President George W. Bush's government should not take military
actions in Iran without Congress approval unless Iran attacks the
US first, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday.
In an interview with ABC News, Pelosi said that if the US and
its people are attacked, the president has "very strong powers to
go after the country," otherwise, "he must come to the
Congress."
"We don't believe that any authorities that the president has
would give him the ability to go in without an act of Congress,"
she said.
Despite US concerns over Iran's nuclear programs and suspects on
its relations with Iraqi militants, Bush said earlier this month
that the United States will still resort to diplomatic methods to
resolve the nuclear issues with Iran while keep all its options
open.
Pelosi said that Bush's government had not requested any
congressional authority to take military actions in the
country.
The Senate passed a resolution last month to urge the government
to "combat, contain, and roll back" Iran's "violent activities and
destabilizing influence inside Iraq," which was followed by passage
of a similar measure in the House.
(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2007)
