WASHINGTON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- A Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives said Wednesday that he would introduce legislation next week that would require the withdrawal of U.S. troops out of Iraq to begin within two months.

    John Murtha, a leading war critic, said he would bring an amendment to the defense spending bill for fiscal 2008 the House was to take up next week that would require the Bush administration to start withdrawing within 60 days after enactment.

    The measure would propose that the pullout be completed in about one year but would not set a hard deadline of completion which has been strongly opposed by Republicans.

    "I'm hoping there will be an agreement between Democrats and Republicans and the Senate and the House and the White House and I think you'll see that happen. I think you'll see that happen by September, October," Murtha told reporters.

    The vote on Murtha's proposal would be likely in September, when the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, submits to Congress a report that assesses the situation in Iraq.

    The House has voted for withdrawal timetables several times year, but none has become law, as the White House and many Republican lawmakers have resisted such deadlines.