US President George W. Bush said yesterday he will ask the US Congress to endorse a possible attack against Iraq and the ouster of President Saddam Hussein, and warned the UN Security Council to deal with Iraq or Washington will.
Bush told reporters the proposed resolution he will send to Congress later in the day would seek congressional endorsement of the use of military force against Baghdad if needed. It will also include a reference to "regime cha-nge," he said.
"That will be part of the resolution, authorization of use of force. If you want to keep the peace, you've got to have the authorization to use force," Bush said as he met Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in the Oval Office.
"It's a chance for Congress to say, `We support the administra-tion's ability to keep the peace.' That's what this is all about."
With a rift among members of the UN Security Council slowing action on a tough new resolution against Iraq, Bush laid down a clear marker and made clear his growing impatience.
Iraq's offer on Monday to readmit arms inspectors, made under mounting international pressure, has divided the Security Council and weakened Bush's drive for a strong new mandate for unfettered inspections backed by the threat of force.
Russia and France have said they see no need for the new resolution the administration wants, complicating Powell's attempts to negotiate tough language requiring Iraq to disarm or face the consequences. Washington accuses Iraq of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Publicly challenging US skepticism over weapons inspections, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the inspectors could "easily determine" whether or not Iraq was pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
"It's not a question of trust or mistrust. It's a question of facts," Ivanov told reporters ahead of Pentagon talks with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
But Bush kept up pressure on the world body.
"The United Nations Security Council must work with the United States and Britain and other concerned parties to send a clear message that we expect Saddam to disarm, and if the United Nations Security Council won't deal with the problem, the United States and some of its friends will," he said.
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