Georgia committed an act of aggression and violated the UN Charter when it invaded South Ossetia, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann stated on September 16 at his first press conference as chairman of the UN General Assembly, reports Inner City Press. The 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations began today at it New York headquarters.

Brockmann spoke about the need to reform the UN Security Council at a closed session, saying that some of the members of the Security Council are a threat to world peace because of their inability to overcome their passion for war.

Brockmann criticized the United States in a conversation with a representative of another permanent member of the Security Council. He said the veto in the council had “gone to the head” of the U.S. and given it the idea that it can do anything it wants without consequences. There are ten regularly changing members of the council and five permanent members with vetoes.

The permanent members are China, the U.S., Great Britain, France and Russia. The structure of the council has not changed since 1945. At a closed session of the 62nd General Assembly, it was decided to begin negotiations on expanding the Security Council no later than in February 2008.

Brockmann is a former foreign minister of Nicaragua, a Catholic priest and a winner of the Lenin Prize. He was elected chairman of the General Assembly for one year as a representative of Latin America and the Caribbean Basin, whose turn it is to chair this assembly.

Nicaragua is the only country besides Russia to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Other countries, such as Armenia, Belarus and Venezuela, have expressed support for Russia’s recognition of the republics, but not recognized them themselves.