By Stone Martindale Sep 20, 2006, 22:42 GMT
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his war of words with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush "the devil."
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez at the General Assembly of the United Nation in New York- he and Bush most likely won't be doing the town tonight... Wednesday, 20 September 2006. EPA/JASON SZENES
"The Devil came to the U.N. yesterday... It still smells of sulphur here... Bush, I have the feeling you are going to live the rest of your days as a nightmare... We need a psychologist to analyze Bush... Yankee Imperialists go home... Maybe we need to move the United Nations out of USA"...
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said, referring to Bush's address Tuesday. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."
The leftist leader, who recently hugged it out with new friend, Iran's president Ahmadinejad in Cuba several days ago, in opposing 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.
He also said the U.N. "doesn't work" in its current system and is "antidemocratic." He called for reform, saying the U.S. government's "immoral veto" had allowed recent Israeli bombings of Lebanon to continue unabated for more than a month.
"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 called U.S. "imperialism" a menace.
Chavez criticized Washington for trying to halt Venezuela's campaign for a seat on the U.N. Security Council. He said if chosen over Guatemala in a secret-ballot U.N. vote next month, Venezuela would be "the voice of the Third World."
Your Talkback on this Story