Bush singles out "brutal regimes"
George Bush was speaking at the UN headquarters in New York
Tuesday, 25, Sep 2007 08:08
Syria, Iran, North Korea and Belarus are among the "brutal regimes" named by United States president George Bush in a speech to the United Nations.
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Mr Bush identified the states he believed "deny their people… [their] fundamental rights" as he discussed the need to defeat the "dark ideology" of extremists around the world.
He drew particular attention to the situation in Burma, where anti-government protestors led by thousands of monks are calling for an end to the authoritarian regime in Yangon.
"I urge the United Nations and all nations to use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom," he said.
Speaking of left-wing icon Fidel Castro, Mr Bush said "the long rule of a cruel dictator is nearing its end" in Cuba and described the "tyrannical regime" of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe as "an assault on its people".
"This great institution must work for great purposes - to free people from tyranny and violence, hunger and disease, illiteracy and ignorance, and poverty and despair. Every member of the United Nations must join in this mission of liberation," he said.
Mr Bush's comments were not restricted to criticism, however. He praised countries which had taken "strides towards liberty", including Ukraine and Georgia in eastern Europe, Mauritania and Liberia in Africa and the Palestinian authority in the Middle East.
Speaking on the latter, he said: "The international community must support these leaders, so that we can advance the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security."