Bush to take centre stage at UN assembly

US President George Bush will take centre stage at the UN General Assembly today as world leaders gather to face the possibility of another war against Iraq.

A day after the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and the Middle East will also feature in the annual debate.

But the focus will be on Saddam Hussein, with Bush demanding that the Iraqi dictator admit UN weapons inspectors, or face the consequences.

In an opening speech released last night, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Saddam to allow the inspectors back in, but said he strongly opposed any unilateral US action against Iraq.

UN officials said they released the secretary-general’s speech early to emphasise the importance of his remarks and to keep it from “getting lost” in the coverage of Bush’s speech.

Bush is one of more than 50 presidents and prime ministers and more than 125 foreign ministers due to address the assembly during the session, which ends on September 20.

With the international body operating under the highest threat level, security was tight and streets around UN headquarters in New York were blocked by concrete barriers, city buses and trucks filled with sand.

Many countries are hoping their concerns will be listened to during the general debate.

A day of talks on September 16 will focus on promoting Africa’s development, and many nations also want to talk about eradicating poverty, opening world markets and bringing peace to a host of global hotspots.

But even the US-led war on terror, which has been in the forefront of the global agenda for much of the year, is being eclipsed by the escalating US campaign to remove Saddam from power.

Calling himself a “multilateralist” and advocating the importance of international cooperation for “even the most powerful countries,” Annan said any state that is attacked retains the right to self-defence under the UN Charter.

But he opposed any pre-emptive action without Security Council backing, echoing the concerns of many countries, including close US allies.

The secretary-general also accused Iraq of continuing to defy mandatory council resolutions adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the use of military force.

And he indicated that time was running out for Iraq to admit weapons inspectors and dismantle any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

“I appeal to all who have influence with Iraq’s leaders to impress on them the vital importance of accepting the weapons inspections,” Annan said.

“This is the indispensable first step towards assuring the world that all Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction have indeed been eliminated, and - let me stress - towards the suspension and eventual ending of the sanctions that are causing so many hardships for the Iraqi people.”

Sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait cannot be lifted until UN inspectors certify that its weapons of mass destruction have been destroyed.

But the inspectors left ahead of US and British air strikes in December 1998, and Iraq has banned them from returning.

“If Iraq’s defiance continues, the Security Council must face its responsibilities,” Annan said.

Western diplomats said it was significant that Annan was not only telling the US to go through the Security Council, but telling its 15 members - who are often divided on Iraq - that if Iraq refuses to allow inspectors back, they cannot stand by and do nothing.

In his speech, the secretary-general put Iraq second on a list of four current threats to world peace “where true leadership and effective action are badly needed”.

First on the list is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and after Iraq comes Afghanistan and the India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir.

In addition to the numerous one-on-one sessions between leaders, foreign ministers from about 20 countries concerned with Afghanistan will meet behind closed doors on September 13.

Senior officials from the so-called Quartet which has been trying to promote Mideast peace - the US, the UN, the EU and Russia - will meet on September 17.

Annan said an international peace conference on the Mideast is needed “without delay”.

He also urged the international community to help the new Afghan government extend its authority throughout the country, saying “without this, all else will fail”.

And he called on nations to address the underlying causes that brought nuclear-armed India and Pakistan close to confrontation.