New terms for a resolution that will allow President Bush to use military force against Iraq has been proposed between White House and Congressional leadership. Language considered to be too broad was dropped, and new procedural conditions were added.

The Congressional resolution no longer contains a phrase that would have authorized the use of military force to ‘restore international peace and security in the region.’ The words were struck from the text when concerns were raised over whether they would be interpreted to include the entire Middle East.

According to this new draft, the President of the United States is now required to report to Congress in the event of war. The president must formally tell Congress that diplomacy alone can not protect national security and will allow for successful enforcement of United Nations resolutions that call for Iraqi disarmament and the execution of other agendas. Much of the language in this bill can be found verbatim in the 1991 measure that allowed military action in the Persian Gulf.

Top Republican leaders such as Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, have endorsed the new draft and believes that no further changes are necessary in the new draft. House Democrat Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri, however, believes that a few minor changes will make the resolution acceptable to a broader number of people. A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that progress toward passage of the resolution has been made but nothing has been finalized as of yet.

At the same time that this proposal was made, Secretary of State Colin Powell told Congress that the administration had reached an agreement with Britain on a draft of a new United Nations Security Council resolution. This bill would require Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to show cooperation with U.S. weapons inspectors within the next two months or face military consequences.

Marc Grossman, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, has been sent to Paris to present the United States’#146; agenda to first the French government and then to the Russian government. Both countries have veto power on the UN Security Council. Powell hopes that the U.S. case can win support before the draft of the resolution is circulated next week at the United Nations.