*EPF503 05/07/2004
White House Report, May 7: Rice, Nominations, Week Ahead
(Rice to meet with Palestinian prime minister, three ambassadorial nominations) (620)

RICE TO MEET WITH PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters May 7 that National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will meet with the Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia May 17 in Berlin.

According to National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack, Rice will be in Berlin for talks with German and Russian officials and it is be "an opportune time and place" for her to meet with Prime Minister Qureia.

"The president made it very clear yesterday that he wants to work to expand our dialogue with the Palestinians," McClellan said.

"We have always been in contact with all parties in the region, including the Palestinians," the spokesman said. "The Palestinians have a real opportunity before them to take steps that can help create the institutions necessary for a viable and democratic Palestinian state to exist."

McClellan reiterated the administration's support for a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and dismantle four remote settlements in the West Bank.

"It's important for Palestinian leaders to step forward and work to create the institutions necessary for a Palestinian state to exist," McClellan said.

THREE AMBASSADORIAL NOMINATIONS SENT TO SENATE

The White House announced that it had sent to the Senate for confirmation three ambassadorial nominations. They are:

Ralph Leo Boyce to be ambassador to Thailand. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Boyce currently serves as ambassador to Indonesia. He previously served as deputy assistant secretary for Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands at the State Department's Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs. Prior to this position, he served as deputy chief of mission in Bangkok and Singapore. He earned his bachelor's degree from George Washington University and his master's degree from Princeton University.

John Marshall Evans to be ambassador to Armenia. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Evans currently serves as director of the State Department's Office of Russian Affairs. He previously served as director of the Office of Analysis for Russia and Eurasia in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Evans earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University.

John D. Rood to be ambassador to the Bahamas. Rood currently serves as chairman of the Vestcor Companies, which he founded in 1983. The Jacksonville, Florida, company develops multifamily rental and condominium communities, controls a real estate investment portfolio, and provides construction services to its clients. Rood earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Montana.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Monday, May 10: President Bush will participate in a ceremony celebrating countries selected for the Millennium Challenge Account. Then he will make remarks to the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. The president will go to the Pentagon, where he will receive a military briefing from Secretary Rumsfeld and his military leaders.

Tuesday, May 11: Bush will make remarks on the No Child Left Behind Act, in Van Buren, Arkansas, at Butterfield Trail Junior High School.

Wednesday, May 12: The president will meet with the Angola's President Jose Eduardo dos Santos at the White House. Later that afternoon, he will participate in a conversation on Reading First and No Child Left Behind at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Thursday, May 13: The president will make remarks to the American Conservative Union 40th Anniversary Banquet in Washington.

Friday, May 14: The president attends a Victory 2004 luncheon in Bridgeton, Missouri, and makes remarks at the Concordia University commencement in Wisconsin.

Saturday, May 15: The president will make remarks at the Annual Peace Officers Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

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

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