US: Amid growing discontent over his handling of the situation in Iraq, President George Bush has agreed to negotiate with Congress over a war funding Bill that would set political benchmarks for the Iraqi government.
Mr Bush's climbdown came as the House of Representatives was expected last night to approve a Bill that would fund the war for almost three months, but would require Mr Bush to report to Congress in July before further funds were released.
The Bill is unlikely to survive in the Senate and Mr Bush has promised to veto it in any case. Mr Bush's decision to negotiate with Congress on a new Bill came two days after a group of moderate Republicans warned him that he could not depend on their support over Iraq for much longer.
"One message I have heard from people from both parties is that the idea of benchmarks makes sense. And I agree. It makes sense to have benchmarks as a part of our discussion on how to go forward. And so I've empowered [ chief of staff] Josh Bolten to find common ground on benchmarks and he will continue to have dialogue with both Republicans and Democrats," he said.
Washington is impatient with Iraqi progress in introducing legislation to promote reconciliation between Shias and Sunnis, including a law that would share the country's oil revenues.
Speaking at the Pentagon after a briefing on Iraq from military commanders, Mr Bush said that, of the five brigades of additional forces being sent to Iraq, three were already settled there, the fourth had just entered Baghdad and the fifth would arrive in mid-June.
"As we have surged our forces, al-Qaeda is responding with their own surge. Al-Qaeda is ratcheting up its campaign of high-profile attacks, including deadly suicide bombings carried out by foreign terrorists.
"America responded, along with coalition forces, to help this young democracy, and a brutal enemy has responded as well. These attacks are part of a calculated campaign to reignite sectarian violence in Baghdad, and to convince the people here in America that the effort can't succeed," he said.
During their meeting with the president on Tuesday, 11 Republican congressmen told him that they would stand by him in opposing the Democrats' latest war funding bill, but warned that his conduct of the Iraq war threatened the future of the Republican party. Illinois congressman Ray LaHood said the group outlined their fears about the political cost of the war in the bluntest terms.
"It was about as candid as I've ever seen it from members of Congress to President Bush. I think he understood what members were saying. He listened very intently. He certainly didn't get defensive. I think his mood was pretty sober," he said.
Virginia's Tom Davis said the congressmen pressed Mr Bush and his advisers to say what would happen if the troop surge fails.
"We asked them what's plan B? We let them know that the status quo is not acceptable," he said.
Mr Bush replied that, if he started discussing other plans, the current strategy would not be able to work.