Date:   9/23/2003 6:56:11 PM ( 21 y ago)
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URL:   https://www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=620294

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UN TO BUSH - "YOU BETTER GET OFF YOU HIGH-HORSE BOY. DADDY CAN'T BAIL YOU OUT OF THIS ONE. WHAT A SAD DAY FOR ALL AMERICANS! WHAT A DISPLAY OF INFANTILISM!
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Under Fire at UN, Bush Rejects Early Iraq Transfer
Tue September 23, 2003 06:36 PM ET
By Paul Taylor and Steve Holland

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - President Bush on Tuesday rejected any speedy transfer of power to Iraqis as world leaders criticized him for bypassing the United Nations to launch the war that ousted Saddam Hussein.

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly devoid of humility or hubris, Bush urged other nations to share the burdens of the postwar occupation and reconstruction of Iraq, a year after he told the 191-member body it risked irrelevance if it did not enforce Security Council resolutions on Saddam.

He faced stiff criticism from French President Jacques Chirac, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, who faulted the United States for taking the law into its own hands by launching a unilateral, preemptive invasion.

Bush declared, "Now the nation of Iraq needs and deserves our aid -- and all nations of good will should step forward and provide that support."

Iraqi self-government should be "reached by orderly and democratic means," he added. "This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis -- neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties."

The United Nations could help draft a constitution and supervise elections, Bush said.

Chirac demanded a realistic timetable for handing sovereignty to the Iraqi people within months in a process supervised by the United Nations, saying that was "essential for stability and reconstruction."

Bush, whose approval ratings have slumped partly due to the soaring costs of the occupation, offered no apology for the chaotic security situation or the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, cited as the main reason for the war.

He and Chirac apparently failed to narrow their differences over the pace of a hand over to Iraqi sovereignty in private talks after their speeches, but a U.S. official said the French leader pledged not to "stand in the way" of a U.S. resolution.

Chirac told a news conference it was hard for Iraqis to accept occupation and "we run the risk of a further deterioration of the situation." But he denied any personal animosity with Bush, saying they agreed on many issues.

While Bush won a polite ovation, Chirac, Annan and Lula drew far more sustained applause
 

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