Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this evening called US President George W. Bush "the devil himself" and told the UN General Assembly the United Nations has become worthless.
"The devil himself is right in the house. And the devil came here yesterday. Right here," said Chavez, a leftist ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro who also called Bush a "world dictator."
"The hegemonistic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very existence of the human species," Mr Chavez told the assembly.
Speaking from the same podium where Mr Bush had addressed the assembly the day before, Mr Chavez said "it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of."
He also said the domination of the UN Security Council by world powers had rendered the body worthless.
"I don't think anybody in this room could defend the system. Let's be honest. The UN system born after the Second World War collapsed. It's worthless," Mr Chavez said.
Mr Chavez's speech was "not worthy of reaction," said Frederick Jones, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.