06 September 2002
Bush Wants Congress to Vote on Iraq Before Adjourning in October
(White House sees growing threat from Saddam Hussein regime) (970) By Wendy S. Ross Washington File White House Correspondent Washington -- President Bush wants both houses of the U.S. Congress to vote on a resolution regarding policy towards Iraq before Congress adjourns in October for the November elections. Bush "thinks it's very important" for members of Congress to hold thoughtful hearings on Iraq and then "vote before they leave, because the President does not think 'wait until next year' is an answer," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters at his daily briefing September 6. Asked if the White House has new evidence that the threat from Saddam Hussein is growing, Fleischer responded that there's a new "deeply, deeply troubling" report from the United Nations September 5 that suggests that Iraq "is indeed making progress developing nuclear weapons." He also said there was a report about a drone that Saddam Hussein is developing that he did not have during the 1991 war, which is capable of carrying biological agents for the purpose of spraying on populations. "You can call these pieces 'new information,'" he said, and "an example of the threat that the world faces . the risk the world takes." But Fleischer reminded reporters that "there is already a mountain of evidence that Saddam Hussein is gathering weapons for the purpose of using them. And adding additional information is like adding a foot to Mount Everest," he said. "The President's objective is to remove the threat. And he has not made a decision about the best manner in which that threat will be removed. But that is the objective. "The threat is in the form of weapons, and the risk is that the leader of Iraq has shown a determined willingness to use the weapons he possesses. "He did so when he invaded Iran, and attacked Iran in a war that lasted eight years and took more than a million lives. He did so when he attacked Kuwait. He did so when he launched missiles against Saudi Arabia, against Iran, and also against Israel. And he is doing so since the Gulf War in his relentless pursuit of additional weapons. "He has a history of using the weapons he develops. No one should fool themselves into thinking that he is developing these weapons for the purpose of harboring or keeping these weapons, as history shows just the opposite," Fleischer said. The president "is very worried about the horrible consequences of inaction, because the horrible consequences of inaction can lead to another attack," said Fleischer. Saddam Hussein is "the most militaristic leader in the world, with a desire to use the weapons that he obtains. And make no mistake, he continues to seek to obtain those weapons," the press secretary said. Bush, he said, will continue "the consultative process" on policy towards Iraq with the United Nations Security Council and with world leaders. And he referred to the speech on Iraq that Bush will make the morning of September 12 to the United Nations General Assembly. Fleischer told reporters that early September 6 President Bush phoned President Jacques Chirac of France, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, and President Jiang Zemin of China, whose nations, like the United States, are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and hold veto power in the council. The fifth permanent member with veto power is Britain. The purpose of the calls, Fleischer said, was to begin a process of collaboration, "to do exactly what the world would expect and exactly what the world deserves, which is a free exchange of information, a discussion about the consequences and the risks." In each of his conversations, Bush told the leaders he was calling because he wanted to make sure that the United States was consulting with its allies around the world, said Fleischer. "He told these leaders that he valued their opinions. The President stressed that Saddam Hussein is a threat and that the United States was going to work together with the world to make the world more peaceful, and we welcome their role and their involvement. "The President said to each of the three leaders that he has not made any decision about the next course of action to take. And the President also informed each of the three leaders with whom he spoke that following his speech at the United Nations next week, the United States will send a group of American officials to each of the nations' capitals to consult further with our allies," Fleischer said. Asked how the leaders responded, Fleischer said "the fair way to summarize what the foreign leaders said to the President is that they were welcoming of the President's call, they welcomed the President's consultation, and that they are open to the President's ideas and they want to listen. They have some thoughts of their own, of course, and it's not my place to describe their thoughts, that's up to those leaders to discuss them, of course." Asked if anybody used the phone calls as a platform to strongly say, 'I'm against this', Fleischer said: "No, the President did not hear that message. But the President heard messages of openness, a willingness to listen. But it is fair to say that each of these three leaders has various thoughts of their own, and they will express them. I'm sure they already are." Bush meets September 7 with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David, the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains. And on Sunday, September 8, Fleischer said, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld will appear on the Sunday televised news talk shows to take questions on Iraq from reporters. These shows, he said, "are watched by millions, with the purpose of having this discussion, this debate, which is an essential part of our democratic system. And that will continue to be the pattern and continue to be the case." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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