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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