US: President George W Bush won solid support in both houses of Congress yesterday for a resolution giving him authority to use force against Iraq without the approval of the UN.
The House voted 296-133 to give Mr Bush most of the powers he asked for, and the Senate moved quickly last night to endorse the same resolution, after voting 75-25 to end delaying tactics.
The war resolution, a considerable triumph for the White House, gives Mr Bush authority to use the armed forces of the US "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate" in order to defend the national security of the US against Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
In a gesture to the concerns of opponents, mainly Democrats, it encourages Mr Bush to exhaust all diplomatic means before using force, and requires him to report to Congress every 60 days if he does take military action.
Mr Bush in the end had little trouble getting full authority from Congress to go to war against Iraq, which he claims is manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. A majority of Democrats in the House voted against the resolution, even though their leader, Mr Dick Gephardt, was one of its authors.
A turning point in the Democrat-controlled Senate came when the Majority Leader, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a strong critic of the administration, backed down and told colleagues, "I believe it is important for America to speak with one voice."
The White House press secretary, Mr Ari Fleischer said: "The President hopes this will send a strong message to the world, and to Iraq, that if Iraq does not obey the UN resolutions, that the United States is prepared to enforce the peace."
Mr Bush will now step up pressure on the UN Security Council for a tough new resolution demanding that Iraq prove that it has no chemical or biological weapons or any nuclear weapon facilities. A 25-minute telephone call between Mr Bush and President Jacques Chirac of France on Wednesday failed to yield a compromise with the French government, which insists on two resolutions to give Iraq a chance to admit a new inspections regime first before allowing force.
Before the final vote yesterday the House rejected, by 270-155, a proposal backed by a majority of Democrats that would oblige Mr Bush to return to Congress for a second vote on the use of force, after he decided co-operative efforts with the UN were futile.