Pentagon says US Army not able to pay soldiers beyond June 15 unless Congress acts on war funding.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives will this week debate a new war spending bill that includes a provision to pull US combat troops out of Iraq by December 2009, lawmakers said Tuesday.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that the budget for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would be debated from Thursday.

Such a bill would require the administration of President George W. Bush to begin a pullout within 30 days after the bill becomes law, and would require that the Iraqis finance their country's reconstruction.

"President Bush insists on war without end in Iraq, but Democrats in Congress stand with Americans who want to bring our troops home responsibly, safely and soon, and with taxpayers who believe that the Iraqi government must begin to pay its fair share for the reconstruction of their country," Pelosi said in a statement.

If the bill is adopted by Congress, it is expected that Bush would veto the measure due to his longstanding opposition to fixed timetables for troops withdrawals.

Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have promised to start a pullout as quickly as possible should either one of them succeed Bush in January 2009 following November elections.

Obama has estimated the process would take some 16 months.

Bush on Friday formally asked lawmakers for 70 billion dollars to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into early next year, when his successor takes over.

The funds include 45.1 billion dollars for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, 3.7 billion to expand and train Afghan security forces, and two billion to bolster Iraq's security forces.

The budgetary measure also includes a request for 770 million dollars in new aid to cope with food shortages and soaring prices that have left many hungry and fueled angry protests around the world.

The request came as Bush's previous 108 billion dollar request for the wars has languished in the US Congress, which is controlled by Democrats who oppose the US involvement in Iraq.

The Pentagon warned Tuesday that the US Army will not be able to pay its soldiers beyond June 15 unless Congress acts soon on the administration's stalled request for war funding.

HEYET Net- Agencies