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US Senate locked in Iraq battle US Senate locked in Iraq battle
(about 6 hours later)
The US Senate is set to resume debate on Iraq war policy, with no sign yet of a break in the political deadlock. The US Senate has resumed debate on Iraq war policy, with no sign yet of a break in the political deadlock.
Senators are due to vote on three major amendments to a defence funding bill, one of which would require withdrawal of US troops by the end of April 2008.Senators are due to vote on three major amendments to a defence funding bill, one of which would require withdrawal of US troops by the end of April 2008.
US President George W Bush responded to an interim progress report on Iraq last week by insisting his surge strategy must be given a chance to succeed. The Senate's Democratic leader has said a rare all-night sitting will be held on Tuesday before a vote on Wednesday.
The pressure on Mr Bush is rising, with some Republicans withdrawing support. US President George W Bush has insisted his "surge" strategy must be given time to work before changing course in Iraq.
Senior Republican Senators Richard Lugar and John Warner on Friday set out a new blueprint urging Mr Bush to begin pulling US troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. The pressure on Mr Bush is mounting, with some Republicans withdrawing support and an interim progress report last week which showed mixed results in Iraq.
They want Mr Bush to submit plans by 16 October for the "transition of US combat forces from policing the civil strife or sectarian violence in Iraq" to more narrowly defined goals of tackling terrorism, guarding borders and protecting assets and coalition forces. Mr Bush has said Congress should wait until a 15 September progress report on the surge strategy, under which some 30,000 extra troops have been deployed, before considering a change in direction.
Veto threatVeto threat
The White House and Democrats have already reacted coolly to the proposal by Mr Lugar and Mr Warner, on which senators are due to vote this week. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled Tuesday's unusual round-the-clock sitting in a bid to squeeze Republicans who continue to support Mr Bush's war policy.
President Bush says time must be given for the surge strategy to work President Bush says time must be given for the surge strategy to workMr Reid said: "I think the American people deserve what we are doing and that is focusing attention every minute of the day on what has gone wrong in Iraq."
Mr Bush has said Congress should wait until a 15 September progress report on the "surge" strategy, under which some 30,000 extra troops have been deployed, before thinking about a change of course. The Democrats are seeking to pass legislation that would require the withdrawal of most US troops from Iraq by the end of April 2008, with redeployment starting within 120 days of the bill's passage.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticised the policy because it did not insist on any implementation or require troop withdrawal by a certain date. But they are unlikely to succeed in Wednesday's vote because the Republicans are using a procedural measure to insist on 60 votes for victory rather than a simple majority of the Senate's 100 members.
He is expected to back legislation in the Senate this week put forward by Democratic Senators Carl Levin and Jack Reed. Even if passed, Mr Bush has already threatened to veto the measure. The Democrats would need a two-thirds majority in House of Representatives and Senate to overturn a presidential veto.
Their amendment would require the withdrawal of most US troops from Iraq by the end of April 2008, with redeployment starting within 120 days of the bill's passage. The House approved a similar bill that would require the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq by 1 April 2008 last week.
The Democrats would need to win the support of at least 60 senators to advance the measure. Mr Bush has already threatened to veto it. Bipartisan plan
The third major proposal, put forward by Democratic Senator Ken Salazar and Republican Lamar Alexander, would have the US adopt as policy recommendations made last December by the Iraq Study Group (ISG). A vote is also expected this week on a blueprint put forward by senior Republican Senators Richard Lugar and John Warner which urges Mr Bush to begin pulling US troops out of Iraq by the end of the year.
They want Mr Bush to submit plans by 16 October for the "transition of US combat forces from policing the civil strife or sectarian violence in Iraq" to more narrowly defined goals of tackling terrorism, guarding borders and protecting assets and coalition forces.
The White House and Democrats have already reacted coolly to the Lugar-Warner proposal.
Senator Reid criticised the policy because it did not insist on any implementation or require troop withdrawal by a certain date.
A third, bipartisan, proposal to be voted on this week would have the US adopt as policy recommendations made last December by the Iraq Study Group (ISG).
The ISG report called for the redeployment of US forces from combat to training and other roles, and for the US to reach out diplomatically to Iraq's neighbours, including Iran and Syria.The ISG report called for the redeployment of US forces from combat to training and other roles, and for the US to reach out diplomatically to Iraq's neighbours, including Iran and Syria.
Last week's Iraqi interim report highlighted among other issues a lack of progress in training Iraqi security forces.Last week's Iraqi interim report highlighted among other issues a lack of progress in training Iraqi security forces.
The number of Iraqi battalions ready and able to fight on their own has halved in recent months, despite increased efforts by the US to train them.The number of Iraqi battalions ready and able to fight on their own has halved in recent months, despite increased efforts by the US to train them.