In his speech at the UN, Bush said, "The people of Lebanon and Afghanistan and Iraq have asked for our help, and every civilized nation has a responsibility to stand with them. In Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Iran, brutal regimes deny their people fundamental rights." He criticized the UN Commission on Human Rights, which "has been silent on repression by regimes from Havana to Caracas to Pyongyang and Tehran.” "To be credible on human rights in the world, the United Nations must first reform its own Human Rights Council."

U.S. President George W. Bush finishes his address to the 62nd United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday. /Reuters

Bush also denounced autocratic governments in Burma, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Sudan, citing the human rights situation there. He mentioned no concrete human rights violations in North Korea.

Meanwhile, North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan, meeting reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday, denied the Syria story. "Madmen have created rumors about our dealing with Syria on nuclear materials,” he said.

North Korea’s Workers’ Party daily or Rodong Shinmun carried a commentary the same day titled "Mastermind of the Destruction of Non-Nuclear Proliferation." The commentary said, "Abusing its status as a nuclear power, the U.S. is making it a rule to tyrannize, threaten and blackmail non-nuclear nations... For a long time, the U.S. has pro-actively encouraged and cooperated with Israel in its nuclear armament program."

The previous day, the North Korean daily touched on an Israeli air strike in Syria on Sept. 6, the focus of the suspicions about North Korean-Syrian transaction in nuclear materials. "This is obviously a violent infringement on Syria's sovereignty,” it said. “The U.S. is protecting and defending this brazen act."

U.S. President George W. Bush (R) listens next to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) during a UN Security Council meeting on Africa at the UN in New York on Tuesday./Reuters

Bush also told the UN about U.S. free trade agreements with South Korea, Peru, Colombia and Panama which he said “embody the values of open markets -- transparent and fair regulation, respect for private property, and resolving disputes under international law rules." He also reiterated support for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for Japan, which is opposed by many Asian nations. “We believe that Japan is well-qualified,” he said, but added “other nations” should be considered as well.

The U.S. government has consistently supported a permanent seat for Japan, but this was the first time Bush voiced open support. The U.K.’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband also expressed support in his speech.

But the prospects in Tokyo’s long quest for permanent membership remain dim. The biggest hurdle is China, one of the five current permanent members. And major mid-size nations including South Korea also oppose the idea, arguing that increasing the number of permanent members with veto powers would bring about an undemocratic decision-making structure. The U.K., for its part, supports Japan's permanent membership but opposes Germany's, making for additional friction. Discussion on restructuring the Security Council continued throughout the tenure of former UN secretary general Kofi Annan but reached no conclusion.

(englishnews@chosun.com )