US:The House of Representatives voted yesterday to compel president George Bush to withdraw combat troops from Iraq next year but Mr Bush immediately said he would veto the Bill if it reaches his desk.
Congress voted 218-212 in favour of the Bill, dividing almost entirely along strict party lines, with only two Republicans voting in favour and 14 Democrats voting against.
The Bill authorises $124.3 billion (€93 billion) in extra spending for the campaign in Iraq, but only on condition that combat operations cease by September 2008.
Surrounded by veterans and their families, Mr Bush accused Democrats of staging "political theatre" that would delay the delivery of necessary resources to the troops in Iraq.
"These Democrats believe that the longer they can delay funding for our troops, the more likely they are to force me to accept restrictions on our commanders, an artificial timetable for withdrawal and their pet spending projects. This is not going to happen," he said.
House Democrats know that the Bill has little chance of winning approval in the Senate unless the conditions are removed, but yesterday's vote was a significant victory for House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
She secured majority support by persuading a group of anti-war Democrats to back the Bill, despite their protests that it should have gone further in seeking to tie the president's hands on the war. Of the 14 Democrats who opposed the Bill, half were left-wing opponents of the war and the rest were moderates who thought the conditions were too restrictive.
Mr Bush said that, if a new spending Bill is not approved by mid-April, US troops in Iraq will face serious disruption.
"The Democrats have sent their message, now it's time to send their money. This is an important moment - a decision for the new leaders in Congress. Our men in women in uniform should not have to worry that politicians in Washington will deny them the funds and the flexibility they need to win. Congress needs to send me a clean Bill that I can sign without delay. I expect Congress to do its duty and to fund our troops, and so do the American people," he said.
Earlier, Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha, who served as a marine in Vietnam, won applause from other Democrats with an emotional speech in favour of the Bill.
"We're going to bring those troops home and we're going to start changing the direction of this great country," he said.
The Bill includes funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus billions of dollars of non-war spending. It would require the withdrawal of all but a vestige of the current US force in Iraq by 2008. It would also set minimum readiness standards for forces before they deployed, although the president could waive the requirement.
Democrats in Congress acknowledge privately that Bills such as that passed yesterday are unlikely to force Mr Bush to change course on Iraq. They hope, however, that a combination of congressional resolutions, inquiries and public discontent will pressure Republicans to break ranks as next year's presidential and congressional elections draw closer.