The US Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a US$416 billion defense appropriations bill for the 2005 fiscal year, including US$25 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 98-0, which provides money for a 3.5 percent military pay raise and extra money for adding 20,000 soldiers to the Army.

Like the House, the Senate approved US$95 million in emergency disaster relief and refugee aid for the crisis in Sudan, and US$50 million in emergency money to tighten security for the Republican and Democratic national conventions this summer.

Excluding the funds for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bill represents an increase of US$22.5 billion, or 6 percent, over this year's total.

The overall bill is US$1.7 billion short of what the White House requested, allocating US$76.5 billion for purchasing weapons and other equipment.

The House and the Senate will work out a compromise version of the measure and send it to President George W. Bush for signature before it becomes law.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2004)