US President George Bush has stepped up pressure on the Congress to extend a law allowing eavesdropping on conversations between US citizens and foreign terrorist suspects without court approval, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

The president said the powers were crucial in preventing terrorists from infiltrating the US and warned that the country would be "much more vulnerable to attack" if the law were allowed to expire in February.

His comments came as the Democratic-controlled Congress prepared for a fresh legislative battle with the White House over how much freedom intelligence agencies should have to eavesdrop on US citizens.

The issue poses a political dilemma for Democrats, who must balance their desire to challenge the Bush administration's expansion of executive power against the risk of appearing weak on national security.

Domestic surveillance is politically sensitive because it involves a clash between two of the strongest impulses in US politics: the strengthening of national security versus the protection of civil liberties.

The National Security Agency started eavesdropping on conversations between US citizens and foreign terrorist suspects without a court warrant after the September 2001 attacks. The practice was halted last January, amid fierce criticism from Democrats that the programme was unconstitutional.

Congress passed emergency legislation in August expanding the NSA's wiretapping authority, after the Bush administration warned its ability to track terrorists was slipping. But Democrats gave the law an expiry date of February 1 to force more debate on the issue before agreeing to long-term reforms.

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