For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 20, 2003
Presidential Letter
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Pursuant to section 3204(f), title III, chapter 2 of the Emergency
Supplemental Act, 2000 (the "Act"), as enacted in the Military
Construction Appropriations Act, 2001, Public Law 106-246, I am
providing a report prepared by my Adminis-tration that provides "the
aggregate number, locations, activities, and lengths of assignment for
all temporary and permanent U.S. military personnel and U.S. individual
civilians retained as contractors involved in the antinarcotics
campaign in Colombia."
In so doing, I note and appreciate the continued strong bipartisan
support given to U.S. programs assisting Colombia in the Act and
elsewhere.
This report is classified because of force protection
considerations and the high level of terrorist threat in Colombia.
However, the aggregate numbers given below are unclassified.
The report indicates that as of January 13, 2003, the end of this
reporting period, there were 208 temporary and permanent U.S. military
personnel and 279 U.S. civilians retained as individual contractors in
Colombia involved in supporting Plan Colombia. This report further
indicates that during November and December 2002, and January 2003,
these figures never exceeded the ceilings established in section
3204(b) of the Act, as amended.
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
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