WASHINGTON, Jan 28, 2008 (AFP) - The White House is prepared to ask Congress for 70 billion dollars to cover the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the first part of 2009 until a new president takes office, the Pentagon said Monday.

'We'll send up the fiscal year '09 budget' which begins in October, said Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman.

'It will have a request for an emergency allowance to support activities related to the global war on terror into 2009 ... in the amount of 70 billion' dollars, he said.

'That would get you through the first part of fiscal year 2009 when you will have a new administration coming into office in January '09,' he said, adding it would be 'part of the money needed for the war on terror operations into fiscal year '09. It won't cover all fiscal year '09.'

President George W. Bush has asked Congress to approve a 196.4 billion dollar budget to pay for war operations in 2008.

The Democratic-led Congress has approved less than half of this sum, or about 70 billion dollars for combat operations and 16.8 billion dollars for the purchase of mine-resistant vehicles.