The legislators called for Saddam Hussein and other top Iraqi officials to be prosecuted as war criminals.

"It is very important that the upper echelons of the Iraqi government are put on notice that acts in violation of the Hague and Geneva conventions will be dealt with very forcefully," said Senator Arlen Specter, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"These matters will not be over when we win the war. These individuals will be pursued," he said.

Senator Joseph Biden, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Iraqi regime is guilty of a long list of offenses.

"Soliciting suicide bombers, hiding munitions in holy sites, using civilians as human shields -- these are clear violations of the rules of armed conflict.

"No one should believe they can get away with such crimes," said Biden.

"This resolution puts the world on notice that war crimes are being committed in Iraq," he said.

SPACE.WIRE