The United Nations Security Council today took up discussion on what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might have meant when he called for Israel to be “wiped out from the map”.

Secretary General Kofi Annan said Iran, as a member of the U.N., must be given the benefit of the doubt that the phrase was intended to encourage peaceful diplomacy.

“‘Wiped’ is a word that can denote cleanliness,” said Mr. Annan. “The Iranian president may have simply meant that the map should be cleaned so Israel’s legitmate borders are easier to see.”

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s remarks came during the month-long ‘World without Zionism’ celebration, and echoed the Ayatollah Khomeini’s previous comments about map hygiene.

In related news, the U.S. House today begins debate on creation of a month-long holiday called ‘World Without Islamofascism,’

President George Bush said he looks forward to celebrating the new holiday with a ceremonial “wiping of the map.”