New York City Council Passes Anti-war Resolution

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 13, 2003

New York City Council Passes Anti-war Resolution

The New York City Council, after months of heated debate, on Wednesday approved a toned-down resolution opposing a war on Iraq except as the last resort.

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The New York City Council, after months of heated debate, on Wednesday approved a toned-down resolution opposing a war on Iraq except as the last resort.

The 31-17 vote in the city hardest hit by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks came after council members dropped sharp criticisms of US President George W. Bush's administration and predictions of dire consequences for the United States.

The draft of the resolution opposed a war "without the authority of the United Nations," saying such a war "could bring with it the most devastating consequences imaginable, not just in the Middle East, but to our own shores as well."

Those sharp words were replaced by softer language that allows for a preemptive attack if "other options for achieving compliance with the United Nations resolutions calling for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction and the means of their development have failed."

The debate heated up after 100,000 to 350,000 people turned out in the city last month for one of the nation's largest anti-war demonstrations. Recent polls showed that some 75 percent of New Yorkers do not believe the United States should attack Iraq without the UN authorization.

The council's three Republican members argued that a local body should not be involved in international affairs. But for other members whose constituents are decidedly anti-war, Wednesday's vote did not come soon enough.

"This is a council that's been out front on a lot of things, and we should have taken care of business a long time ago so that New York was one of the first cities to oppose the war," said Councilman Charles Barron, a Brooklyn Democrat, who called the delays "frustrating and embarrassing."

Since last September, anti-war resolutions have been endorsed in many big cities across the nation, such as Los Angeles, Chicagoand Portland.

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