US Vice President Briefs Congress Leaders on Iraq

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, September 06, 2002

US Vice President Briefs Congress Leaders on Iraq

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

US Vice President Dick Cheney and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet Thursday delivered a classified intelligence briefing on the threat posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to a group of US congressional leaders.

US Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, a Republican from Mississippi, described the information provided in the 90-minute briefing as "interesting and troubling" and said it would give thelawmakers "a lot more to think about."

US Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat from South Dakota who had called on the Bush administration to release more information about the Iraqi threat, told reporters after the briefing that Cheney and Tenet answered many of the questions he has had.

"What I'm going to do is to talk to my colleagues a little bit," Daschle said. "It was a very helpful briefing, and we were in a position to ask a lot of good questions."

Bowing to pressure to build a broader consensus for a possible strike against Iraq, US President George W. Bush summoned 18 US congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday morning for a meeting that kicked off the administration's global campaign for action against Saddam.

During the meeting, Bush promised to seek US congressional authorization before taking any military action to ensure Iraqi disarmament and said he would make his case against Saddam in a major speech to the United Nations General Assembly next week.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on Thursday that Bush believes the United States has "sufficient evidence" on Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction to justify US military actions against Iraq.

"The president believes that the evidence that we have already seen is sufficient to require regime change," Fleischer said.

Questions?Comments? Click here

US Vice President Favors Preemptive Strike on Iraq

>> Full Coverage

Japanese Court Dismisses Germ Warfare Victims' Damages Claim ( 94 Messages)

China Plans to Stop the Overeas Flight of Corrupt Officials ( 69 Messages)

China Blocks the Way of Corrupt Officials Fleeing Overseas ( 5 Messages)

Survey Discloses Bad Service of Domestic Banks ( 4 Messages)

Quantitative Study Uncovers US Media Blackout: China Youth Daily ( 25 Messages)