U.S. President George W. Bush (R) and
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) participate in Defense Department
briefings at the Pentagon in Washington, May 10, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
WASHINGTON,
May 10 (Xinhua) -- In a political shift, U.S. President George W. Bush said
Thursday that he is willing to work with lawmakers to include benchmarks for the
performance of the Iraqi government in a war spending bill.
However, he also reaffirmed that he will veto any
bill to cover only the costs of war in next two months when speaking to
reporters at Pentagon.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on
such a bill Thursday evening.
The idea of "benchmarks" has been raised by members
of both parties in the Senate as a means to put pressure on the Iraqi government
to bringing political stability to the country.
Most discussions of benchmarks have involved the
Iraqis passing a new oil-sharing bill, updating the Iraqi constitution, and
holding provincial elections.
Bush had been rejecting the idea of including
benchmarks in a funding bill.
However, he seemed to change position Thursday,
saying "it makes sense to make benchmarks part of our discussion on how to go
forward."
Bush also said he had asked his chief of staff,
Joshua Bolten, to "find common ground" with Congress on benchmarks.
Last week, the president vetoed a war funding bill
because it included a timetable to withdraw combat forces by the end of next
March.
The White House said Wednesday that Bush will veto a
new bill drafted by Democrats that will give him half the money he has requested
for the war effort, with a vote in July on whether to approve the rest.
In Thursday's remarks, Bush again dismissed the new
bill.
"We reject that idea. It won't work," the president said, blaming Democrats for the delay of war funding.
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