WASHINGTON, Oct 11: The US Congress on Friday gave President George Bush authority to go to war against Iraq, citing a “continuing threat” posed by Baghdad’s alleged weapons buildup.
The Democrat-dominated Senate voted shortly after Thursday midnight in favour of a resolution granting Bush authority to use force, only hours after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the measure.
Soon after the vote, Bush issued a statement commending “the strong bipartisan vote”.
“The Congress has spoken clearly to the international community and the United Nations Security Council. (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein and his outlaw regime pose a grave threat to the region, the world, and the United States.
“Inaction is not an option, disarmament is a must,” Bush said in his statement.
The resolution passed by a vote of 77 to 23 in the Senate and by 296 to 133 in the House of Representatives and capped almost three days of debate.
It authorizes Bush to use force “in a manner necessary and appropriate to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq”.
The vote among the Senate’s 50 Democratic members was split 28 in favour, 22 against the measure, while the 49 Republicans lined up one short of unanimity behind the measure. The only independent member of the Senate voted in favour of the measure.
The Congress’s strong approval of the measure gives Bush added weight in his effort to sway reluctant members of the UN Security Council, including France, Russia and China, to issue a new warning against Iraq.
It is this multilateral approach the Bush administration has agreed to strive for that won over many Democratic lawmakers who initially were uneasy about the outcome of a unilateral military intervention in Iraq.
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state voted for the measure, but in the debate voiced some reserves. “If we should use military force it should be the last resort,” she said, adding, “I hope our multinational efforts will be successful.”
Dissenting Democrat Barbara Mikluski of Maryland warned that “voting for unilateral action will take the international community off the hook ... it will weaken the negotiations of the president at the UN ... I am concerned about America going alone”.—AFP