Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The US congress has passed a bill allocation funding for the war in Iraq without a timetable for troop withdrawal. The House of Representatives voted in favour of the bill, and the Senate approved it shortly afterwards.
The comprise is a victory for the US President George W. Bush, putting an end to months of wrangling between the White House and Democrat majority, which had wanted timetables for complete withdrawal by 2008 built into any funding bill, but those conditions prompted Bush to veto earlier legislation. Without a two-thirds majority in Congress, the Democrats were unable to overturn any threat of a further presidential veto and eventually agreed to a compromise deal.
Bush can now count on over 100 billion dollars for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until September conceding an informal commitment to troop withdrawal should it be requested by Baghdad, a request that Iraq improve internal security measures and 17 billion dollars for domestic policies.
Speaking at a press conference the president revealed that the next few months will be critical for the US security plan in Iraq. “This summer is going to be critical time for the new strategy", Bush explained to journalists. He then announced that by mid June the last five brigades - some 15,000 soldiers - of a 30,000-troop build-up should arrive in Baghdad.
