BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, 12 November 2002 — Two key Iraqi parliamentary officials recommended yesterday Parliament should reject a new UN resolution on disarmament and the leader of the assembly blasted the text as "a preamble for war". The two men were speaking at the start of an emergency session of the Iraqi Parliament convened by President Saddam Hussein to debate the resolution.

But the final decision on the resolution passed unanimously by the UN Security Council last week will lie with the Revolutionary Command Council, Iraq’s highest authority which is led by Saddam.

Parliamentary speaker Saadoun Hammadi told reporters during a break in the assembly’s proceedings that deputies would carry on debating the resolution today and would vote on a motion to reject the UN text and leave the final decision to Saddam. "Parliament will listen to speeches of deputies today and the session will continue tomorrow (Tuesday) morning," Hammadi told reporters. He did not say if voting would take place on Tuesday.

The parliamentary committee for international affairs yesterday recommended that Baghdad reject the resolution on disarmament but backed giving full support to whatever decision Saddam Hussein should take. The Parliament’s Arab and international relations committee "recommends the (Iraqi) leadership to reject the unfair UN Security Council Resolution 1441," committee chairman Salem Al-Qubaissi told an extraordinary session of Iraq’s National Assembly, open to the press.

The 250 Iraqi lawmakers met to debate the resolution passed last Friday, which outlines tough new terms for the return of UN arms inspectors and gives Baghdad until this Friday to respond. The Parliament’s position on the text will be submitted to the decision-making Revolution Command Council (RCC), which is chaired by Saddam.

US President George W. Bush used Veterans’ Day celebrations, meanwhile, to remind Saddam of the very real threat of US-powered military might should Iraq not comply with the US-crafted resolution. "Should military action become necessary for our own security, I will commit the full force and might of the United States military and we will prevail," he told veterans at a special White House reception. Official press commentaries yesterday offered no new clues to Iraq’s likely response, but stressed that Baghdad had all along cooperated with the Security Council and met its obligations under relevant council resolutions.

Iraqi officials accepted the return of arms inspectors in late September, setting off eight weeks of debate between Security Council permanent members on how to craft their resolution. By Dec. 8, Iraq must give a full accounting of its weapons programs or expose itself to retaliation. Baghdad denies having weapons of mass destruction.

Meanwhile, US officials would not confirm plans leaked to the press for a lightening strike on Iraq with up to 250,000 troops. The Washington Post and the New York Times, quoting senior US officials, reported that the plan envisioned an offensive by land, sea and air, seizing much of the country and isolating Saddam’s most loyal forces, in the hopes the government would quickly collapse.

On Sunday, top officials repeated their warnings to Baghdad to take seriously the UN deadlines. "If I were Saddam Hussein I would take this with a great deal of concern and seriousness," Secretary of State Colin Powell told CBS television. "This time no one is going to have any tolerance for the kind of games of cat and mouse that Saddam has played in the past," White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice told ABC television.

Baghdad gave further signs it was edging toward a decision on Resolution 1441. Speaking from Cairo on Sunday following a meeting with Arab counterparts, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said he hoped UN inspectors would "not resort to provocations." He emphasized, however, that "Iraq has not yet taken a decision" on the Security Council resolution.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa said he would ask UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday to include Arab nationals on the arms inspection teams to boost the credibility of their mission. "Having Arab inspectors or observers would enhance the credibility of the inspections," Moussa said. "I understood that out of the 250 members" of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, "there are only four Arabs, all translators; there are no Arabs among the inspectors," he added.

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said the 19-member alliance would use a summit next week to discuss possible military action against Iraq in the event of non-compliance with the terms of the UN text. (The Independent)