This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6507801.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Senate backs Iraq withdrawal date | Senate backs Iraq withdrawal date |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The US Senate has passed a bill calling for all US combat troops to leave Iraq within a year, defying a veto threat. | The US Senate has passed a bill calling for all US combat troops to leave Iraq within a year, defying a veto threat. |
| The Senate vote came only an hour after George W Bush made his third vow in less than a week to veto such a law. | |
| "I'll veto a bill that restricts our commanders on the ground... a bill that doesn't fund our troops," he said. | "I'll veto a bill that restricts our commanders on the ground... a bill that doesn't fund our troops," he said. |
| The vote of 51 to 47 links funding for the war to a goal of getting US combat troops out of Iraq by March 2008. The House has passed a similar bill. | The vote of 51 to 47 links funding for the war to a goal of getting US combat troops out of Iraq by March 2008. The House has passed a similar bill. |
| The Senate bill approves $122bn (£62bn) in funds - mostly for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - but also orders the president to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 120 days of passage of the bill. | |
| It sets a goal of pulling all combat troops out of Iraq by the end of March of next year, but does not explicitly demand their removal. | |
| The House and Senate must now reconcile their two versions of the bill and send the result to President Bush. | |
| If he refuses to sign it, the bill will not become law. | |
| The votes in both the House and Senate were close enough to suggest Congress will not be able to override his threatened veto. |