U.S.officials say they are in a better position to mediate and press for the resolution of difficult issues while the United States has a sizable military force in Iraq.
VOA: standard.2009.12.12
Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said he wants the Senate to vote on a resolutionofforce soon.
Friday, Bush turned up the heat on Democrats, lashing out at the suggestion that Congress ought to wait for the United Nations to act before approving a resolutionofforce against Iraq.
Austria bans the transit of US troops and equipment across its territory from Germany to Italy without a second UN resolution authorising the use offorce against Iraq.
