Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says the West’s hunger for domination of other nations is insatiable, adding the US, Britain and their allies are using sanctions against Harare as a "foreign-policy tool to effect regime change.”

Mugabe made the remarks in his speech to the 68th United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.

"Our small and peaceful country is threatened daily by covetous and bigoted big powers whose hunger for domination and control of other nations and their resources knows no bounds," he said.

Mugabe said embargo is a form of hostility and violence against the Zimbabwean government, which was just striving to redistribute land to the majority of landless people.

He said that if the sanctions were planned to remove him from power "the results of the recent national elections have clearly shown you what they can do."

The leader of the southern African country said the embargo imposed by the European Union and the United States violated the UN Charter on state sovereignty.

"Shame, shame, shame to the United States of America. Shame, shame, shame to Britain and its allies,” Mugabe said.

"Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans, so are its resources. Please remove your illegal and filthy sanctions from my peaceful country," he added.

The West has imposed crushing sanctions on Zimbabwean firms and individuals, including Mugabe.

In August, Southern African leaders called on the West to lift all forms of sanctions leveled against the country.

The leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) made the demand on August 18 in the Malawian capital Lilongwe during the final day of annual SADC summit.

The leaders of the 15-nation bloc called for "the lifting of all forms of sanctions hitherto imposed on Zimbabwe".

"I believe Zimbabwe deserves better, Zimbabweans have suffered enough," said Malawian President Joyce Banda, the new head of the SADC.

The SADC also praised Mugabe for “holding free and peaceful elections”, and congratulated him and his ZANU-PF party for their landslide victory in the July 31 elections.

Mugabe has become Africa’s oldest leader at 89, having ruled Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980.