Chavez takes verbal battle with Washington to UN; calls Bush 'the devil'
46 minutes ago
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, describing U.S. President George Bush as "the devil."
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."
The South American leader, who joined Iran last week in an alliance against U.S. influence, accused Washington of "domination, exploitation and pillage of peoples of the world."
"We appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our head," he said.
Chavez held up a book by American writer Noam Chomsky "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" and recommended it to everyone in the General Assembly.
He also said the UN as currently constituted "doesn't work" and is "anti-democratic."
For example, Washington's "immoral veto" had allowed recent Israeli bombings of Lebanon to continue unabated for more than a month, Chavez said.
"Venezuela once again proposes today that we reform the United Nations," he said.
He drew tentative giggles at times from the audience, but also some applause when he called U.S. "imperialism" a menace.
Chavez lambasted the Bush administration for trying to block Venezuela's campaign for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council.
The council currently consists of five permanent members with veto power - the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France - and 10 non-permanent members who serve two-year terms and have no power to veto resolutions.
The 10 elected members do have the right to propose resolutions, chair committees and hold the rotating council presidency for one-month periods.
Five countries from different regions are elected every year by the General Assembly to replace five retiring ones.
The U.S. government contends that Chavez, a close ally of Iran, Syria and Cuba, would be a disruptive force on the council.
"The imperialists see extremists everywhere. No, we aren't extremists," Chavez countered in his speech. "What's happening is the world is waking up."
Holding a rotating Security Council seat would bring Chavez a higher profile and a platform to challenge the U.S. on its stances in regions from the Middle East to Latin America.
The campaign is shaping up to be a formidable diplomatic test for Chavez, gauging his ability to lobby head-to-head against Washington.
In the last few months, Chavez has criss-crossed the globe collecting promises of support, visiting about a dozen countries including Russia, Belarus, Iran, Vietnam, Qatar, Mali, Benin, China, Malaysia and Syria. His diplomats also have been busy, while top Guatemalan officials and U.S. diplomats also have been doing their own lobbying.
Chavez said he has the solid backing of the Caribbean Community, the Arab League, Russia, China and much of Africa, in addition to his allies across South America.
But winning a Security Council seat requires a two-thirds majority - 128 out of 192 UN members - and Guatemala says it has 90 votes secured. If neither side wins the necessary two-thirds, there could be more rounds of lobbying and voting next month, possibly followed by a search for an alternate candidate.
The Venezuelan leader, a close friend and admirer of Cuban President Fidel Castro, has sought to be a voice for poor countries and has warned that if the U.S. tries to block UN reform, Venezuela and others may eventually create a separate "United Nations of the south" to rival a body they no longer find democratic.
Chavez also said it might eventually be necessary to move the UN headquarters out of the United States.
Right on, Chavez.