Sept. 6 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush today will outline his proposal for changing U.S. law so that suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, might be tried before military tribunals.

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to Bush's anti- terrorism strategy June 29 by ruling that that the tribunals violate the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice, which affords such protections as the right to be present at trial, and the Geneva Conventions, which the court said may give detainees the same rights as U.S. citizens facing military trial.

Bush will lay out his proposed legislation later today during an address on terrorism from the White House, the third in a series of speeches aimed at boosting public support for the war on terrorism and his policy in Iraq.

``One of the most important tasks for Congress is to recognize that we need the tools necessary to win this war on terror, and we'll continue to discuss with Congress ways to make sure this country is capable if defending itself,'' Bush said after a meeting with his Cabinet at the White House.

Administration spokesman Tony Snow said Bush's remarks won't include any plans to close Guantanamo, and the White House didn't consult with U.S. allies on the legislation. The U.S. is holding about 450 detainees at Guantanamo Bay and another 550 in Afghanistan.

Snow acknowledged differences on the legislation between the White House and Congress. ``Some of the disagreements have been overstated,'' he said. ``It's going to get worked out.''

Senate Republicans' Bill

Three Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee -- Chairman John Warner of Virginia, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- are introducing their own bill to meet the Supreme Court's objections.

Their measure would be offered as ``stand-alone'' legislation for consideration by the Senate this month and doesn't include language sought by the administration, Warner's spokesman John Ullyot said yesterday.

The White House was ``consulted all along in the process'' of developing the legislation, Ullyot said.

Senator Carl Levin, the senior Democrat on Armed Services, was provided a copy of the Republicans' bill. He said both Democrats and Republicans ``on a bipartisan basis'' have ``a lot of problems'' with the administration's proposal, including allowing the use of hearsay and not requiring defendants be present in the courtroom.

The administration's draft proposal ``significantly deviates from what the military lawyers want,'' Levin told reporters yesterday on Capitol Hill.

The Defense Department today is scheduled to release a new Army field manual that sets guidelines for the treatment and interrogation of military captives. Congress last year passed legislation requiring the military to follow the Geneva Conventions in its treatment of all detainees.

To contact the reporter on this story: Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net; William Roberts in Washington at wroberts@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 6, 2006 10:56 EDT