at ground zero, site of theWorld Trade Center 2001 terror attacks, was denied by cityofficials and condemned by politicians. Police rejected Ahmadinejad's request, citing constructionand security concerns. In an interview to air Sunday on«60 Minutes,» Ahmadinejad indicated he would not pressthe issue but expressed disbelief that the visit wouldoffend Americans. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseinialso appeared dismayed that the request was rejected, according to a report of the Associated Press. «What kind of damage will the U.S. face?» by Ahmadinejadvisiting the site, Hosseini told reporters at his weeklypress conference Sunday.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/485095