john mage
Chavez Says U.N. to Move to Jerusalem September 15th, 2005 @ 9:05pm
By KIM GAMEL Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced the U.S.-led war in Iraq on Thursday and told world leaders they should consider moving the U.N. headquarters out of the United States because of it.
The leftist leader said the fact that the war was fought without U.N. authorization showed that Washington has no respect for the world body.
"There were never weapons of mass destruction but Iraq was bombed, and over U.N. objections, (it was) occupied and continues being occupied," said Chavez, who appeared to step up his frequent criticism of U.S. policies in his speech to the General Assembly at a U.N. summit.
"That's why we propose to this assembly that the United Nations leave this country, which is not respectful of the very resolutions of this assembly," he said.
Allegations that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction were one of the main justifications by President Bush's administration for the war, but none have been found since the Iraqi dictator's ouster.
World leaders had been asked to speak for five minutes, and when Chavez kept talking, the presiding diplomat passed him a note that his time was up. The Venezuelan leader threw the note on the floor and said if Bush could speak for 20 minutes at Wednesday's opening session, so could he.
At the end, Chavez's remarks got what observers said was the loudest applause of the summit.
Relations between Chavez and Washington have become increasingly strained, though the United States remains the top buyer of Venezuelan oil.