Venezuela's Chavez calls Bush 'the Devil'

UNITED NATIONS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called George W Bush "the devil himself" and told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday the US president had left the smell of sulphur hanging in the chamber from his appearance the previous day.

The US rival and close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro used his speech before the assembly to accuse the US of myriad evils such as helping render the UN Security Council worthless by robbing small nations of power.

"The devil himself is right in the house. And the devil came here yesterday. Right here," said Chavez, who also called Bush a "world dictator".

Speaking from the same podium from which Bush had addressed the assembly on Tuesday, Chavez said "it smells of sulphur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of."

"The hegemonistic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very existence of the human species," Chavez said. "We appeal to the people of the US and of the world to halt this threat which is like a sword hanging over our heads."

"We're not going to address that kind of comic strip approach to international affairs," said John Bolton, the American ambassador to the United Nations while Frederick Jones, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said it was "not worthy of reaction."

Chavez has emerged as a thorn in Washington's side throughout Latin America, leading a resurgence of the left-wing in the region.

Recently, he has expanded his role, seeking common cause with US opponents worldwide. He has defended Iran's nuclear programme and embraced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the Iranian's visit to Caracas on Sunday, just before the assembly began.

Chavez began his speech by displaying a copy of American writer Noam Chomsky's 2004 book "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" and recommending it to US citizens and the assembled delegates.

He also said the domination of the UN Security Council by world powers had rendered the body worthless.

"I don't think anybody in this room could defend the system. Let's be honest. The UN system born after the Second World War collapsed. It's worthless," Chavez said.

- REUTERS