The measure passed 296-133 in the Republican-controlled chamber, with mostly opposition Democrats voting no, said the Agence France-Press (AFP).

The vote allowing Bush to use "necessary and appropriate force" bolsters his campaign to press the United Nations to get tough with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

President Bush welcomed the House of Representatives vote saying "the days of Iraq acting like an outlaw state are coming to an end.

"The House of Representatives has spoken clearly to the world and to the United Nations Security Council: The gathering threat of Iraq must be confronted fully

Earlier, the Senate, which is debating a similar measure, approved by 75 to 25 a measure limiting debate to 30 hours, and defeated two attempts by Senator Robert Byrd to limit the scope of the measure.

At least 60 of the 100 senators are expected to support Bush's request.

The final Senate vote on the measure is expected by Friday, legislators said.

Meanwhile, anti-U.S. demonstrations broke out in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila to protest the U.S. moves against Iraq including a possible military strike.

Iraq on September 16 accepted the unconditional return of U.N. weapons inspectors after a near four-year pause.

Baghdad agreed in talks last week to allow U.N. weapons inspectors to decide where and how to interview its citizens, chief inspector Hans Blix said in a letter Tuesday, October 8.

The letter did not explicitly say the interviews could be conducted outside Iraq, as demanded by U.S. President George W. Bush in a televised speech Monday, October 7, AFP reported.

But it did indicate a concession by the Iraqi authorities, who in the past insisted on monitoring conversations.

The 20-paragraph letter dated Tuesday October 8, was addressed to Amir El-Sadi, an aide to President Saddam Hussein who led the Iraqi delegation to the talks, held in Vienna. A copy was obtained by AFP.

In it, Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Mohamed El-Baradei asked El-Sadi to confirm points of agreement on practical arrangements for resuming inspections in Iraq after a gap of almost four years.

"We shall report accordingly to the Security Council," they wrote.

The main points of the agreement were spelt out by the two U.N. officials at a joint news conference October 1 with El-Sadi after the two-day meeting, and the letter contained no surprises.

On Thursday, Blix and El-Baradei briefed the Council, and were told by the United States their inspectors could not go to Iraq without a tough new mandate.

Bush said inspectors must be empowered to "interview" Iraqis outside the country, and that the interviewees' families must be able to leave with them.

In their letter, Blix and El-Baradei said the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, which Blix heads, and the IAEA "may conduct interviews with any person in Iraq whom they believe may have information relevant to their mandate.

"Iraq will facilitate such interviews. It is for UNMOVIC and the IAEA to choose the mode and location for interviews."

Russia and France, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, oppose the threat of force against Iraq in any new resolution.

Central Intelligence Agency Chief George Tenet told the Senate Intelligence Committee that if Iraq were not attacked, the risks of Baghdad using chemical or biological weapons (CBW) were low.

The CIA warned, however, of a "pretty high" risk of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the event of a U.S. attack.

Baghdad at the moment "appears to be drawing a line short of conducting terrorist attacks with conventional or CBW against the United States," Tenet said in a letter committee chairman Bob Graham made public Tuesday.

But he warned this Iraqi approach could undergo a reevaluation if Saddam were to conclude he was about to lose power or even his life.