US President George Bush will meet on Wednesday with
congressional leaders at the White House to discuss US policy towards Iraq, while Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will brief legislators on Capitol Hill on the Iraq policy, top government officials said here.
The White House event and the Rumsfeld visit are part of an effort over the next days by Bush and his top aides to reach out to legislators, many critical of what they see as the muddled US approach towards Iraq.
”You can anticipate throughout the week a series of meetings with members of Congress on a variety of topics,” said Bush representative Ari Fleischer on Tuesday. ”As the president said, he will consult with members of the Hill about the topic of security, about
Iraq, about the war on terror.”
”This is the president reaching out and leading; and this is the president reaching out and listening,” Fleischer said.
US Senator Thomas Daschle told reporters on Tuesday that Rumsfeld would be on Capitol Hill later in the day to deliver a classified briefing on Iraq.
Rumsfeld will hold a closed-door briefing on Iraq for all 100 senators in a secure room inside the Capitol, according to congressional sources.
Rumsfeld, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, hinted that US officials had damaging secret information on Iraq that they might be ready to divulge.
”We know that they have rejected (weapons) inspections,” Rumsfeld said, referring to Iraq. ”We know they have not lived up to their obligations under the UN resolutions and the agreements
that they signed at the conclusion of the Gulf war.
”And we know some other things, but those are the kinds of things that would come out if and when the president decides that he thinks it’s appropriate,” Rumsfeld said. – Sapa-AFP