April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Congressional Democratic leaders agreed to meet with President George W. Bush next week to discuss their differences over an emergency spending measure to fund the war in Iraq that sets a timetable for troop withdrawals.

``We will listen to his position, but in return we will insist that he listen to concerns of the American people that his policies in Iraq have failed and we need to change course,'' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement last night.

Bush and Democrats in Congress are at an impasse over $100 billion in emergency funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democratic-controlled House and Senate have voted to include in the spending measure a requirement that troop withdrawals begin by next year. Bush has said he will veto any legislation that includes such a timetable.

Reid and Pelosi had earlier rejected Bush's invitation to meet, saying such talks were pointless because Bush insisted that any discussion be about a spending measure without any conditions on U.S. deployments in Iraq. Earlier yesterday they issued an invitation to Bush to come to Capitol Hill for talks.

Pelosi and Reid said last night that Bush had rejected their invitations.

``We have been disappointed with the president's decision to avoid a serious, substantive discussion with Congress on Iraq,'' they said in a joint statement.

Bush said this week that he wants a ``clean bill'' that provides the money needed by the military ``without handcuffing our generals on the ground.''

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said yesterday that Reid had accepted the invitation to the April 18 meeting.

``The president yesterday invited the bipartisan, bicameral leadership to meet with him about the emergency funding bill for the troops,'' she said. ``He looks forward to that meeting.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: April 12, 2007 00:44 EDT