Iraqi Parliament Recommends Rejection of U.N. Resolution
Tuesday: Iraqi parliament members vote against Security Council Resolution 1441 during an emergency session in Baghdad, Iraq.
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi parliament on Tuesday unanimously recommended that Saddam Hussein defy the United Nations' threats of "serious consequences" and reject the resolution demanding the readmission of weapons inspectors.
However, Saddam's elder son, Odai Saddam Hussein, earlier circulated a letter urging that Baghdad accept the U.N. resolution, with the provision that some of the inspectors be from Arab countries.
The apparent stage-management of the contradictory messages may be setting the scene for Saddam to accept the ultimatum by Friday's deadline as a show of graciousness, despite seeming opposition from his own people.
In Washington, the White House dismissed the Baghdad parliament's rejection of the U.N. resolution as "pure political theater."
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