US House votes to give Bush war powers

11.00am

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to give President George W Bush the authorisation he sought to wage war if necessary to disarm Iraq, and the Senate has moved closer to passing the measure as well.

Handing Bush a major victory, the Republican-led House voted 296-133 to pass a resolution negotiated between the White House and congressional leaders authorising a possible use of force to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and possibly oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

The Senate was expected to pass the measure late on Thursday or on Friday after it easily cleared two key procedural votes.

Bush has sought the congressional resolution as the United States presses the UN Security Council to adopt a tough, new measure demanding that Saddam abandon any programmes for biological, chemical or nuclear weapons or face possible military consequences.

"The House of Representatives has spoken clearly to the world and to the Security Council. The gathering threat of Iraq must be confronted fully and finally," Bush said in a brief statement of thanks to lawmakers.

"The days of Iraq acting as an outlaw state are coming to an end," Bush added.

Iraq pledged to give up weapons of mass destruction following the 1991 Gulf War, but the Bush administration accuses Saddam of developing these weapons in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

After Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat who earlier expressed reservations on Bush's Iraq stance, said he would back the resolution, the measure won strong support in two Senate procedural votes.

By a vote of 75-24, senators rejected a substitute pushed by a group of Democrats that would authorise US participation in any UN action against Iraq, but put off a decision on backing a US-led military attack. Earlier, the Senate voted 75-25 to clear the way for a final vote on Bush's resolution.

"I believe as a whole the resolution incorporates the key notion that we want to give diplomacy the best possible opportunity to resolve this conflict, but we're prepared to take further steps if necessary to protect our nation," said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat who was key in negotiating the resolution's language.

House Majority Leader Richard Armey, a Texas Republican who backed the war-powers resolution after initial scepticism, said taking on Iraq was central to protecting the United States in the war on terrorism.

"If you're going to conduct a war on terrorism, then you must stop that person who is most likely and most able to arm the terrorists with those things that will frighten us the most," Armey said.

Democrats opposed to the resolution said it set a dangerous precedent for unilateral pre-emptive strikes, that Bush had not made a case that Iraq posed an imminent threat, and that conflict in Iraq would detract from efforts to root out terrorist groups that they said posed a greater threat.

"I say flat out that unilateral use of force without first exhausting every diplomatic remedy and other remedies ... will be harmful to our war on terrorism," said Rep Nancy Pelosi of California, second ranking in the House Democratic leadership.

The White House dismissed Iraq's offer to allow US inspectors to search its weapons sites.

Asked about such an Iraqi offer, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "This is not up to Iraq. This is up to the United Nations. The only question that remains is what terms would inspectors go back in under so they can do an effective job."

Democrats and many Republicans said Bush initially had asked Congress to give him excessively broad powers that ignored the role of allies in dealing with Saddam.

With Democrats divided on the Iraq issue, Daschle -- the top Democrat in Congress -- said the language of the resolution was much better than Bush's original proposal, and now was "a statement of American resolve and values."

"Because I believe it is important for America to speak with one voice at this critical moment -- I will vote to give the president the authority he needs," Daschle said.

"Now, it seems that President Bush has been housebroken on foreign policy," said Sen Ernest Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat who earlier criticised Bush's handling of the Iraq issue, but backed the resolution.

- REUTERS

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