Congress approves bill to widen spying on terrorism suspects

Aug 5, 2007, 4:23 GMT

Washington - The United States House of Representatives approved a measure late Saturday that would grant government agencies more leeway to spy on suspected terrorists.

The measure would broaden the ability to monitor communications of those with suspected ties to terrorism, without seeking court warrants.

The House acted after the Senate voted late Friday, completing the legislation before Congress adjourns this weekend for a scheduled summer break.

The measure now heads to the White House for presidential approval.

US President George W Bush, in a statement issued late Saturday, vowed to quickly sign the legislation, which he said would 'close a critical gap in our intelligence collection.' He had vowed to veto a version defeated Friday in the Senate that would have still required court warrants.

Some centre-left Democrats, who control Congress, joined Bush's centre-right Republicans in supporting the broader wiretapping measure.

The measure will be valid for six months, before Congress must reauthorize it or hammer out new legislation on the matter.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said after the vote that the measure contains many 'unacceptable' provisions that ought to be corrected before the six-month law expires. She called for congressional hearings starting in September to work on further legislation.

In his statement, Bush told Congress that 'we need to work together on additional reforms' starting in September when legislators return from their recess.