Iran: Another bit of information to consider if Bush is allowed to continue with a subservient and cowardly congress unable to play its checks and balances role"

*ZNet | Iran*

*Media Tall Tales for the Next War*

*by Norman Solomon; September 26, 2006*

The Sept. 25 edition of Time magazine illustrates how the U.S.

news media are gearing up for a military attack on Iran. The

headline over the cover-story interview with Iran’s president,

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is “A Date With a Dangerous Mind.” The

big-type subhead calls him “the man whose swagger is stirring

fears of war with the U.S.,” and the second paragraph concludes:

“Though pictures of the Iranian president often show him

flashing a peace sign, his actions could well be leading the

world closer to war.”

When the USA’s biggest newsweekly devotes five pages to scoping

out a U.S. air war against Iran, as Time did in the same issue,

it’s yet

another sign that the wheels of our nation’s war-spin machine

are turning faster toward yet another unprovoked attack on

another country.

Ahmadinejad has risen to the top of Washington’s -- and American

media’s -- enemies list. Within the last 20 years, that list has

included

Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic, with each

subjected to extensive vilification before the Pentagon launched a

large-scale military attack.

Whenever the president of the United States decides to initiate

or intensify a media blitz against a foreign leader, mainstream

U.S. news

outlets have dependably stepped up the decibels and hysteria.

But the administration can also call off the dogs of war by

going silent about

the evils of some foreign tyrant.

Take Libya’s dictator, for instance. For more than a third of a

century, Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi has been a despot whose overall

record

of repression makes Noriega or Milosevic seem relatively

tolerant of domestic political foes. But ever since Qaddafi made

a deal with the Bush administration in December 2003, the

silence out of Washington about Qaddafi’s evilness has been notable.

When Qaddafi publicly celebrated the 37th anniversary of his

dictatorship a few weeks ago, he declared in a speech on state

television: “Our enemies have been crushed inside Libya, and you

have to be ready to kill them if they emerge anew.” The New York

Times noted that Qaddafi’s regime “criminalizes the creation of

opposition parties.”

Today, while the human rights situation in Iran is

reprehensible, the ongoing circumstances are far worse under

many governments favored by Washington. Here at home, media

outlets should be untangling double standards instead of

contributing to them. But so many reporters and pundits have

internalized Washington’s geopolitical agendas that the mainline

institutions of journalism continue to rot from within. That the

rot goes largely unnoticed is testimony to how Orwellian

“doublethink” has been normalized.

These are not issues of professionalism any more than concerns

about public health are issues of medicine. The news media

should be early

warning systems that inform us before current events become

unchangeable history.

But when the media system undermines the free flow of

information and prevents wide-ranging debate, what happens is a

parody of democracy. That’s what occurred four years ago during

the media buildup for the invasion of Iraq.

Now, warning signs are profuse: The Bush administration has Iran

in the Pentagon’s sights. And the drive toward war, fueled by double

standards about nuclear development and human rights, is getting

a big boost from U.S. media coverage that portrays the president

as reluctant to launch an attack on Iran.

Time magazine reports that “from the State Department to the

White House to the highest reaches of the military command,

there is a growing sense that a showdown with Iran ... may be

impossible to avoid.”

The same kind of media spin -- assuming a sincere Bush desire to

avoid war -- was profuse in the months before the invasion of

Iraq. The more that news outlets tell such fairy tales, the more

they become part of the war machinery.

______________________________

The paperback edition of Norman Solomon’s latest book, War Made

Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, was

published this summer. For information, go to:

www.warmadeeasy.com

/Published on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 by CommonDreams.org /

*Chavez Address to the United Nations *

*by Hugo Chavez

Address to the UN

New York

September 20, 2006

*

Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it.

Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books, /’Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States <http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805074007?tag=commondreams-20/ref=nosim/>./’” [Holds up book, waves it in front of General Assembly.] “It’s an excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the world throughout the 20^th century, and what’s happening now, and the greatest threat looming over our planet.

The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads. I had considered reading from this book, but, for the sake of time,” [flips through the pages, which are numerous] “I will just leave it as a recommendation.

It reads easily, it is a very good book, I’m sure Madame [President] you are familiar with it. It appears 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 right 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. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here.” [crosses himself] “And it smells of sulfur still today.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 yesterday, or President Mullah’s . 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 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.

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.

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.

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 Silvio Rodriguez 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.

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.

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.

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.

Address by

His Excellency Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nej ad

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

before the 61 st Session of the General assembly

New York, 19 September 2006

Madam President,

Distinguished Heads of State and Government,

Distinguished Heads of Delegation,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

I praise the Merciful, All-Knowing and Almighty God for blessing me with another opportunity to address this Assembly on behalf of the great nation of Iran and to bring a number of issues to the attention of the international community.

I also praise the Almighty for the increasing vigilance of peoples across the globe, their courageous presence in different international settings, and the brave expression of their views and aspirations regarding global issues.

Today, humanity passionately craves commitment to the Truth, devotion to God, quest for Justice and respect for the dignity of human beings. Rejection of domination and aggression, defense of the oppressed,and longing for peace constitute the legitimate demand of the peoples of the world, particularly the new generations and the spirited youth, who aspire a world free from decadence, aggression and injustice, and replete with love and compassion. The youth have a right to seek justice and the Truth; and they have a right to build their own future on the foundations of love, compassion and tranquility. And, I praise the Almighty for this immense blessing.

Madame President,

Excellencies,

What afflicts humanity today is certainly not compatible with human dignity; the Almighty has not created human beings so that they could transgress against others and oppress them.

By causing war and conflict, some are fast expanding their domination, accumulating greater wealth and usurping all the resources, while others endure the resulting poverty, suffering and misery.

Some seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats, while others live in perpetual insecurity and danger.

Some occupy the homeland of others, thousands of kilometers away from their borders, interfere in their affairs and control their oil and other resources and strategic routes, while others are bombarded daily in their own homes; their children murdered in the streets and alleys of their own country and their homes reduced to rubble.

Such behavior is not worthy of human beings and runs counter to the Truth, to justice and to human dignity. The fundamental question is that under such conditions, where should the oppressed seek justice? Who, or what organization defends the rights of the oppressed, and suppresses acts of aggression and oppression? Where is the seat of global justice?

A brief glance at a few examples of the most pressing global issues can further illustrate the problem.

A. The unbridled expansion of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons

Some powers proudly announce their production of second and third generations of nuclear weapons. What do they need these weapons for? Is the development and stockpiling of these deadly weapons designed to promote peace and democracy? Or, are these weapons, in fact, instruments of coercion and threat against other peoples and governments? How long should the people of the world live with the nightmare of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons? What bounds the powers producing and possessing these weapons? How can they be held accountable before the international community? And, are the inhabitants of these countries content with the waste of their wealth and resources for the production of such destructive arsenals? Is it not possible to rely on justice, ethics and wisdom instead of these instruments of death? Aren’t wisdom and justice more compatible with peace and tranquility than nuclear, chemical and biological weapons? If wisdom, ethics and justice prevail, then oppression and aggression will be uprooted, threats will wither away and no reason will remain for conflict. This is a solid proposition because most global conflicts emanate from injustice, and from the powerful, not being contented with their own rights, striving to devour the rights of others.

People across the globe embrace justice and are willing to sacrifice for its sake.

Would it not be easier for global powers to ensure their longevity and win hearts and minds through the championing of real promotion of justice, compassion and peace, than through continuing the proliferation of nuclear and chemical weapons and the threat of their use?

The experience of the threat and the use of nuclear weapons is before us. Has it achieved anything for the perpetrators other than exacerbation of tension, hatred and animosity among nations?

B. Occupation of countries and exacerbation of hostilities

Occupation of countries, including Iraq, has continued for the last three years. Not a day goes by without hundreds of people getting killed in cold blood. The occupiers are incapable of establishing security in Iraq. Despite the establishment of the lawful Government and National Assembly of Iraq, there are covert and overt efforts to heighten insecurity, magnify and aggravate differences within Iraqi society, and instigate civil strife.

There is no indication that the occupiers have the necessary political will to eliminate the sources of instability. Numerous terrorists were apprehended by the Government of Iraq, only to be let loose under various pretexts by the occupiers.

It seems that intensification of hostilities and terrorism serves as a pretext for the continued presence of foreign forces in Iraq.

Where can the people of Iraq seek refuge, and from whom should the Government of Iraq seek justice?

Who can ensure Iraq’s security? Insecurity in Iraq affects the entire region. Can the Security Council play a role in restoring peace and security in Iraq, while the occupiers are themselves permanent members of the Council? Can the Security Council adopt a fair decision in this regard?

Consider the situation in Palestine:

The roots of the Palestinian problem go back to the Second World War. Under the pretext of protecting some of the survivors of that War, the land of Palestine was occupied through war, aggression and the displacement of millions of its inhabitants; it was placed under the control of some of the War survivors, bringing even larger population groups from elsewhere in the world, who had not been even affected by the Second World War; and a government was established in the territory of others with a population collected from across the world at the expense of driving millions of the rightful inhabitants of the land into a diaspora and homelessness. This is a great tragedy with hardly a precedent in history. Refugees continue to live in temporary refugee camps, and many have died still hoping to one day return to their land. Can any logic, law or legal reasoning justify this tragedy? Can any member of the United Nations accept such a tragedy occurring in their own homeland?

The pretexts for the creation of the regime occupying Al-Qods Al-Sharif are

so weak that its proponents want to silence any voice trying to merely speak about

them, as they are concerned that shedding light on the facts would undermine the raison d’tre of this regime, as it has. The tragedy does not end with the establishment of a regime in the territory of others. Regrettably, from its inception, that regime has been a constant source of threat and insecurity in the Middle East region, waging war and spilling blood and impeding the progress of regional countries, and has also been used by some powers as an instrument of division, coercion, and pressure on the people of the region. Reference to these historical realities may cause some disquiet among supporters of this regime. But these are sheer facts and not myth. History has unfolded before our eyes.

Worst yet, is the blanket and unwarranted support provided to this regime.

Just watch what is happening in the Palestinian land. People are being bombarded in their own homes and their children murdered in their own streets and alleys. But no authority, not even the Security Council, can afford them any support or protection. Why?

At the same time, a Government is formed democratically and through the free choice of the electorate in a part of the Palestinian territory. But instead of receiving the support of the so-called champions of democracy, its Ministers and Members of Parliament are illegally abducted and incarcerated in full view of the international community.

Which council or international organization stands up to protect this brutally besieged Government? And why can’t the Security Council take any steps?

Let me here address Lebanon:

For thirty-three long days, the Lebanese lived under the barrage of fire and bombs and close to 1.5 million of them were displaced; meanwhile some members of the Security Council practically chose a path that provided ample opportunity for the aggressor to achieve its objectives militarily. We witnessed that the Security Council of the United Nations was practically incapacitated by certain powers to even call for a ceasefire. The Security Council sat idly by for so many days, witnessing the cruel scenes of atrocities against the Lebanese while tragedies such as Qana were persistently repeated. Why?

In all these cases, the answer is self-evident. When the power behind the hostilities is itself a permanent member of the Security Council, how then can this Council fulfill its responsibilities?

C. Lack of respect for the rights of members of the international community

Excellencies,

I now wish to refer to some of the grievances of the Iranian people and speak to the injustices against them.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of the IAEA and is committed to the NPT. All our nuclear activities are transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eyes of IAEA inspectors. Why then are there objections to our legally recognized rights? Which governments object to these rights? Governments that themselves benefit from nuclear energy and the fuel cycle. Some of them have abused nuclear technology for non-peaceful ends including the production of nuclear bombs, and some even have a bleak record of using them against humanity.

Which organization or Council should address these injustices? Is the Security Council in a position to address them? Can it stop violations of the inalienable rights of countries? Can it prevent certain powers from impeding scientific progress of other countries?

The abuse of the Security Council, as an instrument of threat and coercion, is indeed a source of grave concern.

Some permanent members of the Security Council, even when they are themselves parties to international disputes, conveniently threaten others with the Security Council and declare, even before any decision by the Council, the condemnation of their opponents by the Council. The question is: what can justify such exploitation of the Security Council, and doesn’t it erode the credibility and effectiveness of the Council? Can such behavior contribute to the ability of the Council to maintain security?

Excellencies,

A review of the preceding historical realities would lead to the conclusion that regrettably, justice has become a victim of force and aggression.

Many global arrangements have become unjust, discriminatory and irresponsible as a result of undue pressure from some of the powerful;

Threats with nuclear weapons and other instruments of war by some powers have taken the place of respect for the rights of nations and the maintenance and promotion of peace and tranquility;

For some powers, claims of promotion of human rights and democracy can only last as long as they can be used as instruments of pressure and intimidation against other nations. But when it comes to the interests of the claimants, concepts such as democracy, the right of self-determination of nations, respect for the rights and intelligence of peoples, international law and justice have no place or value. This is blatantly manifested in the way the elected Government of the Palestinian people is treated as well as in the support extended to the Zionist regime. It does not matter if people are murdered in Palestine, turned into refugees, captured, imprisoned or besieged; that must not violate human rights.

-Nations are not equal in exercising their rights recognized by international law. Enjoying these rights is dependent on the whim of certain major powers.

-Apparently the Security Council can only be used to ensure the security and the rights of some big powers. But when the oppressed are decimated under bombardment, the Security Council must remain aloof and not even call for a ceasefire. Is this not a tragedy of historic proportions for the Security Council, which is charged with maintaining the security of countries?

-The prevailing order of contemporary global interactions is such that certain powers equate themselves with the international community, and consider their decisions superseding that of over 180 countries. They consider themselves the masters and rulers of the entire world and other nations as only second class in the world order.

Excellencies,

The question needs to be asked: if the Governments of the United States or the United Kingdom who are permanent members of the Security Council, commit aggression, occupation and violation of international law, which of the organs of the UN can take them to account? Can a Council in which they are privileged members address their violations? Has this ever happened? In fact, we have repeatedly seen the reverse. If they have differences with a nation or state, they drag it to the Security Council and as claimants, arrogate to themselves simultaneously the roles of prosecutor, judge and executioner. Is this a just order? Can there be a more vivid case of discrimination and more clear evidence of injustice?

Regrettably, the persistence of some hegemonic powers in imposing their exclusionist policies on international decision making mechanisms, including the Security Council, has resulted in a growing mistrust in global public opinion, undermining the credibility and effectiveness of this most universal system of collective security.

Excellencies,

How long can such a situation last in the world? It is evident that the behavior of some powers constitutes the greatest challenge before the Security Council, the entire organization and its affiliated agencies.

The present structure and working methods of the Security Council, which are legacies of the Second World War, are not responsive to the expectations of the current generation and the contemporary needs of humanity.

Today, it is undeniable that the Security Council, most critically and urgently, needs legitimacy and effectiveness. It must be acknowledged that as long as the Council is unable to act on behalf of the entire international community in a transparent, just and democratic manner, it will neither be legitimate nor effective. Furthermore, the direct relation between the abuse of veto and the erosion of the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council has now been clearly and undeniably established. We cannot, and should not, expect the eradication, or even containment, of injustice, imposition and oppression without reforming the structure and working methods of the Council.

Is it appropriate to expect this generation to submit to the decisions and arrangements established over half a century ago? Doesn’t this generation or future generations have the right to decide themselves about the world in which they want to live?

Today, serious reform in the structure and working methods of the Security Council is, more than ever before, necessary. Justice and democracy dictate that the role of the General Assembly, as the highest organ of the United Nations, must be respected. The General Assembly can then, through appropriate mechanisms, take on the task of reforming the Organization and particularly rescue the Security Council from its current state. In the interim, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African continent should each have a representative as a permanent member of the Security Council, with veto privilege. The resulting balance would hopefully prevent further trampling of the rights of nations.

Madame President,

Excellencies,

It is essential that spirituality and ethics find their rightful place in international relations. Without ethics and spirituality, attained in light of the teachings of Divine prophets, justice, freedom and human rights cannot be guaranteed.

Resolution of contemporary human crises lies in observing ethics and spirituality and the governance of righteous people of high competence and piety.

Should respect for the rights of human beings become the predominant objective, then injustice, ill-temperament, aggression and war will fade away.

Human beings are all God’s creatures and are all endowed with dignity and respect.

No one has superiority over others. No individual or states can arrogate to themselves special privileges, nor can they disregard the rights of others and, through influence and pressure, position themselves as the “international community”.

Citizens of Asia, Africa, Europe and America are all equal. Over six billion inhabitants of the earth are all equal and worthy of respect.

Justice and protection of human dignity are the two pillars in maintaining sustainable peace, security and tranquility in the world.

It is for this reason that we state:

Sustainable peace and tranquility in the world can only be attained through justice, spirituality, ethics, compassion and respect for human dignity.

All nations and states are entitled to peace, progress and security. We are all members of the international community and we are all entitled to insist on the creation of a climate of compassion, love and justice.

All members of the United Nations are affected by both the bitter and the sweet events and developments in today’s world.

We can adopt firm and logical decisions, thereby improving the prospects of a better life for current and future generations.

Together, we can eradicate the roots of bitter maladies and afflictions, and instead, through the promotion of universal and lasting values such as ethics, spirituality and justice, allow our nations to taste the sweetness of a better future.

Peoples, driven by their divine nature, intrinsically seek Good, Virtue, Perfection and Beauty. Relying on our peoples, we can take giant steps towards reform and pave the road for human perfection. Whether we like it or not, justice, peace and virtue will sooner or later prevail in the world with the will of Almighty God. It is imperative, and also desirable, that we too contribute to the promotion of justice and virtue.

The Almighty and Merciful God, who is the Creator of the Universe, is also its Lord and Ruler. Justice is His command. He commands His creatures to support one another in Good, virtue and piety, and not in decadence and corruption.

He commands His creatures to enjoin one another to righteousness and virtue and not to sin and transgression. All Divine prophets from the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) to the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), to the Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), have all called humanity to monotheism, justice, brotherhood, love and compassion. Is it not possible to build a better world based on monotheism, justice, love and respect for the rights of human beings, and thereby transform animosities into friendship?

I emphatically declare that today’s world, more than ever before, longs for just and righteous people with love for all humanity; and above all longs for the perfect righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet.

0, Almighty God, all men and women are Your creatures and You have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause.

Contemporary Awareness

Contemporary Awareness

I think we need a copy of the entire speech, verbatim, before we can talk about it. I found this version on Democracy Now. I do not know why the UN.org has not published it nor while my last attempt here has failed, but here it is. I'll repose Iran's tomorrow.

/Published on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 by CommonDreams.org /

*Chavez Address to the United Nations *

*by Hugo Chavez

Address to the UN

New York

September 20, 2006

*

Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of

you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to

those who have not read this book, to read it.

Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world

intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books,

/'Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States

./'"

[Holds up book, waves it in front of General Assembly.] "It's an

excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the

world throughout the 20th century, and what's happening now, and the

greatest threat looming over our planet.

The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the

very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this

danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to

halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads. I had

considered reading from this book, but, for the sake of time," [flips

through the pages, which are numerous] "I will just leave it as a

recommendation.

It reads easily, it is a very good book, I'm sure Madame [President] you

are familiar with it. It appears 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 right

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. Yesterday the devil came here. Right

here." [crosses himself] "And it smells of sulfur still today.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 yesterday, or President Mullah's . 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 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.

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.

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.

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 Silvio Rodriguez 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.

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.

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.

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.

###