U.S. military and diplomatic leaders urge approval of war spending

Top military and foreign affairs leaders are making a rare joint appearance on Capitol Hill to urge swift passage of an US$91 billion emergency spending bill they say is critical to continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The bill's future has been threatened by a move in the House of Representatives to block a Dubai-owned company from taking control of some US port operations. US President George W. Bush has said he would veto the bill if such a proposal was included.

Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was expected to tell the Senate Appropriations Committee that the spending bill is needed to pay for helping US allies develop effective anti-terrorism forces.

Nearly US$6 billion is in the bill to continue developing security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Scheduled to testify with Rumsfeld were Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace and General John Abizaid, commander of US Central Command.

It would be the first time those four leaders have appeared together in front of Congress since Rice joined the Cabinet in January 2005.

Questions about a variety of issues awaited the witnesses:

Military plans to withdraw US troops from Iraq.

How the religious strife in Iraq is impeding efforts to build a unified government.

The standoff with Iran over concerns it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The emergency spending bill includes about US$65 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as about US$20 billion for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Additional money would go to the State Department and intelligence agencies for international operations and classified activities.

The House Appropriations Committee approved the bill on a voice vote late on Wednesday, after voting 62-2 to include a provision prohibiting DP World, which is run by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, from holding leases or contracts at US ports.

The State Department has said that Rice and the Pentagon leaders were appearing jointly before the committee, led by Republican Senator Thad Cochran, to show they are part of a common war strategy.

Cochran wants to know whether the spending measure "is sufficient to sustain success in Iraq and Afghanistan," spokeswoman Jenny Manley said. "But the conversation could be broad and not limited" to the bill.

Some lawmakers have been critical that the war is not being funded in the regular budget.

"This administration has decided to fund this war and all of its implications through emergency requests, even though we have known about the costs of the war for years," said Democrat Senator Patty Murray.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the emergency spending bill "is designed to address the incremental costs that are associated with the conduct of combat," and is "crucial to our ability to continue our combat operations in the global war on terror."

The Senate is not expected to vote on the bill until sometime in April. The House could vote next week.

Source: China Daily