Even before U.S. President Bush addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned the American leader that his country's doctrine of pre-emptive military intervention threatened to undermine the very basis of the United Nations and lead to the law of the jungle.

Annan delivered the unusually frank criticism in a short speech to the 191 members gathered in New York, who are struggling to heal the deep wounds caused by the war to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein -- a U.S.-led action that many in the room did not agree with. It was the U.N. chief's strongest denouncement to date of the Bush doctrine of preventive war.

"My concern is that, if it were to be adopted, it could set precedents that results in a proliferation of the unilateral and lawless use of force, with or without credible justification," Annan said. He received sustained applause from the delegates.

"Excellencies, we have come to a fork in the road," he said. "This may be a moment no less decisive than 1945 itself, when the United Nations was founded."

However, he warned countries against denouncing unilateralism outright before understanding what makes some countries feel "uniquely vulnerable" and announced the formation of a panel to rethink U.N. security structures.

Bush challenges U.N. to help

A year ago, Bush had stood in front of the U.N. General Assembly and tried to convince them to support his campaign to oust the Iraqi leader. In the end, he was unable to convince a majority on the Security Council and went to war without direct authorization.

On Tuesday, he pushed for a larger role for the United Nations in post-war Iraq, saying the world body should help prepare a constitution for the country, train Iraqi civil servants and help run free and fair elections.

"Every young democracy needs the help of friends," Bush said.

These days, even superpowers can use a little help, and Bush's appeal for increased cooperation from the international community comes after the post-war effort in Iraqi has largely bogged down. Attacks on U.S. forces occur almost daily and the bill for reconstruction is rapidly climbing into the stratosphere.

Still, Bush refused to budge from his administration's plan for a step-by-step transition of Iraq to democracy. Amid calls from the French and Germans, among others, that a transfer of political power to Iraqi authorities should happen as quickly as possible, or in a matter of months, the Americans have been resolute that a handover of power will not be rushed.

"This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis -- neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties," Bush declared.

Stinging critique from France

President Jacques Chirac of France did not mince words when he took to the podium later on Tuesday. The French leader had led a diplomatic campaign to deny U.N. blessing for the invasion of Iraq and relations between his country and the U.S. reached all-time lows. He echoed Annan's themes.

"No one can act alone in the name of all and no one can accept the anarchy of a society without rule," Chirac told the Assembly.

The French leader said the war in Iraq "shook the multilateral system" had plunged the United Nations into one of the most severe crises in its history. He again called for a quick transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people and proposed the U.N. create a permanent team of arms inspectors.

But Bush and Chirac were unable to bridge their differences over a timetable for the handover. According to one senior U.S. official, Bush told Chirac, "the premature transfer of sovereignty which is within the French proposal is just not on the cards."