International Herald Tribune

Saturday-Sunday, March 14-15, 1998

Senate Urges a UN Trial for Saddam

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - In a largely symbolic move, the Senate voted unanimously Friday to urge the creation of a United Nations tribunal to try President Saddam Hussein of Iraq as an international war criminal.

The 93-to-O vote on the nonbinding resolution was a gesture of political frustration in dealing with the Iraqi president.

The resolution urges calls for the UN tribunal to be convened "for the purpose of indicting, prosecuting, and imprisoning Saddam Hussein."

It passed with no debate Friday after brief discussion on Thursday.

"It is obvious that taking Saddam Hussein into custody is a very complex matter and perhaps impossible without an enormous military source," said a sponsor, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania.

The indictment itself, even in absentia, could give the United States "the high moral ground," Mr. Specter said.

Senator Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, another sponsor, told the Senate that Mr. Saddam had used chemical weapons on his enemies, both inside and outside Iraq, had waged war against Iran and Kuwait, had attacked Israel and had plotted the assassination of former President George Bush.

A war-crimes trial would focus international attention on Mr. Saddam's record, Mr. Dorgan said.

The Senate majority leader, Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, a critic of a UN-brokered accord that averted a U.S. military strike against Mr. Saddam, is a strong supporter of the effort.

Mr. Lott has also said he would support increased sanctions, money for a "radio free Iraq" and covert action to bring down the- Iraqi president, suggesting that "containment doesn't seem to get what we want."

The Senate action came as Mr. Lott and other Republicans voiced displeasure over efforts by the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, to bridge U.S.-Iraqi differences.

Mr. Annan was in Washington for two days this week and on Thursday appealed to the United States to pay long-delinquent dues, suggesting the United States could lose its voting rights in the General Assembly if the more than $1 billion in back dues remains unpaid.

The dues are tied up in a battle between the Clinton administration and the Republican-led Congress over unrelated abortion curbs. President Bill Clinton has said he will veto any bill that includes abortion restrictions, even if it delays the back payments to the UN or money for the International Monetary Fund to help ease the Asian economic crisis.