>>Text of Bush's Iraq Proposal
By The Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A text of the joint resolution that President Bush asked
Congress to approve:
Joint Resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed
Forces against Iraq.
Whereas Congress in 1998 concluded that Iraq was then in
material and unacceptable breach of its international obligations
and thereby threatened the vital interests of the United States
and international peace and security, stated the reasons for that
conclusion, and urged the president to take appropriate action to
bring Iraq into compliance with its international obligations
(Public Law 105-235);
Whereas Iraq remains in material and unacceptable breach of its
international obligations by, among other things, continuing to
possess and develop a significant chemical and biological
weapons capability, actively seeking a nuclear weapons
capability, and supporting and harboring terrorist organizations,
thereby continuing to threaten the national security interests of
the United States and international peace and security;
Whereas Iraq persists in violating resolutions of the United
Nations Security Council by continuing to engage in brutal
repression of its civilian population, including the Kurdish
peoples, thereby threatening international peace and security in
the region, by refusing to release, repatriate, or account for
non-Iraqi citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, and by failing to
return property wrongfully seized by Iraq from Kuwait;
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its capability
and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against
other nations and its own people;
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its
continuing hostility toward, and willingness to attack, the United
States, including by attempting in 1993 to assassinate former
President Bush and by firing on many thousands of occasions
on United States and Coalition Armed Forces engaged in
enforcing the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council;
Whereas members of al-Qaida, an organization bearing
responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and
interests, including the attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001,
are known to be in Iraq;
Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international
terrorist organizations, including organizations that threaten the
lives and safety of American citizens;
Whereas the attacks on the United States of Sept. 11, 2001.
underscored the gravity of the threat that Iraq will transfer
weapons of mass destruction to international terrorist
organizations;
Whereas the United States has the inherent right, as
acknowledged in the United Nations Charter, to use force in
order to defend itself;
Whereas Iraq's demonstrated capability and willingness to use
weapons of mass destruction, the high risk that the current Iraqi
regime will either employ those weapons to launch a surprise
attack against the United States or its armed forces or provide
them to international terrorists who would do so, and the extreme
magnitude of harm that would result to the United States and its
citizens from such an attack, combine to justify the use of force
by the United States in order to defend itself;
UNDATED: to defend itself.
Whereas Iraq is in material breach of its disarmament and other
obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution
687, to cease repression of its civilian population that threatens
international peace and security under United Nations Security
Council Resolution 688, and to cease threatening its neighbors
of United Nations operations in Iraq under United Nations
Security Council Resolution 949, and United Nations Security
Council Resolution 678 authorizes use of all necessary means to
compel Iraq to comply with these "subsequent relevant
resolutions;"
Whereas Congress in the Authorization for Use of Military Force
Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1) has authorized the
president to use the Armed Forces of the United States to
achieve full implementation of Security Council Resolutions 660,
661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, and 677, pursuant
to Security Council Resolution 678;
Whereas Congress in section 1095 of Public Law 102-190 has
stated that it "supports the use of all necessary means to
achieve the goals of Security Council Resolution 687 as being
consistent with the Authorization for Use of Military Force
Against Iraq (Public Law 102-1)," that Iraq's repression of its
civilian population violates United Nations Security Council
Resolution 688 and "constitutes a continuing threat to the peace,
security, and stability of the Persian Gulf region," and that
Congress "supports the use of all necessary means to achieve
the goals of Resolution 688";
Whereas Congress in the Iraq Liberation Act (Public Law
105-338) has expressed its sense that it should be the policy of
the United States to support efforts to remove from power the
current Iraqi regime and promote the emergence of a democratic
government to replace that regime;
Whereas the president has authority under the Constitution to
take action in order to deter and prevent acts of international
terrorism against the United States, as Congress recognized in
the joint resolution on Authorization for Use of Military Force
(Public Law 107-40); and
Whereas the president has authority under the Constitution to
use force in order to defend the national security interests of the
United States;
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the "Further Resolution on
Iraq".
SECTION 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES
ARMS FORCES.
The president is authorized to use all means that he determines
to be appropriate, including force, in order to enforce the United
Nations Security Council resolutions referenced above, defend
the national security interests of the United States against the
threat posed by Iraq, and restore international peace and
security in the region. <<
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