*EPF103 07/19/2004
White House Report, July 19: Intelligence-gathering, Palestine, Haiti
(Administration seeks intelligence reforms, urges "committed" Palestinian leadership, encourages support for Haiti donors' conference, will welcome Romanian prime minister) (620)

ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES INTELLIGENCE REFORMS

The Bush administration has taken a number of steps to improve U.S. intelligence-gathering and intelligence-analysis capabilities and remains open to "ideas that build upon the reforms that we're already implementing," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters July 19.

The bipartisan 9/11 Commission is scheduled to release its final 500-page report during the week of the July 19. The report is expected to include recommendations for improving U.S. handling of intelligence in the fight against terror.

McClellan cited past reforms saying, "We worked to create the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC), we worked to pass the Patriot Act, to knock down the wall between law enforcement and intelligence. And we also are continuing to work to transform the FBI, so that its primary mission is counterterrorism now."

McClellan also cited bolstering human intelligence, increasing investments in technologies, and enhancing ways to share information as steps needed to improve intelligence capabilities.

"[T]he president's number one priority is to protect the American people," said McClellan, "and he's made it very clear, if there are additional ideas out there that can improve our intelligence gathering and help us better protect the American people, he is very much in favor of moving forward on those ideas. "

When asked about possible connections between Iran with al-Qaeda, McClellan said, the president had concerns about Iran.

LEADERSHIP CRUCIAL FOR PALESTINIAN SECURITY

It is important to have a Palestinian cabinet in place that is "committed to cracking down on terrorism and establishing a unified security structure to improve the security situations," said McClellan.

According to reports, Palestine Prime Minister Yasser Arafat asked former Palestinian chief of security Abdel Razek Majaide to return to his office on July 19 in response to public anger over the assignment of Arafat's relative, Moussa Arafat, to the position.

Moussa Arafat's assignment over the weekend triggered unrest within the Gaza Strip as citizens protested corruption within the Palestinian government.

"It's even more important now that we have a Palestinian leadership in place that is committed to establishing the institutions necessary for a democratic state to emerge," McClellan said.

"When you have the institutions in place, it's bigger than any one person," he said, "The leaders will emerge and be able to proceed forward on the vision that the president has outlined."

SUPPORT FOR HAITI DONORS' CONFERENCE ENCOURAGED

The United States has made "significant commitments" to Haiti by helping to address the security situation there and by providing humanitarian assistance, McClellan said.

According to news reports, the U.S. representative met with international partners July 19 at a two-day international donors' conference at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, where Haiti is outlining plans for reform and reconstruction. Conference organizers said they hoped to raise $924 million to revive Haiti's ravaged economy and lay the foundation for a return to democratic rule.

McClellan said, "We hope everybody will step forward and meet their commitments to help the Haitian people build a brighter future. "

BUSH TO WELCOME ROMANIA'S PRIME MINISTER

According to the spokesman, Bush will welcome Prime Minister Adrian Nastase of Romania to the White House on July 21. The two leaders are expected to discuss the war on terrorism, Afghanistan and Iraq, NATO's agenda following the Istanbul summit, and international efforts to support reform in the broader Middle East.

McClellan added that Bush will also be likely to discuss U.N. issues with Nastase, given Romania's presidency of the U.N. Security Council in July.

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

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