Bush to veto Iraq bill, make statement on Tuesday

TAMPA, Florida, May 1 (Reuters) President George W Bush will today veto a war spending bill that imposes timelines for a US troop withdrawal from Iraq, and will explain his action to Americans in a statement from the White House, an aide said.

Bush will carry out his long-standing threat to veto the legislation after returning from a visit to US Central Command in Tampa, White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

The president's statement was scheduled for 6:10 pm EDT (0340 hrs IST).

The Democratic-led Congress planned to send its 124 billion dollar emergency spending bill to Bush's desk later in the day, opening a new phase in their showdown with the Republican president over the unpopular Iraq war.

Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president would ''make good on his word'' to block any bill that set deadlines for leaving Iraq.

Democrats appear to have timed the delivery of their bill for today's fourth anniversary of Bush's landing on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean where he declared that major combat had ended in Iraq after the March 2003 invasion.

The deck was decorated with a ''Mission Accomplished'' banner.

Bush's opponents want to remind Americans that four years later US troops remain bogged down in Iraq, where more than 3,300 American military personnel have been killed.

'POLITICAL STUNT' ''It is a trumped-up political stunt that is the height of cynicism,'' Perino said. ''It is very disturbing to think that they possibly held up this money for the troops and troops' families and the resources that they need to try some PR stunt on this day.'' Poised to issue only the second veto of his presidency, Bush huddled with US commanders at their headquarters in Tampa and tried to rally support for the war effort among allied nations that have forces deployed in Iraq.

Speaking to military representatives from more than 40 countries contributing to the US-led war on terrorism, Bush acknowledged that ''these are tough times'' but insisted now was is not the time to withdraw from Iraq.

Taking a more pragmatic view after years of unrelenting bloodshed in Iraq, Bush made his case against leaving Iraq while violence still rages.

''Failure in Iraq should be unacceptable to the civilized world. The risks are enormous,'' he told U.S. commanders and allied envoys at Central Command, responsible for managing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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