US President George W Bush has welcomed the defeat of legislation that would have called for a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq.
The US Senate last night resolved that Iraqis should start taking the lead in their own security next year to allow a phased withdrawal of US troops.
However, an amendment by opposition Democrats called for a timetable for the withdrawal. It also asked for quarterly updates on the pace of military and policy gains in Iraq.
President Bush, who is in Japan, told reporters he saw the Senate's decision as positive, though observers said it indicated growing Republican dissatisfaction with the outcome of the invasion of Iraq.
