Amazing! Chavez' speech at the UN (full transcript)

President Hugo Chavez Delivers Remarks at the U.N. General Assembly
CQ Transcripts Wire
Wednesday, September 20, 2006; 12:28 PM

SEPTEMBER 20, 2006

SPEAKER: HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): ... over our heads. I had considered reading from this book, but for the sake of time, I shall just leave it as a recommendation. It reads easily. It's a very good book. I'm sure, Madam, you are familiar with it.

(APPLAUSE)

The book is in English, in Russian, in Arabic, in German.

I think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is in their own house. The devil is right at home. The devil -- the devil, himself, is right in the house.

And the devil came here yesterday.

(APPLAUSE)

Yesterday, the devil came here. Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of.

Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world.

I think we could call a psychiatrist to analyze yesterday's statement made by the president of the United States. As the spokesman of imperialism, he came to share his nostrums, to try to preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world.

An Alfred Hitchcock movie could use it as a scenario. I would even propose a title: "The Devil's Recipe."

As Chomsky says here, clearly and in depth, the American empire is doing all it can to consolidate its system of domination. And we cannot allow them to do that. We cannot allow world dictatorship to be consolidated.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The world parent's statement -- cynical, hypocritical, full of this imperial hypocrisy from the need they have to control everything.

They say they want to impose a democratic model. But that's their democratic model. It's the false democracy of elites, and, I would say, a very original democracy that's imposed by weapons and bombs and firing weapons.

What a strange democracy. Aristotle might not recognize it or others who are at the root of democracy.

What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?

The president of the United States, yesterday, said to us, right here, in this room, and I'm quoting, "Anywhere you look, you hear extremists telling you can escape from poverty and recover your dignity through violence, terror and martyrdom."

Wherever he looks, he sees extremists. And you, my brother -- he looks at your color, and he says, oh, there's an extremist. Evo Morales, the worthy president of Bolivia, looks like an extremist to him.

The imperialists see extremists everywhere. It's not that we are extremists. It's that the world is waking up. It's waking up all over. And people are standing up.

I have the feeling, dear world dictator, that you are going to live the rest of your days as a nightmare because the rest of us are standing up, all those who are rising up against American imperialism, who are shouting for equality, for respect, for the sovereignty of nations.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Yes, you can call us extremists, but we are rising up against the empire, against the model of domination.

The president then -- and this he said himself, he said: "I have come to speak directly to the populations in the Middle East, to tell them that my country wants peace."

That's true. If we walk in the streets of the Bronx, if we walk around New York, Washington, San Diego, in any city, San Antonio, San Francisco, and we ask individuals, the citizens of the United States, what does this country want? Does it want peace? They'll say yes.

But the government doesn't want peace. The government of the United States doesn't want peace. It wants to exploit its system of exploitation, of pillage, of hegemony through war.

It wants peace. But what's happening in Iraq? What happened in Lebanon? In Palestine? What's happening? What's happened over the last 100 years in Latin America and in the world? And now threatening Venezuela -- new threats against Venezuela, against Iran?

He spoke to the people of Lebanon. Many of you, he said, have seen how your homes and communities were caught in the crossfire. How cynical can you get? What a capacity to lie shamefacedly. The bombs in Beirut with millimetric precision?

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): This is crossfire? He's thinking of a western, when people would shoot from the hip and somebody would be caught in the crossfire.

This is imperialist, fascist, assassin, genocidal, the empire and Israel firing on the people of Palestine and Lebanon. That is what happened. And now we hear, "We're suffering because we see homes destroyed.'

The president of the United States came to talk to the peoples -- to the peoples of the world. He came to say -- I brought some documents with me, because this morning I was reading some statements, and I see that he talked to the people of Afghanistan, the people of Lebanon, the people of Iran. And he addressed all these peoples directly.

And you can wonder, just as the president of the United States addresses those peoples of the world, what would those peoples of the world tell him if they were given the floor? What would they have to say?

And I think I have some inkling of what the peoples of the south, the oppressed people think. They would say, "Yankee imperialist, go home." I think that is what those people would say if they were given the microphone and if they could speak with one voice to the American imperialists.

And that is why, Madam President, my colleagues, my friends, last year we came here to this same hall as we have been doing for the past eight years, and we said something that has now been confirmed -- fully, fully confirmed.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I don't think anybody in this room could defend the system. Let's accept -- let's be honest. The U.N. system, born after the Second World War, collapsed. It's worthless.

Oh, yes, it's good to bring us together once a year, see each other, make statements and prepare all kinds of long documents, and listen to good speeches, like Abel's (ph) yesterday, or President Mullah's (ph). Yes, it's good for that.

And there are a lot of speeches, and we've heard lots from the president of Sri Lanka, for instance, and the president of Chile.

But we, the assembly, have been turned into a merely deliberative organ. We have no power, no power to make any impact on the terrible situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes, here, today, 20 September, that we re-establish the United Nations.

Last year, Madam, we made four modest proposals that we felt to be crucially important. We have to assume the responsibility our heads of state, our ambassadors, our representatives, and we have to discuss it.

The first is expansion, and Mullah (ph) talked about this yesterday right here. The Security Council, both as it has permanent and non-permanent categories, (inaudible) developing countries and LDCs must be given access as new permanent members. That's step one.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Second, effective methods to address and resolve world conflicts, transparent decisions.

Point three, the immediate suppression -- and that is something everyone's calling for -- of the anti-democratic mechanism known as the veto, the veto on decisions of the Security Council.

Let me give you a recent example. The immoral veto of the United States allowed the Israelis, with impunity, to destroy Lebanon. Right in front of all of us as we stood there watching, a resolution in the council was prevented.

Fourthly, we have to strengthen, as we've always said, the role and the powers of the secretary general of the United Nations.

Yesterday, the secretary general practically gave us his speech of farewell. And he recognized that over the last 10 years, things have just gotten more complicated; hunger, poverty, violence, human rights violations have just worsened. That is the tremendous consequence of the collapse of the United Nations system and American hegemonistic pretensions.

Madam, Venezuela a few years ago decided to wage this battle within the United Nations by recognizing the United Nations, as members of it that we are, and lending it our voice, our thinking.

Our voice is an independent voice to represent the dignity and the search for peace and the reformulation of the international system; to denounce persecution and aggression of hegemonistic forces on the planet.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): This is how Venezuela has presented itself. Bolivar's home has sought a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council.

Let's see. Well, there's been an open attack by the U.S. government, an immoral attack, to try and prevent Venezuela from being freely elected to a post in the Security Council.

The imperium is afraid of truth, is afraid of independent voices. It calls us extremists, but they are the extremists.

And I would like to thank all the countries that have kindly announced their support for Venezuela, even though the ballot is a secret one and there's no need to announce things.

But since the imperium has attacked, openly, they strengthened the convictions of many countries. And their support strengthens us.

Mercosur, as a bloc, has expressed its support, our brothers in Mercosur. Venezuela, with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, is a full member of Mercosur.

And many other Latin American countries, CARICOM, Bolivia have expressed their support for Venezuela. The Arab League, the full Arab League has voiced its support. And I am immensely grateful to the Arab world, to our Arab brothers, our Caribbean brothers, the African Union. Almost all of Africa has expressed its support for Venezuela and countries such as Russia or China and many others.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I thank you all warmly on behalf of Venezuela, on behalf of our people, and on behalf of the truth, because Venezuela, with a seat on the Security Council, will be expressing not only Venezuela's thoughts, but it will also be the voice of all the peoples of the world, and we will defend dignity and truth.

Over and above all of this, Madam President, I think there are reasons to be optimistic. A poet would have said "helplessly optimistic," because over and above the wars and the bombs and the aggressive and the preventive war and the destruction of entire peoples, one can see that a new era is dawning.

As Sylvia Rodriguez (ph) says, the era is giving birth to a heart. There are alternative ways of thinking. There are young people who think differently. And this has already been seen within the space of a mere decade. It was shown that the end of history was a totally false assumption, and the same was shown about Pax Americana and the establishment of the capitalist neo-liberal world. It has been shown, this system, to generate mere poverty. Who believes in it now?

What we now have to do is define the future of the world. Dawn is breaking out all over. You can see it in Africa and Europe and Latin America and Oceanea. I want to emphasize that optimistic vision.

We have to strengthen ourselves, our will to do battle, our awareness. We have to build a new and better world.

Venezuela joins that struggle, and that's why we are threatened. The U.S. has already planned, financed and set in motion a coup in Venezuela, and it continues to support coup attempts in Venezuela and elsewhere.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): President Michelle Bachelet reminded us just a moment ago of the horrendous assassination of the former foreign minister, Orlando Letelier.

And I would just add one thing: Those who perpetrated this crime are free. And that other event where an American citizen also died were American themselves. They were CIA killers, terrorists.

And we must recall in this room that in just a few days there will be another anniversary. Thirty years will have passed from this other horrendous terrorist attack on the Cuban plane, where 73 innocents died, a Cubana de Aviacion airliner.

And where is the biggest terrorist of this continent who took the responsibility for blowing up the plane? He spent a few years in jail in Venezuela. Thanks to CIA and then government officials, he was allowed to escape, and he lives here in this country, protected by the government.

And he was convicted. He has confessed to his crime. But the U.S. government has double standards. It protects terrorism when it wants to.

And this is to say that Venezuela is fully committed to combating terrorism and violence. And we are one of the people who are fighting for peace.

Luis Posada Carriles is the name of that terrorist who is protected here. And other tremendously corrupt people who escaped from Venezuela are also living here under protection: a group that bombed various embassies, that assassinated people during the coup. They kidnapped me and they were going to kill me, but I think God reached down and our people came out into the streets and the army was too, and so I'm here today.

But these people who led that coup are here today in this country protected by the American government. And I accuse the American government of protecting terrorists and of having a completely cynical discourse.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We mentioned Cuba. Yes, we were just there a few days ago. We just came from there happily.

And there you see another era born. The Summit of the 15, the Summit of the Nonaligned, adopted a historic resolution. This is the outcome document. Don't worry, I'm not going to read it.

But you have a whole set of resolutions here that were adopted after open debate in a transparent matter -- more than 50 heads of state. Havana was the capital of the south for a few weeks, and we have now launched, once again, the group of the nonaligned with new momentum.

And if there is anything I could ask all of you here, my companions, my brothers and sisters, it is to please lend your good will to lend momentum to the Nonaligned Movement for the birth of the new era, to prevent hegemony and prevent further advances of imperialism.

And as you know, Fidel Castro is the president of the nonaligned for the next three years, and we can trust him to lead the charge very efficiently.

Unfortunately they thought, "Oh, Fidel was going to die." But they're going to be disappointed because he didn't. And he's not only alive, he's back in his green fatigues, and he's now presiding the nonaligned.

So, my dear colleagues, Madam President, a new, strong movement has been born, a movement of the south. We are men and women of the south.

With this document, with these ideas, with these criticisms, I'm now closing my file. I'm taking the book with me. And, don't forget, I'm recommending it very warmly and very humbly to all of you.

CHAVEZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We want ideas to save our planet, to save the planet from the imperialist threat. And hopefully in this very century, in not too long a time, we will see this, we will see this new era, and for our children and our grandchildren a world of peace based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations, but a renewed United Nations.

And maybe we have to change location. Maybe we have to put the United Nations somewhere else; maybe a city of the south. We've proposed Venezuela.

You know that my personal doctor had to stay in the plane. The chief of security had to be left in a locked plane. Neither of these gentlemen was allowed to arrive and attend the U.N. meeting. This is another abuse and another abuse of power on the part of the Devil. It smells of sulfur here, but God is with us and I embrace you all.

May God bless us all. Good day to you.

(APPLAUSE)

END

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6092000893.html

Very impressive speech of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN General Assembly 2006 (full transcript)

http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/iran-e.pdf

So, methinks it'd be interestin' to find out exactly what impressed you the most, you know, what you thought was the high point of it, eh?

So, methinks it'd be interestin' to find out exactly what impressed you the most 'bout it. You know, what you thought was the high point of it, eh?

Big admirer of Chavez too are you?

Viva la rEVOlution! Bolivian Leader Evo Morales Brings Coca to UN!!! Watch out! The young, lion-hearted REAL presidents are coming which speak for us!!!

Bolivian Leader Defends His Drug Policy
The Associated Press
Tuesday, September 19, 2006; 10:10 PM



Bolivian president Evo Morales holds a coca leaf as he addresses the 61st session of the U.N. General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters,

UNITED NATIONS -- Bolivian president Evo Morales brandished a coca leaf on the floor of the United Nations Tuesday in a passionate rebuke of U.S. criticisms of the South American nation's anti-drug policies.

The State Department on Monday included Bolivia in its annual list of major drug-transit or drug-producing countries, singling out Morales' government for continuing to permit the legal harvest of coca, the principal ingredient in cocaine.

Morales, a former coca-grower elected in December as Bolivia's first indigenous president, surprised the U.N. General Assembly by pulling out the small leaf _ banned in the United States _ and holding it aloft.

"Coca is green, not white like cocaine," he said, to a smattering of applause. "Scientifically ... it has been demonstrated that the coca leaf does no harm to human health."

Morales has upped his government's enforcement efforts against cocaine production while continuing to promote coca's legal use in tea, medicines and other products.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christy McCampbell on Monday expressed "very serious concerns" about the effectiveness of Morales' coca policy. She reiterated demands for a more thorough eradication program, the development of alternative crops and an overhaul of Bolivian drug laws.

McCampbell said that the U.S. would review Bolivia's drug policies again in six months' time.

Without significant change in the Morales' program, Bolivia could face decertification _ the loss of some $100 million in U.S. government aid in the fight against narco-trafficking.

"With all respect to the government of the United States, we are not going to change anything. We do not need blackmail or threats," Morales said. "Certification or decertification is an instrument of recolonization, or colonization, of the Andean countries. That we will not accept."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6091901743.html

These guys are speaking truth to power.

Just because we don't like the contents doesn't make it less valid.

They are (ostensibly) trying to help their people, mostly the poor of whom there are many.

BushCo wants to help those who have already helped themselves.

Chavez Catches Hell For 'Devil' Slam
Sept. 21, 2006 (CBS) It’s rare to hear Congressional Democrats coming to the rescue of President George W. Bush. But a day after Venezuela's president called Mr. Bush a "devil" in front of the United Nations General Assembly, several prominent Bush critics are siding with the White House.

Rep. Charles Rangel – the Democrat who represents the New York City neighborhood that Hugo Chavez visited Thursday – took a swipe at the Venezuelan President for his behavior at the U.N.

Rangel said he wants to make it clear to the Venezuelan President that his comments on Wednesday were inappropriate and the American people are offended by his criticism of President Bush.

"I just want to make it abundantly clear to Hugo Chavez or any other president - don't come to the United States and think because we have problems with our president that any foreigner can come to our country and not think that Americans do not feel offended when you offend our Chief of State," Rangel said.

"Any demeaning public attack against him is viewed by Republicans and Democrats, and all Americans, as an attack on all of us," Rangel said.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who spent most of the day criticizing the Bush administration's economic and environmental policies, told reporters that Chavez's performance at the U.N. "demeaned" himself and the his nation.

"He fancies himself as a modern day Simon Bolivar, but all he is an everyday thug," Pelosi said.

Speaking before the General Assembly's annual meeting of world leaders on Wednesday, Chavez called Mr. Bush the "devil" and even said the podium that the President had used still smelled of "sulfur."

Chavez received applause from the audience at the U.N. in New York after his remarks. Mr. Bush was not in the room at the time having already returned to Washington, D.C. after making his own speech to the General Assembly.

This isn't the first time Chaves has taken verbal jabs at President Bush. In a past appearance, Chavez said, "George W. Bush: You are a donkey, Mr. Bush."

But none of his previous comments have been on as large a stage as the United Nations.

Mr. Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, added his voice to chorus of Democrats condemning Chavez.

"I think Chavez would be much more effective if he would say something that's true," Mr. Clinton said on CNN. "You know, to me, that would be a much cleverer thing for him to do, where he'd really be doing something good, and he could say, 'I disagree with President Bush,' instead of calling him the devil."

The White House so far has refused to fire back at the Venezuelan leader.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Chavez's comment "is not becoming a head of state."

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said the remarks "don't warrant a response."

Bolton did add that, while Chavez has the right to express his opinion, it was "too bad the people of Venezuela don't have free speech."

CBS News reporter Charles Wolfson, who covers the State Department, says the Venezuelan's comments are not that big a deal.

Every leader gets his or her fifteen minutes in the spotlight. And most use their time for standard policy statements which concern their countries, Wolfson reports. But there are always a few leaders who simply feel, either for nationalistic or individual pride, the urge to use their time to provoke, to use the U.N. podium as their personal platform to see and be seen as an actor on the world stage.

But, CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk says Chavez could be setting himself up to be the chief thorn in America's side.

"Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is rapidly becoming the new Fidel Castro, but with petro-dollars, at the U.N.," said Falk, "and as a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council in October, his anti-Bush comments are making him increasingly popular with member states in his campaign for that position."

Chavez's personal criticisms of the American president were not slowed by the American officials' chidings. During his Thursday appearance in Harlem, he called Mr. Bush an "alcoholic and a sick man."

Venezuela's president had just promised to double the amount of discounted heating oil his country is shipping to needy Americans when he fired the latest salvo.

"Venezuela's generosity to the poor, however, should not be interpreted as license to attack President Bush. Those who take issue with Bush Administration policies have no right to attack him personally," said Rangel, adding that it was also "not helpful when President Bush referred to certain nations as an 'axis of evil'."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/21/...le2029749.shtml

(bold text per vmaus - defending an international criminal)

Watch out - you may become sniper fodder too. LOL


lenal

Rangel is right, he could've made some strong , serious points but chose posturing to win a seat instead. It shows a complete lack of diplomacy and lack of intent to accomplish any good.

Ahhh, Nuts, Rangle is wrong... President Chavez could have been another politically correct double talker, but instead, spoke directly and passionately as an elected head of state of his country and people to the world. If you listen to his speech verses Bush's “speech”, you may have noticed a subtle difference in the response of the audience...
Rangle, as a member of the House of representatives of the 15th district of NY and has a right to his opinion, however in error it may be... We all make mistakes but notice he is criticizing an elected President of a nation of 27 million people with a GNP of over 160 Billion. Hugo Chavez is more than qualified to express his opinion of Fuhrer Bush to the United Nations Assembly. I dare say he was speaking mildly; Bush is not just the devil... he is the spawn of corporate greed - international criminals, pathological lairs, mass murderers, and psychopaths.

As far as I'm concerned it doesn't matter who said it. What matters is, it was earned. Bush earned every single word of it.

andIf you was amazed by Chavez' speech and impressed by what Ahmadinejad said then methinks you'll be wettin' yourself in anticipation of the one that al-Zawahri's gonna do, eh?

I have a question in general

The UN far as I know is INTERNATIONAL space.
It happens to be on US property (probably so the USA can spy on it)

As the UN is here, and all the leaders have to come here, what they are saying is NOT really on US property, but at the UN

What right do we greedy americans have to restrict what anyone says?

What about freedom of speech?
Seems a bit hypocritical to me

At least Chavez was democratically elected
unlike Bush who was selected

Methinks the UN HQ is the property of a diplomatic entity, the United Nations, and, although located in the USA, 'tis not actually on US property. If I ain't mistaken 'twas built there 'cause nobody else wanted it and the headaches that come with it, and no other country was willin' to pay for its construction, eh?Why do they have to come here? Is it 'cause 'tis cooler to blast the USA from within its borders where freedom of speech is guaranteed rather than at home where 'tis not?Greedy Americans, eh? Are you makin' an accusations we Americans are greedy?

Methinks if so you might wanna rethink the statement a bit. IMHO I ain't greedy, my neighbors don't seem to be greedy, none of my friends come across as greedy, eh? Are you greedy? Are you accusin' the rest of us as bein' greedy? If so, based on what?Your query seems a bit convoluted to me. Was it in some kinda secret code?

Did someone restrict, or try to restrict what anyone said at the UN? Methinks I've not seen that reported anyplace. Could you please provide a source for this info? If you just pulled that one outa your fanny then give that as a source please.Only after his unsuccessful attempt to seize power through a coup.

Maybe this is what you really want, eh?

I see Solve has decided not to respond this note, or this one either, eh? Oh well, based on his past history I guess I wasn't really expectin' anything from him.

Just the same, since he seems to go for certain kinds of stuff, methinks he'll find this video of interest, maybe even impressive and amazing. I'd be curious to hear him give us his impressions, but methinks I won't be holdin' my breath waitin' for that to happen.

Don't think I've yet seen a response from g4a on this one either. Maybe I missed it somehow, eh?

Methinks I must apologize. When I wrote the note above I wasn't aware one of them I'd addressed questions to was no longer able to respond. 'Tweren't my intention to do anything so unfair, and just wanted him to know that.

Not sure why the other one refuses to respond though. Sure seems to be prolific with notes in other places, eh?

He made stronger statements in Harlem, your stance would have to improve to be bull !

Which methinks is why he's not come back to answer my questions here. Guess I won't be none too surprised if he keeps duckin' it though , eh?