US Senate Democratic leaders announced on Thursday that they will hold a key test vote Saturday on a resolution opposing US President George W. Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq.

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters that a Saturday session will take up a non-binding measure, which is now before the House of Representatives.

 

The Saturday vote will be a procedural vote on whether the Senate should move on to a final vote on a resolution that expresses opposition to Bush's plan to send 21,500 more combat troops to Iraq.

 

Senate Republicans succeeded last week in blocking a vote on a similar resolution.

 

This time, Reid urged Senate Republicans to drop their procedural moves.

 

"We demand an up-or-down vote on the resolution that the House is debating as we speak," he said.

 

The House are to vote on the proposal Friday, which expresses support for US troops in Iraq, but states that Congress "disapproves" of Bush's troop increase.

 

It was not clear whether Reid and his allies will get the 60 votes needed for the Senate to cut off debate on other matters and turn to the issue.

 

Opinion polls indicate a solid majority of the US public opposes Bush's plan, and Democrats said the November election victories that put them in control of Congress show Americans want to wind down the nearly four-year-old war.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2007)