By Tabassum Zakaria FAIRFAX, Va., April 10 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday invited lawmakers to talk over disputed funding of the Iraq war but refused to negotiate on Democratic demands for a pullout date. In the weeks-long battle, Bush has issued near-daily veto threats of legislation backed by the Democratic-controlled Congress that would tie approval of more than $100 billion in war funds to a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Bush said in a speech to the American Legion veterans group that he would submit a formal request to tap $1.6 billion in funds from other Pentagon accounts to pay for the war operations for now. He again accused Democrats of failing to support the troops by refusing to send him a funding bill without the condition of a withdrawal date. But he added as Congress returns from its Easter break, he wanted to meet with leaders of both parties so they "can report on progress on getting an emergency spending bill to my desk." "We discuss the way forward on a bill that is a clean bill," Bush said. White House officials made clear that was not a signal of a willingness to compromise. "This is not a negotiation," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, insisting it was chance for the lawmakers to "discuss with him how they're going to be able to bring to him a clean bill that he can sign." But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged Bush to work with Democrats on a compromise and highlighted the need for Iraq to meet benchmarks that Bush and Iraqi leaders already have sketched out. "That's what Congress is demanding," the Nevada Democrat said. "The president should be leading us in that direction and not threatening to veto funding for our troops unless we rubberstamp his flawed plan." (Additional reporting by Caren Bohan and Richard Cowan)
