(CNSNews.com) – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s provocative attack on Israel prompted a walkout by European Union diplomats at the U.N.’s racism conference opening on Monday, but he drew applause from some participants, and a leading Islamic state’s envoy said the issues raised by the Iranian leader resonate in the Muslim world.

Iranian media noted with satisfaction that while representatives of 23 countries left the chamber in Geneva in protest, the majority had remained.

“Those who remained in the hall expressed support for Ahmadinejad’s ideas all throughout the speech,” the Fars news agency claimed.

Whether or not that assessment is accurate, video footage did show participants who remained seated applaud as Western delegates rose and walked out.

It was not clear whether they were demonstrating support for Ahmadinejad or praising the walkout, but as they did not themselves leave, the assumption was that they were applauding the Iranian leader.

Earlier, as Ahmadinejad walked into the chamber accompanied by aides, he received enthusiastic and sustained applause, and waved in acknowledgement. He was again applauded as he was escorted to the podium to deliver his speech.

Pakistan’s ambassador Zamir Akram – who also speaks for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Geneva – noted afterwards that the majority of delegations had remained in the chamber during Ahmadinejad’s speech.

Speaking to BBC World Service radio, Akram said that the Iranian president “has his own way of expressing things.”

But, he added, “in terms of the substance, there is a resonance in the Muslim world – and I dare say around most of the countries in the world – about concern over the situation in Palestine, and in Iraq or in Afghanistan. And I think he was highlighting that.

“He had a different way of doing it – perhaps my president would not actually do it in that way – but we do have similar sorts of views, concerns on these kind of situations,” Akram said.

Monday’s walkout, described by one British newspaper as “one of the largest public walkouts in diplomatic history,” came on the opening day of the conference known as Durban II, which at least nine Western countries, including the U.S., are boycotting.

Ahmadinejad delivered his address from the podium, standing in front of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, conference president Kenyan attorney-general Amos Wako, and other dignitaries.

As he began with the standard “In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful” phrase, protestors in clown headdresses began shouting, but were quickly removed. (The Jewish French students responsible said later they wanted to make the point that the conference was a circus.)

“I call upon all guests to forgive these ignorant people,” Ahmadinejad said of the interruption, then repeated the Islamic introduction, with references to “prophets” from Adam and Noah to Jesus and “his last prophet, Mohammed.”

He then launched into a condemnation of Israel – without bringing himself to using the country’s name – describing the Holocaust as a “pretext” for the establishment of the state of Israel after World War II, and calling its government “most cruel and repressive racist regime.”

Representatives of those E.U. countries not already boycotting the week-long event then began walking out, but Ahmadinejad pressed on. Sitting behind him, Ban looked increasingly uncomfortable, and on occasion he and Wako whispered furiously.

Ahmadinejad said the U.N. Security Council had helped to “stabilize this occupation regime and supported it in the past 60 years, giving them a free hand to continue their crimes. It is all the more regrettable that a number of Western governments, and the United States, have committed themselves to defend those racist perpetrators of genocide, whilst the awakened conscience and free-minded people of the world condemn aggression, brutalities and bombardments of civilians in Gaza.”

He also attacked the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, accusing the U.S. of plundering energy resources and working in the interests of weapons manufacturers. The invasion of Iraq, he said, was “planned by the Zionists and their allies in the then U.S. administration.”

‘Accuse, divide and incite’

After his speech, reactions came fast. Ban and U.N. high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay, who convened the conference, both issued statements deploring Ahmadinejad’s comments.

“I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian president to accuse, divide and even incite,” Ban said. “This is the opposite of what this conference seeks to achieve. This makes it significantly more difficult to build constructive solutions to the very real problem of racism.”

Pillay said she condemned the use of a U.N. forum for “political grandstanding,” but said the best riposte was “to reply and correct, not to withdraw and boycott.”

Nonetheless, the Czech Republic, which holds the E.U.’s rotating presidency, said after the speech that it was joining the boycott.

Ahmadinejad told a press briefing later he regretted the walkout and the fact that some nations were not attending.

“The main issue of the conference was racism,” he said. “Are they supporting racism? Why shouldn’t they participate? The United Nations should be the symbol of democracy and freedom of expression. We should not be intolerant of listening to the opinions of others.”

Not all of Ahmadinejad’s critics agreed on the walkout or boycott response. Jonas Gahr Store, the foreign minister of Norway – which is not a member of the E.U. – did not leave and spoke immediately after the Iranian.

He condemned Ahmadinejad’s remarks but said that walking out was precisely what he wanted.

‘Defamation of religion’ raised again

Although Store characterized Ahmadinejad as the “odd man out” whose statements “run counter to the very spirit of dignity of the conference,” the Iranian’s remarks were only the latest in a string of controversies that has marked the event.

A 20-nation preparatory committee chaired by Libya and with Iran, Cuba and Pakistan among its members oversaw a lengthy process of drafting an outcome document. Language targeting Israel and seeking to restrict freedom of expression in the context of “defamation of religion” led to considerable wrangling before the most contentious direct references were eventually removed in recent weeks.

Nonetheless, concerned about the way the last U.N. racism meeting – in Durban in 2001 – had turned out, some countries were still not satisfied, and the U.S., Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Germany are staying away.

Earlier on Monday, the gathering approved “by acclamation” the appointment of Libya, Russia and Cuba to key conference positions.

Apart from the Israel-Palestinian issue, the religion question is expected to stoke debate this week, and was raised by several speakers on the opening day. OIC secretary-general Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu drew attention to the “rising trend of Islamophobia” and said “defamation of Islam” was one of the most conspicuous contemporary forms of racism.

The OIC has led efforts in the run-up to the conference to limit free expression when it comes to comments deemed critical of Muslim or Islam, a drive strongly opposed by the E.U.

Western countries succeeded in getting references to “defamation of religion” excised from the draft outcome document, but references to religion-related incitement and stereotyping remain.

In an ironic role reversal, Pakistan-OIC envoy Akram on Monday defended Ahmadinejad’s right to freedom of expression, while British ambassador Peter Gooderham, one of those who walked out, raised the incitement concern.

“If you do believe in the freedom of expression then you have to listen to him,” Akram told the BBC World Service.

“As Ambassador Akram knows very well, there’s also a great deal of concern – indeed a lot of it is expressed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference and its member states – over incitement, language that is intended to inflame or incite religious or racial hatred,” Gooderham responded.

“And in our view, that’s exactly what we heard this afternoon from President Ahmadinejad. This is supposed to be a conference about tackling racism, not propagating it.”

Britain has not withdrawn from the conference.