Bush not in favor of war-spending bill

WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will not support a bill that reprimands the Iraqi government for failing to meet goals for progress.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, appearing Sunday on CBS's Face The Nation, said the president is not in favor of the war-spending bill, which would include a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. Rice's comments are reported to shed new light on doubts over a potential compromise between Democratic-led Congress and the White House in getting funds to U.S. forces in Iraq.

Rice told Bob Schieffer that instead of working with a timeline, Democratic leaders may negotiate with Republican lawmakers on ordering the Iraqi government to fulfill its promises on amending its constitution, allocating oil resources and stepping up its democratic participation.

Rice also talked of the upcoming regional conference on Iraq, set to start on Thursday in Egypt. Rice told Schieffer that the conference could present the possibility of a rare encounter between top-level officials from Iran and the United States.

"We will be there not to talk about U.S.-Iranian issues, but to talk about Iraq," Rice said. "And how Iraq's neighbors can help to stabilize Iraq, and I won't rule it out."