Iraqi Lawmakers Vote Down UN Resolution 1441

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 13, 2002

Iraqi Lawmakers Vote Down UN Resolution 1441

The Iraqi parliament has unanimously rejected UN Resolution 1441, but decided to leave the final decision for the Iraqi leadership to make.

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Iraqi Lawmakers Vote Down UN Resolution 1441

The Iraqi parliament has unanimously rejected UN Resolution 1441, but decided to leave the final decision for the Iraqi leadership to make.

The vote came hours after Saddam Hussein's son recommended that Iraq accept the resolution, but with the condition that inspection teams have Arab members.

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.

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 announced it had been accepted unanimously. It was not clear how many members were present for the vote.

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.

Iraq has until Friday to accept or reject the resolution, which the UN Security Council approved unanimously last Friday. If it does not, or falters afterward in following the tough provisions of the resolution, the United States and Britain have made clear they will attack Iraq.

Tuesday's session of parliament was not broadcast live on Iraqi television, leaving Iraqis unaware of how the parliament was likely to vote. The opening and the vote were carried live by Al-Jazeera, the Qatari-based Arabic satellite channel. Iraqis cannot receive Al-Jazeera as the government bans satellite dishes.

The UN resolution demands inspectors have unrestricted access to any suspected weapons site and the right to interview Iraqi scientists outside the country and without Iraqi officials present � both issues that could become points of dispute.

Iraq has insisted on respect for its sovereignty, an argument it has used in the past to restrict access to Saddam's palaces.

Source: agencies

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