New York Daily News

NEW YORK - GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney thinks the United Nations has it all wrong on Iran, saying Monday that country's blustery leader should be indicted, not invited to speak to the General Assembly.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be greeted next week at the New York headquarters with an "indictment under the Genocide Convention," Romney wrote in a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

"I think the invitation should be withdrawn," Romney told reporters. "I think, instead, Ahmadinejad should be indicted."

Romney, whose role as chief of the 2002 Winter Games made him something of a Utah favorite son, suggested Ahmadinejad's hostility towards Israel, support of Hezbollah and alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons amount to a statement of intent to pursue genocide.

If the U.N. fails to withdraw the invitation, "the United States must reconsider its level of support and funding for the United Nations," the former Massachusetts governor said.

A spokeswoman for Ban said she was unaware of Romney's letter. Next week will mark the Iranian leader's third visit to New York - which usually draws thousands of protesters who object to his defiance of Israel and the U.S.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has chosen to stay out of the fray.

"We will provide whatever security is necessary to protect all visiting dignitaries," Bloomberg said Monday in advance of the 62nd annual General Assembly.

He added that any guest of the U.N. "is going to be protected whether I or America agrees with their views."

The heads of Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are expected to descend on the city for the nine-day summit that will begin Sept. 24.

"The hit list will be in town - everyone who is at high risk of an assassination attempt will be here," a police source said. "We have handled this and similar situations in the past without problems."

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said "thousands" of officers will work the event, calling it "a major operation for us but it's something we've done for many years."