4 8A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 5, 2002 NATION/WORLD Bush lobbies Congress for support against Iraq WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush, opening a public-relations offensive against Saddam Hussein, pledged yesterday to seek congressional approval before taking action against the Iraqi leader and warned wary allies their "credi- bility is at stake" as they decide whether to back the.United States. The president will argue his case before the United Nations General Assembly next week after a weekend huddle at Camp David with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, virtually alone among overseas leaders in supporting Bush's intent to see Saddam overthrown. "Saddam Hussein is a serious threat. He is a significant problem and some- thing the country must deal with," Bush said after meeting with congressional leaders at the White House. "Doing nothing about that serious threat is not an option for the United States." The president is strongly considering a U.N. Security Council resolution that would set a deadline for Iraq to open its weapons sites to unfettered inspection and to imply punitive action if he refuses, three administration officials told The Associated Press. To get the resolution through the council, and past a threatened veto by China or Russia, the resolution would not spell out the threat, but it would be obvious to Saddam, said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. Some two 'dozen ideas are circulating within the administration, and among them is the notion of "coercive inspections" - forcing Iraq to open its suspect sites to inspectors by deploying thousands of American ormultinational troops in or near Iraq who would launch an attack if inspectors were denied, a senior U.S. official said. "I am in the process of deciding how to proceed," Bush wrote in a letter given to members of Congress in their Cabinet Room talks. The president also wrote that he is committed to an internationalist approach and, in addition to meeting with Blair, will "reach out" to presidents Jacques Chirac of France, Jiang Zemin of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia - all three currently opposed to military action against Iraq. As for an eventual congressional resolution, Bush suggested in his letter that he could ask for essentially a blank check. "At an appropriate time 0 I will seek con- gressional support for U.S. action to do whatever is necessary to deal with" Sad- dam, Bush wrote. The resolution could include "any number of things, including the option of military force," said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, reiterating that the administration believes it already "has the authority it needs" to wage war. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, (R-Ill.), said Congress would vote before the Nov. 5 elections on a non-binding resolution about what to do about Iraq. Military action is not a done deal, he and other leaders agreed. "It would not be my assumption that the military course is the only action avail- able to him today," said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, (D-S.D.). "We're hop- ing for more information and greater clarity in the days and weeks ahead." Rep. Nancy Pelosi, senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said she told Bush he had to be honest about what war with Iraq could bring. "We have to level with the American people that, in addition to everything else, we are talking about a long occupation of Iraq," she said. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was headed to the Capitol later Wednes- day for classified meetings to "talk more specifically about options and strate- gies," Daschle said. Fresh off a monthlong working vacation in Crawford, Texas, Bush opened what he said would be a series of consultations with lawmakers and U.S. allies. President Bush meets with top Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the Cabinet Room of the White House yesterday as Vice President Dick Cheney looks on. Schroeder speaks out against requests for European aid in possible U.S. action in Iraq BERLIN (AP) - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder rebuffed calls by Britain for Europe to help the Unit- ed States against Iraq, saying yesterday that Germany won't tone down its opposition to military action and' won't "submit" to Washington. In blunt comments, Schroeder said Tony Blair does not speak for all Europe, a day after the British prime minister declared Iraq "a real and unique threat" to world security and said the United States "should not have to face this issue alone." The exchange highlighted international opposition to the prospect of a U.S. attack on Iraq - despite Blair's attempts to rally support for Washington. At the World Summit in Johannesburg, top Euro- pean Union leaders met with Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday to lobby against any unilateral U.S. action to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, saying Washington should work through the United Nations for a return of weapons inspectors. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Powell has assured him that Washington puts "the strongest importance" on international involve- ment in the Iraq case. Schroeder defended his outspoken opposition to an attack on Iraq, which he has said could hurt the war on terrorism and cause chaos in the Middle East. "Friendship cannot mean that you do what the friend wants even if you have another opinion," he told a news conference in Berlin. "Anything else would not be friendship, but submission - and I would consider that wrong." "With all respect for Tony Blair: Just like anyone else, he will not speak for Europe alone on this issue or on others," he said. "We have absolutely no reason to change our well-founded position. Under my lead- ership, Germany will not take part in an intervention in Iraq." Schroeder also confirmed that Germany would withdraw six armored personnel carriers equipped to detect nuclear, chemical and biological warfare from Kuwait if the United States launches an attack on Iraq. The vehicles were deployed as part of the U.S.- led war on terrorism. In Washington, President Bush was to meet with leaders from Congress yesterday and administration officials said he would promise to seek congressional approval once he decided how to deal with Saddam. Bush says ousting Saddam is a priority but that he hasn't decided what action to take. Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the administration have called for a pre-emptive attack on Iraq, which is accused of seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction. Blair has said his government plans to publish a dossier on Saddam's weapons programs, and a British Foreign Office official said yesterday he believed the report would be "very convincing." "As far as nuclear weapons are concerned we believe that (Saddam) is in the process of developing that capacity," Mike O'Brien, a junior minister in the Foreign Office, told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. Referring to ballistic missile technology, O'Brien said, "We believe he's in the process of trying to get that, so we'll set out all the details and the evidence in the dossier." He did not say if the report would "Friendship cannot mean that you do what the friend wants even if you have another opinion. - Gerhard Schroeder German chancellor have any previously unpublished information. In Cairo, Arab foreign ministers opened a meeting yesterday at which the U.S. threats on Iraq were high on the agenda. Baghdad has been seeking Arab sup- port, but some Arab governments have been pressing for Iraq to accept U.N. weapons inspectors. In his talks with Powell in South Africa, Den- mark's Fogh Rasmussen said that while there is "no doubt" Saddam is dangerous, Washington should not try to deal with the Iraqi leader alone. "It is vitally important to pursue the U.N. track," said Fogh Rasmussen, whose country holds the rotat- ing EU presidency. Powell has said the United States should first try to force a return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq before deciding the next step, though Cheney has said making inspections a priority would be counter- productive. Heading to Johannesburg, Powell acknowledged there were differences in the adminis- tration, adding, "Some are real, some are perceived, some are overhyped." 4 4 4 ________.__C__ANDALYC___ ° Blair finds 4 school & work is easy ...when you r work at the ~ ~ We offer: r " Flexible hours to fit your class schedule * Competitive wages ss 1 " A 20% discount on your textbooks and up to a 35% discount on other store merchandise. * Career opportunities for juniors and seniors through our Bestseller Management Training Program W ! To find out more about our job opportunities, call today or pick up an application in the store! Michigan Union Bookstore Student Union - Lower Level Looking for ADVENTURE...? Experience Japan at the Spend a semester or year living in Japan! Earn University of Michigan credit! Finandal Aid & Scholarships readily available! No previous Japanese knowledge required! All majors welcome! Sample Courses for the 2002-03 Academic Year: Environmental Sciences in Japan; Japanese Economics & Business; Culture &Art courses; Internships For more information contact: CMU &MSU Office of International Programs' reAffirmative G-513 Michigan Union ction/Equal (734) 764-4311 ?pportunity oip@umich.edu _ _ j a A O) i Inistutions. www.isp.msu.edu/JCMU di-ts=w -- UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PLATTE VILLE Study Abroad Programs *One of the "Top 25" in The Student's Guide to the Best Study Abroad Programs Learn Your Way Around The World " Study abroad in England, Italy, Japan, or Spain* " Courses in liberal arts and international business " Fluency in a foreign language noq required * Home-stays with meals " Field trips " Financial aid applies (except for summer session) Program Costs: For tuition, room, partial board, field trips, and health insurance per semester (for Wisconsin residents/non-residents) . resistance regarding Iraq policy 'The Los Angles Times LONDON - In a sign of the political battle to precede any mili- tary strike against Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday encountered resistance at home and among European neighbors to his call for ousting Iraqi President Sad- dam Hussein. A day after Blair declared support for the Bush administration's cam- paign against Hussein, the reaction in Britain was decidedly mixed. Voters and leaders of Blair's own center-left Labor Party expressed misgivings about the prime minister's willingness to use force against Hussein. Britain remains the closest U.S. ally, but even here polls show consid- erable opposition to Washington's war talk. And that sentiment is widespread throughout Europe: German Chancel- lor Gerhard Schroeder responded to Blair's speech with a sharp rebuff yes- terday. Schroeder's opposition to the Bush policy on Iraq has been a center- piece of his campaign for re-election in Germany Debate in Britain yesterday cen- tered on Blair's promise to make the case against Iraq by presenting a dossier of evidence to support the claim that Hussein's regime is devel- oping nuclear, chemical and biologi- cal weapons. Critics predicted that the dossier would not produce compelling new arguments to prove Blair's assertion that Hussein poses "a real and unique threat" to world security. "I have my doubts that hard evi- dence will be produced in time to allay the great fears that people have in this country of delivering action against Saddam Hussein," said Ian Gibson, a Labor Party member of Parliament. 4 4 di