[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 89 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 89

Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should respect 
   the sovereign equality of the member states of the United Nations 
   Security Council with respect to each state's position concerning 
                Iraq's compliance with Resolution 1441.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2003

   Mr. McDermott (for himself, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. 
  Conyers, Ms. Lee, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Norton, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. 
  Payne, Mr. Owens, and Mr. Olver) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should respect 
   the sovereign equality of the member states of the United Nations 
   Security Council with respect to each state's position concerning 
                Iraq's compliance with Resolution 1441.

Whereas Article 1, Section 1, of the United Nations Charter states that a 
        primary purpose of the United Nations is ``To maintain international 
        peace and security, to take effective collective measures for the 
        prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and to bring about by 
        peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and 
        international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or 
        situations which might lead to the breach of the peace.'';
Whereas Article 2, Section 1, of the United Nations Charter states that ``The 
        organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all 
        its members.'';
Whereas Article 25 of the United Nations Charter states that ``The Members of 
        the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the 
        Security Council in accordance with the present Charter.'';
Whereas some members of the executive branch have warned member states on the 
        Security Council that a possible consequence of a vote against the 
        United States' position with respect to Iraq's compliance with 
        Resolution 1441 may be a deterioration of their relations with the 
        United States;
Whereas some Members of Congress have openly discussed undertaking retaliatory 
        economic measures against member states on the Security Council which 
        vote against the United States' position;
Whereas President Bush has stated that ``the world has a clear interest in the 
        spread of democratic values''; and
Whereas it is widely recognized that overwhelming public sentiment in many 
        democratic states represented on the Security Council supports the 
        continuing pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the situation in Iraq: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the executive branch should respect the right of 
        independent decision-making of member states on the Security 
        Council, as well as the principle set forth in Article 2, 
        Section 1, of the United Nations Charter, in its diplomatic 
        exchanges regarding Security Council resolutions; and
            (2) members of the executive branch and Members of Congress 
        should refrain from threatening member states on the Security 
        Council with possible negative consequences with respect to 
        diplomatic, economic, and social relations with the United 
        States as a result of any vote cast in opposition to the United 
        States' position concerning Iraq's compliance with Resolution 
        1441.
                                 <all>