US president George Bush said today he will veto a bill setting a timeline for a withdrawal from Iraq that the US Congress plans to send him within days.
Mr Bush said that as soon as he vetoes the legislation he would invite leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate to the White House for talks to discuss how to move forward.
But in a sign that the partisan battle over the issue will be relentless, he said he would refuse to accept legislation that includes any sort of timetable for pulling out US troops.
He predicted his veto would be sustained, meaning Democrats who control Congress would not be able to muster a two-thirds majority vote to override it.
"I haven't vetoed the first bill yet, but I'm going to...I made it clear I would veto it," he said at a joint news conference with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.