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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 3, 2002

Presidential Letter to Senate
June 24, 2002

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 pleased to submit the enclosed report to the Congress. The report 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 November 16, 2001, the end of this reporting period, there were 177 temporary and permanent U.S. military personnel and 220 U.S. civilians retained as individual contractors in Colombia involved in supporting Plan Colombia, as described in this eighth report to the Congress in accordance with the Act. This report further indicates that during October and November 2001, these figures at no time exceeded the ceilings established in section 3204(b) of the Act.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

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