"In my opinion, the UN is not being respected and he (Bush) has not taken into account the Security Council or the opinion of the rest of the world. I think that is serious," Lula told local media.

"The American government is transforming the war into an eminently American problem," said the president.

"We all want Iraq to be free from atomic weapons, weapons of mass destruction, and we all want the world to live in peace. Now, this doesn't give the United States the right, by itself, to decide what is good and what is bad for the world," he said.

He also said the decision was illegal and serious for the future of the United Nations.

However, "in any case, because I'm an optimist, I still hope that something will happen in the next 24 hours. Peace is a necessary condition for humanity to evolve," he said.

President Bush late on Monday gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war.

On the same day, not long before Bush's ultimatum, Lula held a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in which he reiterated the position of the Brazilian government on finding a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis, government sources said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2003)