Bush threatens veto on Iraq bills

President Bush warned money for troops could start to run out in April

US President George W Bush has warned again that he will veto any bill setting a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

His comments come a day after the US Senate upheld a Democrat-led proposal calling for US combat troops to pull out of Iraq by next March.

Mr Bush said setting "a specific and arbitrary date" would be "disastrous".

He warned that money to support US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan would begin to run out in mid-April.

"If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines, the American people will know who to hold responsible," he said.

Enemies 'plotting'

Two Republicans sided with the Democrats in the Senate on Tuesday to reject a Republican amendment that would have removed the withdrawal clause from a bill on military funding

A bill in the House of Representatives, imposing a 31 August 2008 deadline for pulling troops out, was passed narrowly by 218 votes to 212 on Friday.

Some Democrats want US troops to be brought home now

Both pieces of legislation are tied to more than $120bn (£60bn) in emergency funding for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association meeting in Washington, Mr Bush warned Congress that failing to pass the military funding bill would jeopardise US security.

"The consequences of imposing such a specific and random date for withdrawal would be disastrous," he said.

"If the House bill becomes law, our enemies will simply have to mark their calendars. They'd spend the months ahead plotting how to use their new safe havens once we were to leave.

"It makes no sense for politicians in Washington DC to be dictating arbitrary timelines for our military commanders in a war zone 6,000 miles away."

We're not holding up funding and in Iraq and he knows that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Mr Bush acknowledged it would take a "sustained, determined effort to succeed" in Iraq but said he was confident it would happen.

He also criticised the Senate funding bill for containing too much "pork" - or spending on special interests unrelated to military funding.

The Democrats have insisted, however, that they will not back down over the demand for a timetable for troop withdrawal.

Responding to Mr Bush's comments, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said he was attempting to avoid accountability by threatening a veto on the bills.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also rejected Mr Bush's remarks.

HAVE YOUR SAY Bush is definitely a weakened president - this proves it Julie P, US Send us your comments

"Why doesn't he get real with what's going on with the world?" he said, addressing the Senate.

"We're not holding up funding and in Iraq and he knows that. Why doesn't he deal with the real issues facing the American people?"

A final Senate vote on the whole funding bill will take place later this week. It would need the support of a dozen Republicans to pass.