Bush To Send U.S. Special Envoy Zinni Back To The Middle East

President Bush announced late March 7 that he is sending U.S. special Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni back to the Middle East early next week to try to calm the escalating violence and loss of life between Israelis and Palestinians.

Bush made the announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House, flanked by Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The President said he hopes that both sides will respond to Zinni when he arrives in the region, but said he has no assurances this will happen. The Tenet-Mitchell plan contains a "road map" that will allow both sides to get into security consulations, said Bush.

He said he also views favorably the plan proposed recently by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah.

Vice President Cheney noted that he is leaving Washington on March 10 to begin a 10 day swing to twelve countries in the region and will discuss the Tenet-Mitchell plan as well as the proposal by Crown Prince Abdullah while there.

"The combination of General Zinni's trip and the Vice President's trip may have a positive impact, we'll see," said Bush.

Blairs To Visit With President And First Lady At Texas Ranch

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family will visit with the President and First Lady Laura Bush April 5-7 at their Texas ranch, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer announced earlier in the day.

"The visit is an important opportunity for the President to spend time with the leader of one of the United States' most important allies, an exceptionally close partner in the war against terrorism," Fleischer said. "They'll consult about the ongoing campaign against terrorism, as well as other key foreign policy issues."

Federal Government Helping New York City Recover From Terrorist Attacks

More than $20 billion dollars of federal money is on the way to New York City to help it recover from the September 11 terrorist attacks, President Bush announced March 7 at a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House attended by the entire New York Congressional delegation, New York Governor George Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Governor Pataki said "this commitment of more than $20 billion from the administration, from the President and from our delegation and from Congress shows that the people of America understand that this was not just an attack on New York, this was an attack on America. And we will rebuild, not just to where we were in the early morning hours of September 11th. Lower Manhattan will come back and be stronger than it was in the early morning hours on September 11th."

Pataki said the people of New York stand with Bush shoulder to shoulder in his commitment "to get these evil terrorists wherever they may be."

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)