USA: PRESIDENT CLINTON IMPEACHMENT TRIAL LATEST

Описание: (9 Jan 1999) English/Nat

Senators have approved a blueprint for President Clinton's impeachment trial, without a single dissenting vote.

All 100 senators voted for the resolution on Friday after a rare bipartisan move that saw both parties hammering out a compromise agreement.

Following the vote, lawyers for President Clinton said they respected the ruling of the Senate and would mount a vigorous defence.

It took the Senate all day to do it.

But after hours of closed-door meetings, Senators finally approved a bipartisan blueprint for the trial against President Clinton.

Just after 1900 GMT, the impeachment trial resumed.

The first order of business was issuing a summons to President Clinton.

UPSOUND: (English)
"Mr Chief Justice, I am quite pleased to send a resolution to the desk on behalf of myself and the Democratic leader Senator Daschle and in fact for the entire United States Senate , and ask consent that if the resolution is agreed to by the Senate, it be considered to have the dignity of a unanimous consent agreement up to the final paragraph."
SUPER CAPTION: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott

UPSOUND: (English)
"Senate Resolution 16. To provide for issuance of a summons and the related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States."
SUPER CAPTION: Chief Justice William Rehnquist

Senators voted unanimously to approve the bipartisan plan that was reached earlier in the day in the Old Senate Chamber.

UPSOUND: (English)
"From this vote the yeas are 100 and the nays are zero- the resolution is agreed to."
SUPER CAPTION: Chief Justice William Rehnquist

It calls for lawyers to begin their presentations next Wednesday, but limits them to the evidence made public in the House.

During the extraordinary private session, senators agreed to decide later whether or not to call witnesses.

That was the major sticking point between Democrat and Republican plans.

The deal ended days of uncertainty over the format of the first presidential impeachment trial since 1868.

In separate news conferences on Friday afternoon, Republicans and Democrats praised the compromise plan.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"What we found was a way to go back to the ancient rules of impeachment and to simply set out within those rules a road map. And I think that everybody is satisfied with that approach and again I think a lot of things produced it- the oath yesterday, Senator Burg's opening today, the realization that under those rules, our two proposals really were the same. And that allowed us to come together on a bipartisan basis. So we are happy that the Democrat leader is happy and he is happy that we are happy , which proves again that democracy is not a zero-sum game."
SUPER CAPTION: Senator Phil Gramm, Republican, Texas

Democrats followed with similar acclaim.

While both sides acknowledge the blueprint doesn't solve everything, they say it does set out a starting point that is fair to all sides.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have a process which will be expeditions and fair . That is really what we have desired all along . I believe that if we can follow through and have the votes as we anticipate them, it will be just that."
SUPER CAPTION: Tom Daschle, Senate Minority Leader

Under the plan, both House leaders and the White House will have 24 hours to make their case - Senators will then have 16 hours to ask questions of each side.

After that, members will be able to decide whether or not to call witnesses.



SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott

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