Bush

UNITED NATIONS (AP):

US President George W. Bush, who once warned that the United Nations was in danger of becoming irrelevant, said yesterday that multinational organisations are now "needed more urgently than ever" to combat terrorists and extremists who are threatening world order.

In his eighth and final speech to the UN General Assembly, Bush said the international community must stand firm against the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran. He said that despite past disagreements over the US-led war in Iraq, members of the United Nations (UN) must unite to help the struggling democracy succeed. And he scolded Russia for invading neighbouring Georgia, calling it a violation of the U.N. charter.

Violation

"The United Nations' charter sets forth the equal rights of nations large and small," he said. "Russia's invasion of Georgia was a violation of those words."

Bush, who has had a testy relationship with the UN which he says has been slow to address global problems, called on the UN to focus more on results and aggressively rally behind young democracies like Georgia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Liberia.

Work together

Bush said that instead of issuing statements and resolutions after terrorist attacks, the UN and such organisations must work closely to prevent violence. Every nation has responsibilities to prevent its territory from being used for terrorist, drug trafficking and nuclear proliferation, he said.