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30 January 2003

Kennedy Says Bush Should Come Back to Congress for Iraq War

(Also urges president to provide full support for UN weapons
inspectors) (500)
Senator Ted Kennedy (Democrat of Massachusetts) introduced a
resolution into the Senate January 29 calling on President Bush to
fully support the efforts of the United Nations weapons inspectors,
and obtaining new congressional authorization to use force to disarm
the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Kennedy, along with Senator Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia),
submitted Senate Resolution 32 (S. Res. 32), which was referred to the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee for action.
The proposed resolution says that before President Bush resorts to
military force against the Baghdad regime, he should provide "full
support to the United Nations weapons inspectors to facilitate their
ongoing disarmament work."
S. Res. 32 also says the President should obtain "approval by Congress
of new legislation authorizing the President to use all necessary
means, including the use of military force, to disarm Iraq."
Following is the text of the resolution:
(begin text)
SENATE RESOLUTION 32
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE WITH RESPECT TO THE ACTIONS THE
PRESIDENT SHOULD TAKE BEFORE ANY USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAQ
WITHOUT THE BROAD SUPPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Mr. KENNEDY (for himself and Mr. BYRD) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 32
Whereas more than three months have passed, and circumstances have
significantly changed, since Congress acted in October 2002 to
authorize the use of military force against Iraq;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved
Security Council Resolution 1441 (2002) requiring Iraq to cooperate
with strict weapons inspections and give United Nations weapons
inspectors ``immediate, unimpeded, unconditional, and unrestricted
access'' to all suspected sites involving such weapons;
Whereas United Nations weapons inspectors arrived in Iraq on November
18, 2002, submitted their 60-day report to the Security Council about
Iraq's cooperation with weapons inspections on January 27, 2003, and
will report again on their activities on February 14, 2003;
Whereas the President has not yet made a compelling case to Congress,
the American people, or the international community that the use of
armed force is the only alternative to disarm Iraq; and
Whereas Congress and the American people are increasingly concerned
that the President is prepared to use armed force against Iraq without
broad support by the international community, and without making a
compelling case that Iraq presents such an imminent threat to the
national security of the United States that unilateral action is
justified: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that, before the
President uses military force against Iraq without the broad support
of the international community, the President should--
(1) provide full support to the United Nations weapons inspectors to
facilitate their ongoing disarmament work; and
(2) obtain approval by Congress of new legislation authorizing the
President to use all necessary means, including the use of military
force, to disarm Iraq.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)