Iraq's parliament on Tuesday unanimously recommended rejection of a U.N. resolution on weapons inspections, but said the final decision would be left to Saddam Hussein.
According to a parliamentary resolution read during the session, the 250-member parliament accepted an earlier recommendation from its foreign relations committee. "The council suggests rejection of the U.N. resolution," the resolution said, according to AP.
It went on to say the "political leadership" should "adopt what it considers appropriate to defend the Iraqi people and Iraq's independence and dignity and authorizes President Saddam Hussein to adopt what he sees as appropriate expressing our full support for his wise leadership."
Parliament speaker Saadoun Hammadi asked deputies to vote on the first clause of the resolution by a show of hands and declared it had been accepted unanimously.
Hammadi then called for a vote on the second clause referring the matter to Saddam, and again announced unanimous approval. A third vote was held for the entire proposal, and it also was approved unanimously.
The United States dismissed as "political theater" the Iraqi parliament's rejection. "The Iraqi parliament doesn't have much of any voice in the conduct of the affairs of this regime. There's only one voice that truly matters in that despotic regime," White House national security spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. "This is political theater."
"We want to see whether (Saddam) will take the one final opportunity to cooperate with the United Nations and disarm," the spokesman said Tuesday.
This rejection came hours after Saddam Hussein's elder son Uday has urged the Iraqi parliament to accept the new UN resolution in a working document submitted to the National Assembly.
"We have to accept the UN Security Council resolution which is at the center of this emergency session," wrote Uday, who is a member of the parliament.
It was the first clear call in Iraq to yield to international demands to allow back weapons inspectors.
The written text obtained by news agencies on Tuesday was handed out as the 250-member parliament met for a second day to decide on a recommendation from its Arab and international relations committee to reject resolution 1441 but leave the final decision to Saddam.
"There should not be approval of the resolution without an Arab umbrella or, if this is not possible, then under the so-called Arab League and there should be Arab experts or technicians and monitors who are familiar with the nuclear, chemical and biological side," Uday's letter said.
"We also have to take precautions and measures and here we have to ask the Arab countries to immediately cut oil supplies to those countries that launch a military strike or aggression on Iraq and to any country that allows foreign war planes to use their airports or offer logistic support for them for refueling ...,' the letter said.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported Tuesday that Iraq has ordered large amounts of atropine, a drug that can be used to counter the effects of nerve gas. The newspaper, quoting senior Bush administration officials, said the orders were placed mainly with suppliers in Turkey and that the United States is pressing Turkey to stop the sales. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
