US: US congressional leaders have proposed a draft resolution that authorises the use of military force against Iraq, if the White House determined further diplomatic efforts would not adequately protect the United States from threats posed by Baghdad.
The draft, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, authorises President Bush to use the armed forces "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security interests of the United States against the threat posed by Iraq", and to enforce UN resolutions calling on Iraq to eliminate chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and end support for terrorism.
The draft calls on the President to report to Congress at least every 90 days on the Iraq situation, and narrows possible use of force specifically to Iraq, rather than to the region as a whole.
Congressional sources said it would be presented to Senate Democrats and to Republicans. They said the draft represented the progress so far in negotiations with the White House, and still was subject to change.
It says that to use force, the President "shall, prior to such exercise or as soon thereafter as may be feasible" present Congress a determination that further diplomatic means will not adequately protect US national security interests against the threat posed by Iraq, or will not likely lead to enforcement of the UN requirements.
The draft represents some narrowing of the scope of the use of force resolution that Mr Bush sought. Lawmakers complained his proposal was too open-ended, and would authorise possible military strikes throughout the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Mr Bush's national security adviser has accused President Saddam of sheltering members of the al-Qaeda terror network in Baghdad and helping Osama bin Laden's agents to develop chemical weapons.
Ms Condoleezza Rice's comments were by far the strongest statements yet from the US government alleging al-Qaeda contacts with the Iraqi regime.
"We clearly know that there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al-Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time," Ms Rice said.
"We know too that several of the \ detainees, in particular some high-ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al-Qaeda in chemical weapons development. - (Reuters, AFP)
Deaglán de Bréadún writes: Ireland should oppose unilateral action over Iraq, according to the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams. He said in Dublin yesterday: "We are in a very unique position of having a place on the Security Council and we should make it very, very clear that no action should be contemplated outside of the tutelage of the UN.
"It is also very important that we continue with our efforts to have a resolution of the Middle East crisis and particularly at this time the siege of the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Yasser Arafat. It is quite incomprehensible that the world could sit back and watch that happen."