US Congress to debate resolution on troop withdrawal

WASHINGTON: Top Republican lawmakers in Washington have said they will submit a resolution to the House of Representatives on Thursday that will reject a timetable for a US troop withdrawal from Iraq.

"The American people deserve a full and extended debate about the global war on terror, the war in Iraq, and how best to protect the American people in a post-9/11 world," House Majority Leader John Boehner said on Monday while announcing the action.

"There are clear differences between Republicans and Democrats," Boehner said, adding that the discussion would address a fundamental question: "Are we going to confront the threat of terrorism and defeat it, or will we relent and retreat in the hopes that it just goes away?"

The resolution to be presented on Thursday, "declares that it is not in the national security interest of the US to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of US armed forces from Iraq."

Republicans hope with the debate to refocus Americans on national security issues and boost their sagging approval ratings ahead of key legislative elections in November.

President George W Bush, whose popularity has been suffering from the ongoing violence in Iraq, on Monday, launched two days of high-level talks with top US diplomatic and military officials on how best to help the new Iraqi government defeat the insurgency and improve the living conditions for the population.