Chavez takes Bush to task over Iraq war

VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez took US President George W Bush to task in front of a global summit for waging war in Iraq without UN consent and won rousing applause for his critique.

He also said Bush poses a grave danger to other countries.

"Mr Bush represents the most crude and savage imperialism that threatens the world," Chavez said.

The leftist leader told the summit that fighting the war without UN authorisation showed Washington did not respect the world body. He recommended moving UN headquarters from the United States to a country that has more regard for the organisation.

"There were never weapons of mass destruction but Iraq was bombed, and over UN objections, (it was) occupied and continues being occupied," Chavez said.

"That's why we propose to this assembly that the United Nations leave this country, which is not respectful of the very resolutions of this assembly."

Bush was not in the audience when Chavez, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro spoke to the world representatives. World leaders at the summit had been asked to speak for five minutes but Chavez ran long and when the presiding diplomat passed him a note saying his time was up, he threw it on the floor. He said if Bush could speak for 20 minutes, so could he.

When he finally stopped, he got what observers said was the loudest applause of the summit.

Relations between Chavez and Washington have become increasingly strained, though the United States remains the top buyer of Venezuelan oil.

Chavez has repeatedly accused the US government of backing plots against him, and recently alleged Washington was preparing to invade his country.

American religious broadcaster Pat Robertson recently suggested the US assassinate Chavez because he posed a threat. Chavez responded that Robertson had clearly "expressed the wish of the elite that govern the United States". Robertson has since apologised.

Chavez also warned the world is facing an unprecedented energy crisis.

He singled out the US as wasteful, saying he was shocked when a quarter of cars he counted on Thursday morning in New York had one person in them.

"That's crazy, one person with a huge car... that is using up gas and polluting the atmosphere," he said.

"The world cannot tolerate this model of development called the American way of life."

In a form of energy diplomacy, Chavez has extended a preferential oil deal to 13 Caribbean countries in what he says is part of a plan to challenge US economic domination.

He said his plan to buy more Argentine debt is part of an effort for Latin America to turn away from "imperialist" US-backed institutions like the International Monetary Fund.