For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 7, 2002

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate

November 6, 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 providing a report prepared by my Administration. 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 September 13, 2002, the end of this reporting period, there were 138 temporary and permanent U.S. military personnel and 250 U.S. civilians retained as individual contractors in Colombia involved in supporting Plan Colombia. This report further indicates that during July, August, and September 2002, these figures never exceeded the ceilings established in section 3204(b) of the Act, as amended.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

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