Ahmadinejad leaves for Italy food summit

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TEHRAN, June 3 (AFP): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday left Tehran to attend a UN food summit in Rome, where his presence has already aroused controversy amongst Italian demonstrators.

"Iran, as an influential nation in the economy and agriculture, has clear solutions, programmes and suggestions for the fair production and distribution of food supply in the world," he said before leaving, according to the official IRNA news agency.

"Iran can play a decisive role in today's world management," he added.

Ahmadinejad has three times visited UN headquarters in New York for the UN General Assembly but visits by him to any Western country are extremely rare.