Sunday, November 11, 2001 -- Unlike other Latin American Presidents, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Frias has no fear of expressing his popular religious roots, and he started off his 15-minute speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, reminding the body that, during his speech last year, he had invoked the name of Jesus Christ and the latter's struggle for Justice, Peace and Life ... now, he says, a year later (after 9/11) the drums of war have suddenly returned.

The Venezuelan President insists that peace must be the UN's top priority and it has a duty to look at the world through a powerful magnifying glass to review mistakes made from post-WWII to the present day, asking the important question of "who can sing victory."

Repeating the same message his government has stood by since 9/11 ... which the USA apparently doesn't want to, and/or fails to grasp ... Chavez Frias condemns terrorism and warns that a justified war against terrorism must give way to a war on war, to the pursuit of peace.

Faithful to the Bolivarian Movement (MVR) "Tree of Three Roots", Chavez Frias quotes Simon Bolivar about the supremacy of truth, and again calls on the UN to build a new world pact against war, marginality, misery and hunger, cutting out double discourse.

Venezuela, Chavez Frias announces, calls on the world to give Venezuela a chance and traces Venezuela's attempt to amplify the concept of democracy ... "neo-liberalism is the path to hell ... reaction to any crime must be legitimate within the framework of human rights."

Chavez Frias has told the General Assembly that Venezuela has been faithful to its UN tasks, such as:

* Proposing a social charter to add to the Democratic Charter signed in Lima, Peru

* Arriving at a consensus with OPEC members

* Revitalizing dialogue between North and South

British Prime Minister Tony Blair gets a plug from admirer Chavez Frias in a quote related to "the creation of a global alliance to fight against the causes of violence ... it's time the UN moved from words to action."