Federal Reserve raises funds rate by 25 basis points

The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to raise its target for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 3-1/4 percent.

The Committee believes that, even after this action, the stance of monetary policy remains accommodative and, coupled with robust underlying growth in productivity, is providing ongoing support to economic activity. Although energy prices have risen further, the expansion remains firm and labor market conditions continue to improve gradually. Pressures on inflation have stayed elevated, but longer-term inflation expectations remain well contained.

The Committee perceives that, with appropriate monetary policy action, the upside and downside risks to the attainment of both sustainable growth and price stability should be kept roughly equal. With underlying inflation expected to be contained, the Committee believes that policy accommodation can be removed at a pace that is likely to be measured. Nonetheless, the Committee will respond to changes in economic prospects as needed to fulfill its obligation to maintain price stability.

Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Alan Greenspan, Chairman; Timothy F. Geithner, Vice Chairman; Susan S. Bies; Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.; Richard W. Fisher; Edward M. Gramlich; Donald L. Kohn; Michael H. Moskow; Mark W. Olson; Anthony M. Santomero; and Gary H. Stern.

In a related action, the Board of Governors unanimously approved a 25-basis-point increase in the discount rate to 4-1/4 percent. In taking this action, the Board approved the requests submitted by the Boards of Directors of the Federal Reserve Banks of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco.

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve SystemRelease Date: June 30, 2005 For immediate release. 2005 Monetary policy more at Federal Reserve or Alan Greenspan

UPDATE: COALITION GROUND FORCES SECURE CRASH SITE

UPDATE: COALITION GROUND FORCES SECURE CRASH SITE

KABUL, Afghanistan – Coalition forces have secured the site where a helicopter crashed June 28 and are currently assessing the cause of the crash and the status of the 17 service members who were on board the MH-47 helicopter.

The MH-47 helicopter was transporting service members to support U.S. forces in contact with the enemy when it crashed.

Afghan National Army and Coalition forces remain actively engaged in Operation Red Wing, an effort to defeat terrorists operating in Kunar province. Forces are also in position to impede any enemy movement into or away from the crash site.

More information will be provided as it becomes available. -30-

Source; U.S. Central Command June 30, 2005, Release Number: 05-06-23, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, NEWS RELEASE, HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND, 7115 South Boundary Boulevard, MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101, Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894

more at Afghanistan or Afghan National Army and Operation Red Wing

H.R. 483, S. 643

On Wednesday, June 29, 2005, the President has signed into law;

H.R. 483, which designates the United States courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, as the Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse.

S. 643, which amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to reauthorize state mediation programs through FY 2010.

# # # Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, June 30, 2005, Statement by the Press Secretary more at H.R. 483 or S. 643

Presiden Bush to nominated twelve, designated five

President George W. Bush announced that he has nominated twelve individuals and designated five individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President has nominated John O. Agwunobi, of Florida, to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (Health). Dr. Agwunobi currently serves as Secretary and State Health Officer at the Florida Department of Health. He previously served as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Patient Services at the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. As a pediatrician, Dr. Agwunobi has practiced medicine in rural, inner city and suburban communities. He received his medical degree from the University of Jos, Nigeria. He received his first master's degree from Georgetown University and his second master's degree from Johns Hopkins University.

The President has nominated James Cain, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Denmark. Mr. Cain currently serves as a Partner in the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP. He previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes and its parent company, Gale Force Holdings. Mr. Cain received his bachelor's degree and his J.D. from Wake Forest University.

The President has nominated Keith E. Eastin, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment). Mr. Eastin currently serves as Senior Consultant to the Ministry of Environment in Baghdad, Iraq. He previously served as Special Counsel at the Department of the Interior. Earlier in his career, Mr. Eastin was a Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He received his bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. He later received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

The President has nominated A.J. Eggenberger, of Montana, to be a Member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for the remainder of a five year term expiring October 18, 2008. In addition, the President intends to designate him Chairman. Mr. Eggenberger has served as a Member and Vice Chairman of the Board since 1989. Prior to that, he was a Program Director at the National Science Foundation. Mr. Eggenberger received his bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University and his master's degree from Ohio State University. He later received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.

The President has nominated Terrell Halaska, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of Education (Congressional Affairs). Ms. Halaska currently serves as a Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier in her career, Ms. Halaska served as Press Secretary for Congressman Scott Klug. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of California, San Diego and her master's degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

The President has nominated Kim Kendrick, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity). Ms. Kendrick currently serves as Senior Counselor to the Secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She previously served as General Counsel at Covenant House Washington. Ms. Kendrick received her bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College and her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

The President has nominated Ronald E. Meisburg, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board for a four-year term. Mr. Meisburg currently serves as Special Assistant to the Associate General Counsel for Enforcement at the National Labor Relations Board. Prior to that, he was an attorney with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, a Washington, D.C. based law firm. Earlier in his career, he served at the Department of Labor in the Office of the Solicitor of Labor, the division of Employee Benefits and the division of Mine Safety and Health. He received his bachelor's degree from Carson-Newman College and his J.D. from the University of Louisville.

The President has nominated Robert A. Mosbacher, Jr., of Texas, to be President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Mr. Mosbacher has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mosbacher Energy Company for nearly twenty years. Prior to that, he worked for Senator Howard Baker. Mr. Mosbacher received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Southern Methodist University.

The President has nominated Julie L. Myers, of Kansas, to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Ms. Myers currently serves as Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel. She previously served as Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce. Prior to that, Ms. Myers was the Chief of Staff for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. She also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. Ms. Myers received her bachelor's degree from Baylor University and her J.D. from Cornell Law School.

The President has nominated Patrick M. O'Brien, of Minnesota, to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Finance. Mr. O'Brien currently serves as the Senior Counsel in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice. He previously served as Counsel to the Director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prior to that, Mr. O'Brien was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs at the Department of Justice. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

The President has nominated Peter Schaumber, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring August 27, 2010. Mr. Schaumber currently serves as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board and previously served as a Labor Arbitrator in Washington, D.C. Earlier in his career, he was Senior Trial Attorney and Associate Director of a Law Department Division in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Mr. Schaumber received his bachelor's degree and his J.D. from Georgetown University.

The President has nominated Kristen Silverberg, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary of State (International Organization Affairs). Ms. Silverberg currently serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and Advisor to the Chief of Staff in the White House. She previously served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. Prior to that, Ms. Silverberg served as Senior Advisor to Ambassador Paul Bremer in Baghdad, Iraq and as Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the Chief of Staff. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Ms. Silverberg received her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and her J.D. from the University of Texas Law School.

The President has designated Joseph Timothy Kelliher, of the District of Columbia, to be Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mr. Kelliher has served as a Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since November 30, 2003. Prior to joining the Commission, he was a Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Energy. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kelliher served as Majority Counsel on electricity, hydropower and energy conservation for the House Committee on Commerce. He received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and his J.D. from American University.

The President has designated Stephen D. Galvan, of Illinois, to be Acting Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

The President has designated Cynthia A. Glassman, of Virginia, to be Acting Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The President has designated Arthur F. Rosenfeld, of Virginia, to be Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board.

# # # For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 30, 2005, Personnel Announcement June 30, 2005 more at President Bush or Nominations

President Discusses G8 Summit, Progress in Africa

President Discusses G8 Summit, Progress in Africa, Meyer Auditorium at Freer Gallery, Washington, D.C. 9:40 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks a lot. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's a pleasure for Laura and me to join you here at the Smithsonian, where America's heritage is kept and where the achievements of all cultures are celebrated.

I thank Wally Stern for your kind introduction and for his leadership of the Hudson Institute. I appreciate all the Hudson Institute members who are here. Thank you for your service to our country. I want to thank the members of the Diplomatic Corps who have joined us. I appreciate your coming.

I particularly want to say thanks to the ambassadors from the African nations who are here. I have visited your beautiful and hopeful continent, and next month, Laura will travel to South Africa, Tanzania and Rwanda to highlight the partnership we're building on education, the empowerment of women, and the fight against HIV/AIDS. She's a really good ambassador for our country. (Applause.)

I want to -- I appreciate our Secretary of State who has joined us today. Condoleezza Rice, I'm proud you're here. Thanks for joining us. You're doing a fabulous job, by the way. (Applause.)

Ambassador Rob Portman, the U.S. Trade Representative is with us. Ambassador, thanks for joining us. (Applause.) Andrew Natsios, Administrator of USAID is with us. Good to see you, Andrew. Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Randy Tobias, who is the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator -- Ambassador Randy Tobias -- thank you for joining us, Mr. Ambassador. (Applause.) I appreciate your noble work.

I want to thank Senator Sam Brownback and Congressman Jim Kolbe and Congresswoman Nita Lowey for joining for us. We're honored you're here. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)

Secretary Ann Veneman, the UNICEF Executive Director, is with us. It's great to see you, Ann. Thanks for being here. I want to thank Larry Small, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute. I want to thank Dr. Julian Raby, the Director of the Freer and Sackler Galleries of Art. I appreciate Herb London, the President, Ken Weinstein, the Executive Officer of the Hudson Institute. We thank you all for being here. (Applause.)

Next week, I'm going to head to the G8 summit in Scotland. Out there, I'll meet with leaders of the industrialized nations. As in earlier meetings, we will discuss the great political and economic progress being made in Africa, and the next steps we can take with African leaders to build on that progress. The whole world will benefit from prosperity and stability on the African continent. And the peoples of Africa deserve the peace and freedom and opportunity that are the natural rights of all mankind.

We seek progress in Africa and throughout the developing world because our interests are directly at stake. September the 11th, 2001, Americans found that instability and lawlessness in a distant country can bring danger to our own. In this new century, we are less threatened by fleets and armies than by small cells of men who operate in the shadows and exploit weakness and despair. The ultimate answer to those threats is to encourage prosperous, democratic and lawful societies that join us in overcoming the forces of terror -- allies that we're finding across the continent of Africa. We fight the war on terror with our power; we will win the war on terror with freedom and justice and hope. (Applause.)

We seek progress in Africa and throughout the developing world because conscience demands it. Americans believe that human rights and the worth of human lives are not determined by race or nationality, or diminished by distance. We believe that every life matters and every person counts. And so we are moved when thousands of young lives are ended every day by the treatable disease of malaria. We're moved when children watch their parents slowly die of AIDS, leaving young boys and girls traumatized, frightened and alone. Peoples of Africa are opposing these challenges with courage and determination and we will stand beside them.

Yet the continent of Africa is so much more than the sum of its problems. After years of colonization and Marxism and racism, Africa is on the threshold of great advances. Economic growth is at the highest level in eight years. Leaders have emerged from South Africa to Nigeria to Kenya to broker an end to old conflicts. Last year alone five nations south of the Sahara held successful democratic elections. All who live in Africa can be certain, as you seize this moment of opportunity, America will be your partner and your friend.

In a developing world, we have an unprecedented opportunity to help other nations achieve historic victories over extreme poverty with policies and approaches that are tested and proven. These victories will require new resources. The United States has tripled overseas development aid to Africa during my presidency. And we're making a strong commitment for the future. Between 2004 and 2010, I proposed to double aid to Africa once again, with a primary focus on helping reforming countries.

Yet new resources are not enough. We need new thinking by all nations. Our greatest challenge is to get beyond empty symbolism and discredited policies, and match our good intentions with good results.

First, overcoming extreme poverty requires partnership, not paternalism. Economic development is not something we do for countries, it is something they achieve with us. (Applause.) Their leaders, by definition, must play the main role as agents of reform and progress, instead of passive recipients of money.

Over the decades, we've learned that without economic and social freedom, without the rule of law and effective, honest government, international aid has little impact or value. But where there's freedom and the rule of law, every dollar of aid, trade, charitable giving, and foreign and local investment can rapidly improve people's lives. (Applause.)

Economic aid that expects little will achieve little. Economic aid that expects much can help to change the world. Through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, established a year-and-a-half ago, America has begun awarding generous financial aid to countries that fight corruption, embrace democratic government, encourage free markets, and invest in the health and education of their people.

Eight nations in Africa are now moving toward grants. In April, Madagascar became the first country to sign a compact that begins aid to vital development projects. In the last six weeks, the MCC board has approved three compacts, one with an African nation -- and I expect the MCC to move quickly in the future. Governments making the hard choices deserve our strong support. I call upon the United States Congress to fully support this initiative for new hope and progress across the developing world. (Applause.)

Second, overcoming extreme poverty goes hand-in-hand with improving the environment. Stagnant economies are one of the greatest environmental threats in our world. People who lack food and shelter and sanitation cannot be expected to preserve the environment at the expense of their own survival. Poor societies cannot afford to invest in cleaner, more efficient technologies. Indira Gandhi spoke of poverty and need as the greatest polluters. The long-term answer to environmental challenges is the rapid, sustained economic progress of poor nations. (Applause.)

The best way to help nations develop while limiting pollution and improving public health is to promote technologies for generating energy that are clean, affordable and secure. Some have suggested the best solution to environmental challenges and climate change is to oppose development and put the world on an energy diet. But at this moment, about two billion people have no access to any form of modern energy. Blocking that access would condemn them to permanent poverty, disease, high infant mortality, polluted water and polluted air.

We're taking a better approach. In the last three years, the United States has launched a series of initiatives to help developing countries adopt new energy sources, from cleaner use of coal to hydrogen vehicles, to solar and wind power, to the production of clean-burning methane, to less-polluting power plants. And we continue to look for more opportunities to deepen our partnerships with developing nations. The whole world benefits when developing nations have the best and latest energy technologies.

Third, overcoming extreme poverty will require lifting a burden of debt that we know poor nations cannot repay. Unending debt payments have fewer resources for governments to spend on the needs of their people and make it impossible to join the global economy as a full participant. Zambia, for example, is spending more on debt service than the government's entire budget for health and education. Last year, poor nations owed $7 billion in debt payments to creditors. This burden is hurting people in desperate need and this burden must be lifted.

In 2001, I challenged the World Bank to give 50 percent of its aid to poor countries in grants instead of loans. And the bank has moved steadily closer to that goal. With the leadership of Great Britain and the United States, the G8 countries are urging cancellation of $40 billion in debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest nations, including 14 nations in Africa. (Applause.) Twenty more countries can qualify for this debt forgiveness in the future with good government and sound economic policies. We're determined not only to relieve debt, but to erase it, so nations in need can face the future with a clean slate. (Applause.)

Fourth, overcoming extreme poverty will require greater trade. While aid and debt relief can create better conditions for development, it is trade that provides the engine for development. (Applause.) Only 30 years ago, South Korea's per capita GDP was equal to that of many African countries. Thanks to export-led growth, South Korea is as rich as many European countries. This example can be multiplied throughout the world and lift great numbers of people out of poverty.

The developing world stands to gain the most from an open trading system. Historically, developing nations that open themselves to trade grow at a rate several times higher than countries that protect -- that practice protectionism. The poor of the world do not experience trade as globalization. They experience trade as running water and electric power and decent housing, broader education and better health care for their families. (Applause.)

Too many nations have been cut off from the economic progress of our time, and we must expand the circle of trade to include them. Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has reduced barriers to trade, U.S. exports to sub-Sahara Africa increased 25 percent last year. And America's imports from AGOA countries rose 88 percent. Now we must take the next large step: expanding the entire global trading system through the Doha negotiations. The World Bank estimates that completing these negotiations could add $350 billion annually to developing countries' incomes, and lift 140 million people out of poverty. The Doha negotiations are the most practical and important anti-poverty initiative in the world, and we must bring them to a prompt and successful conclusion. (Applause.)

Fifth, overcoming extreme poverty will require an atmosphere of peace, achieved in some cases by effective active military forces that can end terrible conflicts. Recent wars -- recent history shows how wars and internal conflicts can stop the development of whole nations. But we're seeing progress. Tens of thousands of refugees who fled war are returning home in places such as Liberia and Sierra Leone and Burundi. We can add to this progress. Over the next five years, America will provide training for more than 40,000 African peacekeepers as part of a broader initiative by the G8 countries. We will help African forces to preserve justice and order on the African continent.

We're strongly committed to peace for all the peoples of Sudan. American mediation was critical to ending a 20-year civil war between north and south, and we're working to fully implement the comprehensive peace agreement signed last January. Yet the violence in Darfur region is clearly genocide. The human cost is beyond calculation. In the short-term, more troops are needed to protect the innocent, and nations of the African Union are stepping forward to provide them. By September, the African Union mission in Sudan will grow from 2,700 to 7,700 personnel. In a NATO operation next month, the United States military will airlift more than 1,000 Rwandan troops. We will support the construction of additional 16 base camps over the next two months, and we will provide communications and vehicle maintenance for the entire force.

In the long run, the tragedy in western Sudan requires a settlement between the government and the rebels. And our message is clear: All sides must control their forces, end the killing, and negotiate the peace of a suffering land. (Applause.)

Finally, overcoming extreme poverty will require humanitarian aid that focuses on results, not merely on inputs and other flawed measures of compassion. True compassion is measured by real improvements in the lives of men, women and children. And that is the goal and that is the focus of American policy.

Aid from America will help avert a famine this year in the Horn of Africa. All told, nearly 60 percent of global food aid to the continent of Africa comes from the United States, and Americans are proud to give that aid. (Applause.)

And since 2003, our country has undertaken a major effort against HIV/AIDS, the largest health initiative in history to combat a specific disease. Across Africa, we're working with local health officials to expand AIDS testing facilities, to train and support doctors and nurses and counselors, to upgrade clinics and hospitals, to care for children orphaned by AIDS, and to support pastors and priests and others who are teaching young people the values of respect and responsibility and prevention. We're making life-giving treatment possible for more than 230,000 adults and children in Africa. We're determined to reach our five-year goal of treating two million. (Applause.)

This effort is succeeding because America is providing resources and Africans are providing leadership. Local health officials set the strategy and we're supporting them. We're also respecting the values and traditions of Africa. Uganda and other nations are applying a prevention strategy called ABC -- Abstinence, Be faithful in marriage, and Condoms. ABC is balanced, effective, and reflects the moral teachings of African cultures. And no one is helped when outsiders try to impose a lower standard of responsibility. (Applause.)

Today, in Africa, the United States is engaged as never before. We're seeing great progress, and great needs remain. So this morning, I announced three additional initiatives to help Africans address urgent challenges. Across the continent, there is a deep need for the empowerment of women, and that begins with education. Educated young women have lower rates of HIV/AIDS, healthier families, and higher rates of education for their own children. Yet only half of the children complete primary education in Africa.

Together with African leaders, we must work for the education of every African child. And to move closer to that goal, today, I proposed a double funding for America's African Education Initiative. (Applause.) In the next four years, we should provide $400 million to train half-a-million teachers, and provided scholarships for 300,000 young people, mostly girls. (Applause.) We hope other nations will join us. We must give more girls in Africa a real chance to avoid exploitation and to chart their own future.

Another important aspect of empowerment and the fight against AIDS is the legal protection of women and girls against sexual violence and abuse. (Applause.) Many African nations have already taken steps to improve legal rights for women. South Africa, for example, has an innovative model to fight rape and domestic violence: special units in hospitals where victims can report crime and receive counseling and care, and special judges and prosecutors and police units to ensure that criminals are punished.

Today, I announce a new effort to spread this approach more broadly on the continent. I ask Congress to provide $55 million over three years to promote women's justice and empowerment in four African nations, nations that can stand as examples of reform for others. I'll urge other G8 nations to join us in protecting the lives and the rights of women in Africa.

African health officials have also told us of their continuing battle with malaria, which in some countries can cause more death than AIDS. Approximately 1 million last year alone died on the African continent because of malaria. And in the overwhelming majority of cases, the victims are less than five years old, their lives suddenly ended by nothing more than a mosquito bite. The toll of malaria is even more tragic because the disease, itself, is highly treatable and preventable. Yet this is also our opportunity, because we know that large-scale action can defeat this disease in whole regions. And the world must take action. (Applause.)

Next week at the G8, I will urge developed countries and private foundations to join in a broad, aggressive campaign to cut the mortality rate for malaria across Africa in half. And our nation is prepared to lead. (Applause.) Next year, we will take comprehensive action in three countries -- Tanzania, Uganda and Angola -- to provide indoor spraying, long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, and effective new combination drugs to treat malaria. In addition, the Gates Foundation of Seattle is supporting a major effort to control malaria in Zambia. We've had a long tradition of public-private action. I'm grateful to have this strong partner in a good cause.

America will bring this anti-malaria effort to at least four more highly endemic African countries in 2007, and at least to five more in 2008. In the next five years, with the approval of Congress, we'll spend more than $1.2 billion on this campaign. (Applause.)

An effort on this scale must be phased in, to avoid shortages of supplies. Yet we intend this effort to eventually cover more than 175 million people in 15 or more nations. We want to reduce malaria mortality in target countries by half, and save hundreds of thousands of lives.

I urge other wealthy nations and foundations to participate and expand this initiative to additional countries where the need is pressing. Together, we can live this threat and defeat this fear across the African continent.

Over the last four years, the United States has stood squarely with reformers in Africa on the side of prosperity and progress. We've tripled our aid to Africa; we plan to double it once again. But more than this, we're standing for good government, and energy development, and debt relief, and expanded trade, all of which will help African peoples live better lives and eventually overcome the need for aid.

America is acting in these areas because we share with Africans, themselves, a vision of what the continent can become -- a model of reform, a home to prosperous democracies, and a tribute to the strong spirit of the African peoples. This vision is necessary, realistic, and already on its way to achievement.

By standing with the hopes of Africa, America is also showing the kind of country we want to be. This weekend, we mark the anniversary of our founding. We celebrate our Declaration of Independence and the universal appeal of liberty it proclaims. We celebrate our men and women in uniform who protect and defend our freedom on missions far from home. And Americans on this Fourth of July can also celebrate a great tradition of generosity -- a tradition of relief after World War I, the Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps, a tradition that is strong in our own time.

Two years ago, a little girl in Namibia was born to a mother and father who both had HIV; she had the disease, as well. The name her parents gave her translates as the phrase, "There is no good in the world." Months ago, the girl was very sick and losing weight and close to death. But today, she and her entire family are receiving lifesaving medicine. Now she's a beautiful, shy, thriving six-year-old, with a new life ahead of her, and there's a little more good in the world.

Across Africa, people who were preparing to die are now preparing to live. (Applause.) And America is playing a role in so many of those miracles. We're a nation that repays our blessings with generosity to others. When we work with Africans to bring food to starving regions, and malaria treatments to remote villages, and miracle drugs that restore the dying to strength, this is part of our calling in the world. (Applause.) And as we answer that call, it makes us proud to be Americans.

Thanks for coming. May God bless you. Thank you all. (Applause.)

END 10:10 A.M. EDT For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, June 30, 2005

more at President Bush or G8 and G8 Summit or Africa

Bush Administration Actions to Implement WMD Commission Recommendations

President Bush Administration Actions to Implement WMD Commission Recommendations

The President directed in Executive Order 13328 the formation of the bipartisan, independent Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (“Commission”) to advise him on improving the intelligence capabilities of the United States, particularly with respect to weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

President Bush welcomed the report of the Commission. In its final report, the Commission offered a series of detailed, thoughtful and far-reaching recommendations, including several describing significant change America’s Intelligence Community must undertake to confront the national security threats of the 21st Century. The President committed in the Executive Order to consult with Congress within 90 days of receiving the Commission’s report and recommendations.

The President asked Frances Fragos Townsend, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, to oversee a comprehensive review of the recommendations. Over the past three months, interagency expert panels studied the recommendations and provided advice on how each might be implemented to improve the quality and timeliness of intelligence provided by the Intelligence Community. These review panels - with the concurrence of the President’s senior advisors on national and Homeland security - endorsed the objectives articulated in 70 of the 74 recommendations in the Commission’s report. Three recommendations by the Commission will require further study, while a single recommendation from the classified portion of the Commission’s report was not endorsed.

President Bush has acted to implement these recommendations, including by:

Establishing a National Counter Proliferation Center to manage and coordinate the Intelligence Community’s activities related to nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, as well as their delivery systems;

Signing an Executive Order to combat trafficking in weapons of mass destruction and related materials by blocking (or freezing) the assets of persons engaged in proliferation activities and their supporters;

Directing the creation of a National Security Service within the Federal Bureau of Investigation to capitalize on the FBI’s progress, and to fully integrate the FBI’s intelligence elements into the broader Intelligence Community;

Directing the reorganization of the Department of Justice to bring together its primary national security elements to enhance collaboration and ensure a unified approach to national security matters; and

Clarifying authorities concerning information sharing by granting the Director of National Intelligence authority and control over the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment.

The Director of National Intelligence, and other members of the Administration, will take many further actions in the coming months to implement Commission recommendations and related provisions of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to improve the work of America’s intelligence agencies.

The Administration calls upon the Congress to act swiftly to implement other key Commission recommendations, including by:

Amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to extend the duration of electronic surveillance in cases involving agents of foreign powers who are not U.S. persons (Chapter 7);

Creating a new Assistant Attorney General position (Chapter 10); and

Renewing the Export Administration Act (Chapter 13).
Further actions by the Congress may be required to implement the Commission’s classified recommendations, and to support the Director of National Intelligence as he develops more detailed plans for implementing recommendations in the human resources and other areas.

The Administration also encourages the Congress to reform its structures for intelligence oversight, including by careful consideration of the recommendations in Chapter 6 of the Commission’s report and similar, previous recommendations in the final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

The following report summarizes the Administration’s response to the Commission’s recommendations Full report in PDF Format

Immediate Release June 29, 2005 more at President Bush or WMD

H.R. 1812

Statement on H.R. 1812, the "Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005"

On Wednesday, June 29, 2005, the President has signed into law;

H.R. 1812, the "Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005," which authorizes appropriations through FY 2010 for the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a competitive

grant program designed to help patients access health care services. # # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, June 29, 2005

more at H.R. 1812 or Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 or President Bush

Memorandum for the Director OMB

Memorandum for the Director OMB

SUBJECT: Assignment of Certain Functions Relating to Telecommunications

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby assign to you the functions of the President under section 414 of the Transportation, Treasury, Independent Agencies, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2005 ,(Division H of Public Law 108-447), and the authority to issue regulations to which section 414 refers.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH ### For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary June 29, 2005

more at Director OMB or Telecommunications and President Bush

Middle East Partnership Initiative Grants

United States Announces Three New Middle East Partnership Initiative Grants to Support Reform in the West Bank and Gaza

The United States announces three awards of Middle East Partnership Initiative grants to strengthen democratic institutions and processes in the West Bank and Gaza. Totaling more than $2 million, these grants will support transparent governance, independent media, women’s entrepreneurship, and the creation of small and medium sized enterprises.

A grant to Search for Common Ground will enable a network of ten independent Palestinian television stations to broadcast live sessions of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Such broadcasts will foster public interest and greater transparency within the Palestinian legislature. The Middle East Partnership Initiative is already supporting Palestinian independent media through a previous grant to Search for Common Ground to help produce a bi-weekly television news magazine.

A separate grant to CHF International will support work with the Palestinian Ministry of Women’s Affairs and several well regarded Palestinian NGOs to facilitate women’s entrepreneurship through policy reform, advocacy, capacity building, business training, and networking activities. The project will enable Palestinian women entrepreneurs to overcome barriers to starting small businesses.

A grant to NorthStar Development Partners will provide training and mentoring for entrepreneurs and small business owners through a program to improve their critical business skills. NorthStar is partnering with PalTrade and Birzeit University to provide tailored training and mentoring to these entrepreneurs, and to assist them in marketing their businesses opportunities to the Palestinian Diaspora. NorthStar will also support an alumni network of Palestinian businesspersons.

MEPI is a Presidential initiative that supports economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the Middle East and expanded opportunity for all people of the region, especially women and youth. More information can be found at: MEPI.state.gov.

2005/656 Released on June 28, 2005, Media Note, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC June 28, 2005 more at Middle East Partnership Initiative or West Bank and Gaza

UPDATE: U.S. HELICOPTER CRASHES NEAR ASADABAD

UPDATE: Sunday, May 07, 2006 CH-47 CRASHES IN KUNAR PROVINCE, BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – A CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed late yesterday evening while conducting combat operations near Asadabad in Kunar Province. Nine personnel were aboard the aircraft including passengers and crew.

UPDATE: U.S. HELICOPTER CRASHES NEAR ASADABAD

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Seventeen service members were on board the CH-47 helicopter that crashed in mountainous terrain west of Asadabad on June 28. Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The status of the service members is unknown at this time.

Coalition and Afghan National Army forces quickly moved into position around the crash to block any enemy movement toward or away from the site. Coalition aircraft remain overhead.

The helicopter was transporting forces into the area as part of Operation Red Wing, which is part of the enduring fight to defeat al-Qaida militants and deny them influence in Kunar province. Operation Red Wing continues in Kunar.

Recent enemy activity in the area has been described as a series of harassing attacks and intelligence-gathering activities against Afghan and U.S. forces.

“This is a tragic event for all of us, and our hearts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones and service members still fighting in the area,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Greg Champion, deputy commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force-76. “Our courage and commitment to America ’s fight in the Global War on Terror will not waver. This incident will only further our resolve to defeat the enemies of peace.”

More information will be provided as it becomes available. -30-

SOURCE: NEWS RELEASE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND, 7115 South Boundary Boulevard, MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101, Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 June 29, 2005, Release Number: 05-06-21, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE more at BAGRAM AIRFIELD or Afghanistan and helicopter crash

Welfare of Uzbekistan Asylum-Seekers in Kyrgyzstan

Welfare of Uzbekistan Asylum-Seekers in Kyrgyzstan

The United States welcomes the government of Kyrgyzstan’s promise to delay a decision on returning 29 Uzbek asylum-seekers now being held in the city of Osh to Uzbekistan, pending careful consideration of their protection concerns. The United States appreciates the Kyrgyz government’s efforts, and calls on it to continue to work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to define the status of all 444 Uzbek asylum-seekers now at a camp in the Jalalabad region, and to ensure they receive every protection possible.

The United States would strongly object to any decision to return the asylum-seekers to Uzbekistan in the absence of a careful review of their status by the Kyrgyz government, in consultation with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Forced deportation of asylum-seekers would call into question the Kyrgyz government’s overall commitment to democracy and human rights and its commitment to meeting its international obligations.

We urge the Uzbek government to respect Kyrgyzstan's responsibility to honor its international obligations and to cease pressuring the Kyrgyz government to return asylum seekers before their protection concerns have been considered. We stand prepared to assist the Kyrgyz government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in reaching a determination of the status of these asylum-seekers, and with their resettlement, with a view to ensuring they receive every possible protection.
2005/659

Released on June 29, 2005 Press Statement, Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman, Washington, DC, June 28, 2005 more at Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan and Asylum

WMD Commission Recommendations

Bush Administration Implements WMD Commission Recommendations

Fact Sheet

Today, President Bush Announced Actions To Implement Recommendations In The WMD Commission's Report To Make America Safer And To Ensure The Intelligence Community Is

Prepared To Address The Threats Of The 21st Century. The Administration endorsed 70 of the 74 recommendations of the WMD Commission, and will study further three of the recommendations. A single classified recommendation will not be implemented.

Acting On The Commission's Recommendations Addresses Threats Posed By Terrorists And The Proliferation Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction. These actions build on historic reforms undertaken since September 11, 2001, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Homeland Security Council, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Terrorist Screening Center, and the position of Director of National Intelligence.

President Bush Has Acted On The WMD Commission's Recommendations

President Bush Transformed Government Institutions to Meet New National Security Threats.

Restructuring The Justice Department And FBI To Further Integrate Their National Security Efforts. The President directed the Attorney General to bring together the Justice Department's national security elements and directed the creation of a National Security Service within the FBI that will specialize in intelligence and other national security matters and respond to priorities set by the Director of National Intelligence.

President Bush Clarified the Lines of Authority Over Information Sharing. President Bush directed that the Program Manager for Information Sharing report to the Director of National Intelligence. The Program Manager will facilitate information sharing between all levels of government, the private sector, and foreign allies to combat terrorism more effectively.

President Bush Endorsed The Establishment Of A National Counter Proliferation Center. The National Counter Proliferation Center will manage and coordinate the intelligence community's activities concerning proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, and their delivery systems.

President Bush Targets Proliferation Activities. President Bush signed an Executive Order to combat trafficking of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation-related materials by cutting off financing and other support for proliferation networks.

President Bush Will Work With Congress On Recommendations That Require Legislation.

The President Supports Reforming Congressional Oversight. The Administration will work with Congress to streamline its structures for conducting oversight of intelligence community agencies as recommended by the WMD Commission and previously by the 9/11 Commission.
President Bush Supports Creating A New Assistant Attorney General Position.

President Bush supports the creation of this new position to centralize responsibility for intelligence and national security matters at the Department of Justice in a single office.

President Bush Proposes Legislation To Investigate Foreign Agents. President Bush supports extending the duration of electronic surveillance in cases involving agents of foreign powers who are not U.S. persons.

# # #For Immediate Release June 29, 2005 more at WMD or President Bush and National Security Council

President Addresses Nation, Discusses Iraq, War on Terror

President Addresses Nation, Discusses Iraq, War on Terror, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

President's Remarks, FULL STREAMING VIDEO 8:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please be seated. Good evening. I'm pleased to visit Fort Bragg, "Home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces." It's an honor to speak before you tonight.

My greatest responsibility as President is to protect the American people. And that's your calling, as well. I thank you for your service, your courage and your sacrifice. I thank your families, who support you in your vital work.

The soldiers and families of Fort Bragg have contributed mightily to our efforts to secure our country and promote peace. America is grateful, and so is your Commander-in-Chief.

The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror. The war reached our shores on September the 11th, 2001. The terrorists who attacked us -- and the terrorists we face -- murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. Their aim is to remake the Middle East in their own grim image of tyranny and oppression -- by toppling governments, by driving us out of the region, and by exporting terror.

To achieve these aims, they have continued to kill -- in Madrid, Istanbul, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bali, and elsewhere. The terrorists believe that free societies are essentially corrupt and decadent, and with a few hard blows they can force us to retreat. They are mistaken. After September the 11th, I made a commitment to the American people: This nation will not wait to be attacked again. We will defend our freedom. We will take the fight to the enemy.

Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war. Many terrorists who kill innocent men, women, and children on the streets of Baghdad are followers of the same murderous ideology that took the lives of our citizens in New York, in Washington, and Pennsylvania. There is only one course of action against them: to defeat them abroad before they attack us at home. The commander in charge of coalition operations in Iraq -- who is also senior commander at this base -- General John Vines, put it well the other day. He said: "We either deal with terrorism and this extremism abroad, or we deal with it when it comes to us."

Our mission in Iraq is clear. We're hunting down the terrorists. We're helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We're advancing freedom in the broader Middle East. We are removing a source of violence and instability, and laying the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.

The work in Iraq is difficult and it is dangerous. Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying, and the suffering is real. Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it, and it is vital to the future security of our country. And tonight I will explain the reasons why.

Some of the violence you see in Iraq is being carried out by ruthless killers who are converging on Iraq to fight the advance of peace and freedom. Our military reports that we have killed or captured hundreds of foreign fighters in Iraq who have come from Saudi Arabia and Syria, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and others. They are making common cause with criminal elements, Iraqi insurgents, and remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime who want to restore the old order. They fight because they know that the survival of their hateful ideology is at stake. They know that as freedom takes root in Iraq, it will inspire millions across the Middle East to claim their liberty, as well. And when the Middle East grows in democracy and prosperity and hope, the terrorists will lose their sponsors, lose their recruits, and lose their hopes for turning that region into a base for attacks on America and our allies around the world.

Some wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the terrorists, there is no debate. Hear the words of Osama Bin Laden: "This Third World War is raging" in Iraq. "The whole world is watching this war." He says it will end in "victory and glory, or misery and humiliation."

The terrorists know that the outcome will leave them emboldened, or defeated. So they are waging a campaign of murder and destruction. And there is no limit to the innocent lives they are willing to take.

We see the nature of the enemy in terrorists who exploded car bombs along a busy shopping street in Baghdad, including one outside a mosque. We see the nature of the enemy in terrorists who sent a suicide bomber to a teaching hospital in Mosul. We see the nature of the enemy in terrorists who behead civilian hostages and broadcast their atrocities for the world to see.

These are savage acts of violence, but they have not brought the terrorists any closer to achieving their strategic objectives. The terrorists -- both foreign and Iraqi -- failed to stop the transfer of sovereignty. They failed to break our Coalition and force a mass withdrawal by our allies. They failed to incite an Iraqi civil war. They failed to prevent free elections. They failed to stop the formation of a democratic Iraqi government that represents all of Iraq's diverse population. And they failed to stop Iraqis from signing up in large number with the police forces and the army to defend their new democracy.

The lesson of this experience is clear: The terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September the 11th, if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi, and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden. For the sake of our nation's security, this will not happen on my watch.

A little over a year ago, I spoke to the nation and described our coalition's goals in Iraq. I said that America's mission in Iraq is to defeat an enemy and give strength to a friend -- a free, representative government that is an ally in the war on terror, and a beacon of hope in a part of the world that is desperate for reform. I outlined the steps we would take to achieve this goal: We would hand authority over to a sovereign Iraqi government. We would help Iraqis hold free elections by January 2005. We would continue helping Iraqis rebuild their nation's infrastructure and economy. We would encourage more international support for Iraq's democratic transition, and we would enable Iraqis to take increasing responsibility for their own security and stability.

In the past year, we have made significant progress. One year ago today, we restored sovereignty to the Iraqi people. In January 2005, more than 8 million Iraqi men and women voted in elections that were free and fair, and took time on -- and took place on time. We continued our efforts to help them rebuild their country. Rebuilding a country after three decades of tyranny is hard, and rebuilding while at war is even harder. Our progress has been uneven, but progress is being made.

We're improving roads and schools and health clinics. We're working to improve basic services like sanitation, electricity, and water. And together with our allies, we'll help the new Iraqi government deliver a better life for its citizens.

In the past year, the international community has stepped forward with vital assistance. Some 30 nations have troops in Iraq, and many others are contributing non-military assistance. The United Nations is in Iraq to help Iraqis write a constitution and conduct their next elections. Thus far, some 40 countries and three international organizations have pledged about $34 billion in assistance for Iraqi reconstruction. More than 80 countries and international organizations recently came together in Brussels to coordinate their efforts to help Iraqis provide for their security and rebuild their country. And next month, donor countries will meet in Jordan to support Iraqi reconstruction.

Whatever our differences in the past, the world understands that success in Iraq is critical to the security of our nations. As German Chancellor Gerhard Schr der said at the White House yesterday, "There can be no question a stable and democratic Iraq is in the vested interest of not just Germany, but also Europe." Finally, we have continued our efforts to equip and train Iraqi security forces. We made gains in both the number and quality of those forces. Today Iraq has more than 160,000 security forces trained and equipped for a variety of missions. Iraqi forces have fought bravely, helping to capture terrorists and insurgents in Najaf and Samarra, Fallujah and Mosul. And in the past month, Iraqi forces have led a major anti-terrorist campaign in Baghdad called Operation Lightning, which has led to the capture of hundreds of suspected insurgents. Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended by their own countrymen, and we are helping Iraqis assume those duties.

The progress in the past year has been significant, and we have a clear path forward. To complete the mission, we will continue to hunt down the terrorists and insurgents. To complete the mission, we will prevent al Qaeda and other foreign terrorists from turning Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban, a safe haven from which they could launch attacks on America and our friends. And the best way to complete the mission is to help Iraqis build a free nation that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.

So our strategy going forward has both a military track and a political track. The principal task of our military is to find and defeat the terrorists, and that is why we are on the offense. And as we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their people and fight the enemy on their own. Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.

We've made progress, but we have a lot of -- a lot more work to do. Today Iraqi security forces are at different levels of readiness. Some are capable of taking on the terrorists and insurgents by themselves. A large number can plan and execute anti-terrorist operations with coalition support. The rest are forming and not yet ready to participate fully in security operations. Our task is to make the Iraqi units fully capable and independent. We're building up Iraqi security forces as quickly as possible, so they can assume the lead in defeating the terrorists and insurgents.

Our coalition is devoting considerable resources and manpower to this critical task. Thousands of coalition troops are involved in the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces. NATO is establishing a military academy near Baghdad to train the next generation of Iraqi military leaders, and 17 nations are contributing troops to the NATO training mission. Iraqi army and police are being trained by personnel from Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Romania, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Today, dozens of nations are working toward a common objective: an Iraq that can defend itself, defeat its enemies, and secure its freedom.

To further prepare Iraqi forces to fight the enemy on their own, we are taking three new steps: First, we are partnering coalition units with Iraqi units. These coalition-Iraqi teams are conducting operations together in the field. These combined operations are giving Iraqis a chance to experience how the most professional armed forces in the world operate in combat.

Second, we are embedding coalition "transition teams" inside Iraqi units. These teams are made up of coalition officers and non-commissioned officers who live, work, and fight together with their Iraqi comrades. Under U.S. command, they are providing battlefield advice and assistance to Iraqi forces during combat operations. Between battles, they are assisting the Iraqis with important skills, such as urban combat, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance techniques.

Third, we're working with the Iraqi Ministries of Interior and Defense to improve their capabilities to coordinate anti-terrorist operations. We're helping them develop command and control structures. We're also providing them with civilian and military leadership training, so Iraq's new leaders can effectively manage their forces in the fight against terror.

The new Iraqi security forces are proving their courage every day. More than 2,000 members of Iraqi security forces have given their lives in the line of duty. Thousands more have stepped forward, and are now training to serve their nation. With each engagement, Iraqi soldiers grow more battle-hardened, and their officers grow more experienced. We've learned that Iraqis are courageous and that they need additional skills. And that is why a major part of our mission is to train them so they can do the fighting, and then our troops can come home.

I recognize that Americans want our troops to come home as quickly as possible. So do I. Some contend that we should set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. forces. Let me explain why that would be a serious mistake. Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis, who need to know that America will not leave before the job is done. It would send the wrong message to our troops, who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission they are risking their lives to achieve. And it would send the wrong message to the enemy, who would know that all they have to do is to wait us out. We will stay in Iraq as long as we are needed, and not a day longer.

Some Americans ask me, if completing the mission is so important, why don't you send more troops? If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them. But our commanders tell me they have the number of troops they need to do their job. Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight. And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever, when we are, in fact, working for the day when Iraq can defend itself and we can leave. As we determine the right force level, our troops can know that I will continue to be guided by the advice that matters: the sober judgment of our military leaders.

The other critical element of our strategy is to help ensure that the hopes Iraqis expressed at the polls in January are translated into a secure democracy. The Iraqi people are emerging from decades of tyranny and oppression. Under the regime of Saddam Hussein, the Shia and Kurds were brutally oppressed, and the vast majority of Sunni Arabs were also denied their basic rights, while senior regime officials enjoyed the privileges of unchecked power. The challenge facing Iraqis today is to put this past behind them, and come together to build a new Iraq that includes all of its people.

They're doing that by building the institutions of a free society, a society based on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and equal justice under law. The Iraqis have held free elections and established a Transitional National Assembly. The next step is to write a good constitution that enshrines these freedoms in permanent law. The Assembly plans to expand its constitutional drafting committee to include more Sunni Arabs. Many Sunnis who opposed the January elections are now taking part in the democratic process, and that is essential to Iraq's future.

After a constitution is written, the Iraqi people will have a chance to vote on it. If approved, Iraqis will go to the polls again, to elect a new government under their new, permanent constitution. By taking these critical steps and meeting their deadlines, Iraqis will bind their multiethnic society together in a democracy that respects the will of the majority and protects minority rights.

As Iraqis grow confident that the democratic progress they are making is real and permanent, more will join the political process. And as Iraqis see that their military can protect them, more will step forward with vital intelligence to help defeat the enemies of a free Iraq. The combination of political and military reform will lay a solid foundation for a free and stable Iraq.

As Iraqis make progress toward a free society, the effects are being felt beyond Iraq's borders. Before our coalition liberated Iraq, Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Today the leader of Libya has given up his chemical and nuclear weapons programs. Across the broader Middle East, people are claiming their freedom. In the last few months, we've witnessed elections in the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon. These elections are inspiring democratic reformers in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Our strategy to defend ourselves and spread freedom is working. The rise of freedom in this vital region will eliminate the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder, and make our nation safer.

We have more work to do, and there will be tough moments that test America's resolve. We're fighting against men with blind hatred -- and armed with lethal weapons -- who are capable of any atrocity. They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq, just as they tried to shake our will on September the 11th, 2001. They will fail. The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.

America and our friends are in a conflict that demands much of us. It demands the courage of our fighting men and women, it demands the steadfastness of our allies, and it demands the perseverance of our citizens. We accept these burdens, because we know what is at stake. We fight today because Iraq now carries the hope of freedom in a vital region of the world, and the rise of democracy will be the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror. And we fight today because terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand. So we'll fight them there, we'll fight them across the world, and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won. (Applause.)

America has done difficult work before. From our desperate fight for independence to the darkest days of a Civil War, to the hard-fought battles against tyranny in the 20th century, there were many chances to lose our heart, our nerve, or our way. But Americans have always held firm, because we have always believed in certain truths. We know that if evil is not confronted, it gains in strength and audacity, and returns to strike us again. We know that when the work is hard, the proper response is not retreat, it is courage. And we know that this great ideal of human freedom entrusted to us in a special way, and that the ideal of liberty is worth defending.

In this time of testing, our troops can know: The American people are behind you. Next week, our nation has an opportunity to make sure that support is felt by every soldier, sailor, airman, Coast Guardsman, and Marine at every outpost across the world. This Fourth of July, I ask you to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom -- by flying the flag, sending a letter to our troops in the field, or helping the military family down the street. The Department of Defense has set up a website -- AmericaSupportsYou.mil. You can go there to learn about private efforts in your own community. At this time when we celebrate our freedom, let us stand with the men and women who defend us all.

To the soldiers in this hall, and our servicemen and women across the globe: I thank you for your courage under fire and your service to our nation. I thank our military families -- the burden of war falls especially hard on you. In this war, we have lost good men and women who left our shores to defend freedom and did not live to make the journey home. I've met with families grieving the loss of loved ones who were taken from us too soon. I've been inspired by their strength in the face of such great loss. We pray for the families. And the best way to honor the lives that have been given in this struggle is to complete the mission.

I thank those of you who have re-enlisted in an hour when your country needs you. And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our Armed Forces. We live in freedom because every generation has produced patriots willing to serve a cause greater than themselves. Those who serve today are taking their rightful place among the greatest generations that have worn our nation's uniform. When the history of this period is written, the liberation of Afghanistan and the liberation of Iraq will be remembered as great turning points in the story of freedom.

After September the 11th, 2001, I told the American people that the road ahead would be difficult, and that we would prevail. Well, it has been difficult -- and we are prevailing. Our enemies are brutal, but they are no match for the United States of America, and they are no match for the men and women of the United States military.

May God bless you all. (Applause.)

END 8:30 P.M. EDT For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 28, 2005 For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 28, 2005 more at President Bush or War on Terror and Iraq

Executive Order: Classified National Security Information

Executive Order: Strengthening Processes Relating to Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified National Security Information

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to assist in determining eligibility for access to classified national security information, while taking appropriate account of title III of Public Law 108-458, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. To the extent consistent with safeguarding the security of the United States and protecting classified national security information from unauthorized disclosure, agency functions relating to determining eligibility for access to classified national security information shall be appropriately uniform, centralized, efficient, effective, timely, and reciprocal.

Sec. 2. Functions of the Office of Management and Budget. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Director):

may, to ensure the effective implementation of the policy set forth in section 1 of this order, assign, in whole or in part, to the head of any agency (solely or jointly) any process relating to determinations of eligibility for access to classified national security information, with the agency's exercise of such assigned process to be subject to the Director's supervision and to such terms and conditions (including approval by the Office of Management and Budget) as the Director determines appropriate;

shall carry out any process that the Director does not assign to another agency (or agencies) under subsection (a);

may, after consultation with the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, issue guidelines and instructions to the heads of agencies to ensure appropriate uniformity, centralization, efficiency, effectiveness, and timeliness in processes relating to determinations by agencies of eligibility for access to classified national security information;

may, with regard to determining eligibility for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and "special access programs pertaining to intelligence activities; including special activities, but not including military operational, strategic, and tactical programs" (Intelligence SAPs) under section 4.3(a) of Executive Order 12958 of April 17, 1995, as amended, issue guidelines and instructions with the concurrence of the DNI to the heads of agencies to ensure appropriate uniformity, centrali-zation, efficiency, effectiveness, and timeliness in making such determinations relating to those programs;

may, with regard to determining eligibility for access to special access programs (SAP) as defined in Executive Order 12958 other than Intelligence SAPs, issue guidelines and instructions with the concurrence of the agency head with responsibility for the SAP to ensure appropriate uniformity, centralization, efficiency, effectiveness, and timeliness in making such determinations relating to those programs;

may report periodically to the President on implementation by agencies of the policy set forth in section 1; and

shall submit reports to the Congress relating to the subject matter of this order to the extent required by law.

Sec. 3. Functions of the Heads of Agencies.

Heads of agencies shall:

carry out any process assigned to the agency head by the Director under subsection 2(a) of this order, and shall assist the Director in carrying out any process under subsection 2(b);

implement guidelines and instructions issued by the Director under subsections 2(c), 2(d), and 2(e) of this order;

to the extent permitted by law, make available to the Director such information as the Director may request to implement this order;

ensure that all actions taken under this order take appropriate account of the counterintelligence interests of the United States; and

ensure that all actions taken under this order are consistent with the DNI's responsibility to protect intelligence sources and methods.

The Director and other heads of agencies shall ensure that all actions taken under this order are consistent with the President's constitutional authority to (i) conduct the foreign affairs of the United States, (ii) withhold information the dis-closure of which could impair the foreign relations, the national security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties, (iii) recommend for congressional con-sideration such measures as the President may judge necessary or expedient, and (iv) supervise the unitary executive branch.

Sec. 4. Definitions. As used in this order:

the term "agencies" means: (i) any "executive department" as defined in section 101 of title 5, United States Code, as well as the Department of Homeland Security; (ii) any "military department" as defined in section 102 of title 5, United States Code; (iii) any "government corporation" as defined in section 103 of title 5, United States Code; and (iv) any "independent establishment" as defined in section 104 of title 5, United States Code, but excluding the Government Accountability Office and including the United States Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission.

the term "classified national security information" means information that is classified pursuant to Executive Order 12958;

the term "counterintelligence" has the meaning specified for that term in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a); and

the term "process" means: (i) oversight of determinations of eligibility for access to classified national security infor-mation, including for SCI and SAPs made by any agency, as well as the acquisition of information through investigation or other means upon which such determinations are made; (ii) developing and implementing uniform and consistent policies and procedures to ensure the effective, efficient, and timely completion of access eligibility determinations, to include for SAPs; (iii) designating an authorized agency for making access eligibility determinations and an authorized agency for collecting information through investigation upon which such determinations are made; (iv) ensuring reciprocal recognition of determinations of eligi-bility for access to classified information among the agencies of the United States Government, including resolution of disputes involving the reciprocity of security clearances and access to SCI and SAPs; (v) ensuring the availability of resources to achieve clearance and investigative program goals regarding the making of access determinations as well as the collection of information through investigation and other means upon which such determinations are made; and (vi) developing tools and techniques for enhancing the making of access eligibility determinations as well as the collection of information through investigation and other means upon which such determinations are made.

Sec. 5. General Provisions.

Nothing in this order shall be construed to supersede, impede, or otherwise affect:

Executive Order 10865 of February 20, 1960, as amended;

Executive Order 12333 of December 4, 1981, as amended;

Executive Order 12958, as amended;

Executive Order 12968 of August 2, 1995;

Executive Order 12829 of January 6, 1993, as amended;

subsections 102A(i) and (j) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 403-1(i) and (j)); and

sections 141 through 146 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2161 through 2166).

Executive Order 12171 of November 19, 1979, as amended, is further amended by inserting after section after 1-215 the following new section: "1-216. The Center for Federal Investigative Services, Office of Personnel Management."

Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect any authority of the Director, including with respect to budget, legislative, or administrative proposals. The Director may use any authority of the Office of Management and Budget in carrying out this order.

Existing delegations of authority to any agency relating to granting access to classified information and conducting investi-gations shall remain in effect, subject to the authority of the Office of Management and Budget under section 2 of this order to revise or revoke such delegation.

This order is intended solely to improve the internal management of the executive branch and is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Sec. 6. Submission of Report and Expiration of Order.

The Director shall submit a report to the President, on or before April 1, 2006, on the imple-mentation of this order and the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.

Unless extended by the President, this order shall expire on July 1, 2006.

GEORGE W. BUSH THE WHITE HOUSE, June 27, 2005. # # #

more at Classified National Security Information or Executive Order and President Bush

President Bush to nominate ten individuals

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate ten individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate Phillip Jackson Bell, of Georgia, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness. Mr. Bell currently serves as Deputy Under Secretary of the Army at the Department of Defense. He previously served as Chief of Staff for the Afghanistan Reconstruction Group at the Department of State. Mr. Bell received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and his master's degree from the University of South Carolina, prior to serving in the United States Marine Corps.

The President intends to nominate Susan P. Bodine, of Maryland, to be Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. Bodine currently serves as Staff Director and Senior Counsel for the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She previously served as Associate Attorney for Covington and Burling in Washington, DC. Ms. Bodine received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.

The President intends to nominate John Hillen, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of State (Political-Military Affairs). Dr. Hillen currently serves as President of CGI-AMS Secure Incorporated. Earlier in his career, he served as a Senior Scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Heritage Foundation. Prior to that, Dr. Hillen served in the United States Army and received a Bronze Star Medal for actions in combat during Operation Desert Storm. He received his bachelor's degree from Duke University and his first master's degree from the University of London King's College. He later received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford St. Anthony's College and his second master's degree from Cornell University.

The President intends to nominate Darryl W. Jackson, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce (Export Enforcement). Mr. Jackson currently serves as a Partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter, LLP. In addition, he is a Distinguished Lecturer in Law at the Columbus School of Law of The Catholic University of America. Prior to that, Mr. Jackson served as Executive Assistant United States Attorney for Operations in the District of Columbia. He received his bachelor's degree from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Howard University School of Law.

The President intends to nominate David H. McCormick, of Pennsylvania, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration. Mr. McCormick currently serves as President and Director of Ariba, Inc., a software and services solutions company. He previously served as President and CEO of FreeMarkets, Inc. Prior to that, he served in the United States Army and received a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Mr. McCormick received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He later received his master's degree and his Ph.D. from Princeton University.

The President intends to nominate Gillian A. Milovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Macedonia. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Milovanovic currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission in Pretoria, South Africa. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Stockholm, Sweden. Earlier in her career, Ms. Milovanovic was Director of the Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs at the Department of State. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her master's degree from Temple University.

The President intends to nominate Michael Retzer, of Mississippi, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Republic of Tanzania. Mr. Retzer currently serves as President and CEO of Retzer Resources, Inc. a company that he founded in 1973. He previously served a Supervisor for Texas Instruments. Prior to that, Mr. Retzer served as a Captain in the United States Air Force. Mr. Retzer received his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon.

The President intends to nominate Ronald M. Sega, of Colorado, to be Under Secretary of the Air Force. Dr. Sega currently serves as Director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense. He previously served as Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Dr. Sega received his bachelor's degree from the United States Air Force Academy, his master's degree from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. Following his graduation from the Academy, he served on active duty for eight years and continues to serve in the United States Air Force Reserves.

The President intends to nominate Josette Sheeran Shiner, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of State (Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs). Ms. Shiner currently serves as Deputy United States Trade Representative. She previously served as Associate United States Trade Representative for Policy and Communications. Prior to joining USTR, she served as Managing Director of Starpoint Solutions, a technology firm. Earlier in her career, she served as President and CEO of Empower America and as managing editor of The Washington Times. Ms. Shiner received her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The President intends to nominate Eric M. Thorson, of Virginia, to be Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. Mr. Thorson currently serves as Senior Advisor for Investigative Operations and Agency Planning in the Office of Personnel Management. He previously served as Special Assistant to the Republican Leader of the United States Senate. Earlier in his career, Mr. Thorson was the Chief Investigator for the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the United States Senate. He received his bachelor's degree from the United States Air Force Academy, prior to serving six years on active duty and five years in the United States Air Force Reserves.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, June 28, 2005 Personnel Announcement more at President Bush or Department of Defense and Environmental Protection Agency or State Department and Department of Commerce or Macedonia and Tanzania or Small Business Administration