Bush challenges UN to support him in Iraq

President George Bush, again facing sceptical world leaders, today challenged the UN to support his plan for steady transition to democratic rule in Iraq, saying the war torn nation “needs the help of friends.”

In a jab at France and others demanding an immediate end to the US-led administration of Iraq, he told the UN General Assembly in New York: “This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis – neither hurried nor delayed by the voices of other parties.