United Nations ? Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called President Bush “the devil” and pronounced the U.N. “worthless” in a fiery speech to the General Assembly on Wednesday, giving a preview of clashes to come if Venezuela wins a seat on the Security Council next year.

Standing at the lectern where Bush had delivered his speech the day before, Chavez said, “Yesterday, the devil came here. Right here.” He crossed himself. “Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today.” Many diplomats in the vaulted chamber laughed and clapped.

Chavez criticized the United States for using the U.N. as a tool to dominate other countries, saying that “the government of the United States doesn’t want peace. It wants to exploit its system of exploitation, of pillage, of hegemony through war.”

The world body needs to be completely renewed if it is to be able to counter Washington’s control, he said, declaring that “the U.N. system born after the Second World War collapsed. It’s worthless.”

To applause from the packed room, he objected that developing nations, “have no power to make any impact on the terrible situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes, here, today, 20 September, that we re-establish the United Nations.”

Many diplomats came just to hear what has become the most provocative bit of showmanship in an series of foreign policy speeches that are often soporific. The crowd in the hall did not include any senior U.S. diplomats, however. They boycotted the speech, leaving a young note taker to occupy one of the otherwise empty group of U.S. seats.

A White House spokesman said that Chavez’s performance did not merit comment. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the speech was “insulting” and called it a “comic-strip approach to international affairs.”

But Washington will have to take Venezuela seriously if it wins a vote this fall for the seat on the Security Council that by tradition goes to a Latin American nation.

Of the 15 council seats, five are up for rotation every year, and Venezuela is competing with Guatemala to represent its region.

The campaign has divided Latin American. Guatemala has won the backing of the United States, along with Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Colombia.

Venezuela has won support from other nations that oppose U.S. policy and has used its oil money to bolster its likely vote total. Cuba, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and 15 Caribbean nations now back the Venezuelan bid.

Chile and other countries caught between the U.S. and Venezuela are searching for a compromise candidate. But so far, potential candidates, including the Dominican Republic, have been unwilling to risk Chavez’s wrath by entering the race.

If the Latin American nations fail to reach a consensus, the entire General Assembly will hold a secret ballot next month to break the deadlock.

The winner in that case would need to garner two-thirds of the General Assembly’s 192 votes.

Whether Chavez’s speech helped or harmed his nation’s bid was the subject of considerable discussion Wednesday.

Guatemala’s ambassador to the U.N., Jorge Skinner-Klee, said that despite the laughter and applause, Chavez’s speech helped Guatemala more than Venezuela.

“You can not attack what you want to be part of,” he said. “We need to address the world in a rational manner, not a confrontational way.”