WASHINGTON, Oct 2: A US congressional resolution authorizing President George Bush to use force against Iraq edged closer to reality on Wednesday when the White House and the House of Representatives reached agreement on the language for the proposed document.
Titled “Joint resolution to authorize the use of United States armed forces against Iraq”, the proposed measure says President Bush can use force to “defend the national security of the United States” against the Iraqi threat and to enforce all UN resolutions pertaining to Iraq.
The only provisos are that the president give Congress his determination, within 48 hours of military action commencing, that further diplomacy would not have borne fruit, and that the action was consistent with the “war against terrorism”.
The president would also have to report to the Congress after every 60 days on matters relevant to the resolution.
The language comes after days of negotiations between the administration and congressional leaders on the draft resolution, which the president has said will be a powerful symbol of national unity.
The White House version, seeking “maximum flexibility” for the president, stirred concern initially over language that would have authorized him to help bring peace and security throughout the region. The House version deletes that paragraph, making authorization of force far more Iraq-specific.
The resolution must still be debated on the House floor, but the White House expects it to receive overwhelming support.
“This is an important day and an important agreement reached with House leaders,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. “Clearly the House has spoken and agrees with the president.”
Negotiations on the language of a resolution are continuing between the White House and the Senate, where the president has objected to a number of proposals, which he said would tie his hands in dealing with Baghdad.
One proposal being floated in the Senate — proposed by Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana and Democrat Joe Biden of Delaware — would only countenance the use of military force to compel disarmament, ignoring other UN-related issues, such as treatment of citizens.
Once both resolutions have passed in their respective chambers, the versions would need to be reconciled and voted on before the measure is sent to the president.
ACCORD REJECTED: In other developments on Wednesday, the US administration scoffed at Iraq’s agreement with the United Nations to allow a return of weapons inspectors, calling it just another “ploy” to give President Saddam Hussein time to continue building up his weapon stockpile.
Under the agreement reached in Vienna on Tuesday, a vanguard contingent of inspectors would return to Baghdad by Oct 15. The Bush administration said the agreement was unacceptable because certain sensitive sites would be off-limits for surprise inspections for weapons of mass destruction or related materials.
