President George Bush defended his decision to invade Iraq in a speech to the UN today that urged the world community to turn its attention to the fighting the war on terrorism and humanitarian concerns.
He told a subdued General Assembly in New York that the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein delivered the Iraqi people from "an outlawed dictator."
Two years after he told the world body that Iraq was a "grave and gathering danger" and challenged delegates to live up to their responsibility, Mr Bush did not dwell on his decision to invade without the consent of the Security Council.
Instead, he urged the world community to "fight radicalism and terror with justice and dignity."
Mr Bush said that terrorists believe that "suicide and murder are justified ... And they act on their beliefs."
And he cited recent terror acts, including the death of dozens of children held hostage in a school in southern Russia.
"This month in Beslan, we saw once again how the terrorists measure their success in the deaths of the innocent and in the pain of grieving families," the president said. "The Russian children did nothing to deserve such awful suffering."
Earlier UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan warned world leaders today that international law was being "shamelessly disregarded" and cited the US abuse of prisoners in Iraq as an example of such violations.
Speaking at the high-level session of the UN General Assembly, Mr Annan said "no one was above the law" whether in Sudan, Iraq, Uganda, Russia or the Middle East.
"Again and again, we see laws shamelessly disregarded - those that ordain respect for innocent life, for civilians, for the vulnerable - especially children," he said.
In Iraq, he said civilians were massacred in cold blood, while relief workers, journalists and others were "taken hostage and put to death in the most barbarous fashion."
"At the same time, we have seen Iraqi prisoners disgracefully abused," Mr Annan said, referring to inmates in the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad who were photographed being brutalized by American soldiers.
"Every nation that proclaims the rule of law at home must respect it abroad. And every nation that insists on it abroad must enforce it at home," he said.
Mr Annan spoke before US President George W. Bush during the opening day of the two-week session attended by 64 presidents, 25 prime ministers and 86 foreign ministers, including Iraq's new interim prime minister, Mr Iyad Allawi.
The secretary-general said in a BBC interview last week the US-led war in Iraq was "illegal" because it did not get UN Security Council approval, although he said his office was now doing what it could to help rebuild the country.