[JURIST] The US State Department Wednesday released excerpts from a press briefing by White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer indicating that President Bush has sent to Congress the official legal determinations for war required under the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq [text]:

Last night, consistent with authorization for the use of military force against Iraq resolution the routine determinations required by the resolution were sent to the Hill. These are the determinations that reliance on the United States diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will not adequately protect the national security of the United States continuing against the threat posed by Iraq nor likely lead to enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. The resolution states that prior to hostilities or within 48 hours after hostilities, these determinations must be made from a legal point of view.