George Bush Focuses on Terrorism During Un Address

George Bush stood unrepentant and unbowed before the 192 member states of the UN general assembly today to deliver a valedictory address devoted almost entirely to terrorism which he described as an evil that must be defeated.

In his eighth and final address to a largely silent hall of world leaders, the US president sounded a note that has changed remarkably little since he first spoke to the general assembly in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

He said the global movement of violent extremists remained a challenge as serious as any since the foundation of the UN in 1945: "Like slavery and piracy, terrorism has no place in the modern world."

Bush took the opportunity to give an assessment of his two terms in power that contained no regrets and no apology.

Afghanistan and Iraq had been transformed, he said, "from regimes that actively sponsor terror to democracies that fight terror." Libya had renounced its backing of extremists and dropped its pursuit for nuclear weapons, and Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were engaged in the struggle to root out extremism.

Democracy too, had spread around the world under his watch.

"From the voting booths of Afghanistan, Iraq and Liberia, to the orange revolution in Ukraine, the rose revolution in Georgia, the cedar revolution in Lebanon and the tulip revolution in Kyrgyzstan, we have seen people consistently make the courageous decision to demand their liberty. Whenever or wherever people are given the choice, they chose freedom."

In the seven years since Bush launched the so-called war on terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, his administration has become among the most controversial in US history.

It has been widely criticized on the world stage for flouting international law, and for ineffective handling of the aftermaths of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Amid those criticisms, the speech comes at a time when many of the objectives of the Bush administration appear to be facing reverses. The Taliban are on the rise again in Afghanistan, violence is rife in Pakistan, the Middle East peace initiative is stalled and attempts to stop Iran and North Korea from developing a nuclear capacity are wavering.

There was only passing reference to such downsides to his legacy during the 21 minutes of the speech. The only hint at fallibility came with the concession that "we have witnessed successes and setbacks" and a reference to the fight in Iraq as having been "difficult".

The decision to go ahead with the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in the absence of approval from the UN, which Bush derided as being close to an irrelevance, constituted one of the most serious blows to the authority of the world body since its founding.

Bush hinted at the upheaval by talking about the "disagreements our nations have had on Iraq" but added that daily life in the country had improved dramatically in the past two years and "we should all welcome this progress towards stability and peace."

The president had direct words to say the delegations seated in front of him from Russia, which he said had violated the UN charter by sending troops into Georgia. "We must stand united in our support of the people of Georgia. Young democracies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this test."

He also singled out North Korea and Iran for their nuclear programs, calling on the UN to impose stiffened sanctions against both, and Iran and Syria for continuing to sponsor terror.

The inclusion of Iran on both his lists of culprits was not lost on the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in New York to address the UN general assembly himself later today. The Iranian leader has threatened to "break the hand" of anyone who tries to touch the country's nuclear facilities.

In a radio interview, Ahmadinejad turned the record of the Bush years back on itself. "I'd like to ask you, is it the Iranian [army] that's around the territories around the country, or is it the US troops that are around? It is the US troops around our borders. It is not ours around the American borders. So what exactly are they doing over there?"

The issue of Iran's nuclear program will feature in behind-the-scenes meetings this week at the UN, including a gathering of six foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the UN security council plus Germany to discuss a further tightening of the screws on Tehran.

Bush made a brief reference in his speech to the global financial crisis, reportedly changing the text to insert words of reassurance that the $700bn rescue package for Wall Street would soon be passed by Congress.