- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said on Tuesday he expected Congress
would vote on a resolution on Iraq "well before" Nov. 5 elections
as political momentum built to back President Bush's effort to disarm or
oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein .
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- Daschle and other lawmakers said Congress would start
to move promptly on a resolution expected to authorize at least some use
of force against Iraq if it failed to admit weapons inspectors and meet
U.N. requirements that it disarm.
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- "I think there will be a vote well before the election.
I think that it's important to work together to achieve that," said
Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat. "The real question is what will
the resolution say."
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- A number of Democrats had pushed to put off the vote
on a resolution that could lead to war against Iraq until after the November
election, which will decide which party will control the House of Representatives
and the Senate.
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- But Daschle said Bush is fulfilling Democrats' calls
that he seek U.N. backing, work with Congress and make his case for why
Saddam poses a threat with weapons of mass destruction, and so Congress
should cooperate with him.
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- "They are doing the things we have proposed -- I
think it's time for us to reciprocate," he said. "I still believe
that the evidence is inconclusive, but there is no question about the degree
to which Iraq continues to pose a threat to the international community."
House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri Democrat also issued
a statement backing Bush.
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- "I share our president's resolve that the United
States, our allies and the international community must set the terms for
Iraqi compliance with all therelevant U.N. resolutions," Gephardt
said. "If we cannot achieve compliance, then we must seek enforcement."
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- BREAKFAST AT WHITE HOUSE
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- Daschle and Gephardt were to join Senate Republican Leader
Trent Lott of Mississippi and Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert of
Illinoisat a breakfast meeting with Bush on Wednesday to start discussing
the resolution, Daschle said.
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- Vice President Dick Cheney met on Tuesday with key Senate
Republican leaders and top Republicans on key committees tostart plans
for a resolution.
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- The exact wording of the resolution was still undecided
but it appeared clear Saddam's claim he would allow weapons inspectors
to return to Iraq left members of Congress unconvinced of his sincerity.
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- While a number of Republicans as of last week said Bush
had not yet justified launching a possible war against Iraq, this week
they appeared tobe falling behind him.
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- "I think that there is a very large majority of
Republicans and I think significant number of Democrats that believe we
ought to have a vote before wego out of session sometime in the beginning
or middle of October," said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican
who has been one of themost outspoken backers of ousting Saddam.
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- "I think many of us would be hard pressed not to
follow this president at this moment," said Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho
Republican who through lastweek was saying Bush still had not made a convincing
case for military action.
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- Craig and other lawmakers said Iraq's offer on Monday
to accept U.N. weapons inspectors without conditions would not influence
Congress.
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- "It's called the Hussein Shuffle," Craig said,
adding that he expected Saddam to backtrack on that statement.
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- "We don't think the Iraq announcement should defuse
at all the United Nations' focus and effort. This really doesn't change
things," Daschle said. While Daschle said Congress may be close to
voting on a Iraq resolution, there was disagreement on what the resolution
should say.
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- McCain said the resolution should authorize the president
"to take actions to bring about a regime change and the elimination
of the weapons ofmass destruction." But other lawmakers said they
would support a resolution linked to U.N. inspections and disarmament requirements,
short of military action to oustSaddam.
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- Others said it should urge the United Nations to enforce
its own disarmament requirements for Iraq but not authorize use of military
force at this time,and a number of lawmakers said it should call for an
international response instead of the United States acting alone.
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