For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 11, 2005

Personnel Announcement

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate three individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate C. David Welch, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of State (Near Eastern Affairs). A career Foreign Service Officer, he currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt. Prior to this appointment, Ambassador Welch served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. He previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Earlier in his career, Ambassador Welch served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He earned his bachelor's degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and his master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

The President intends to nominate John B. Bellinger, III, of Virginia, to be Legal Advisor at the Department of State. Mr. Bellinger currently serves as Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State. He most recently served as Senior Associate Counsel to the President and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council. Prior to this appointment, he served as Counsel for National Security Matters in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. Mr. Bellinger previously served as Of Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and prior to that he practiced law with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, DC. He earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton University, his master's degree from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

The President intends to nominate R. Nicholas Burns, of Massachusetts, to be Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. He currently serves as U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ambassador Burns previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Greece. Prior to these appointments, he served as Spokesman for the State Department. He also served on the staff of the National Security Council as Director of Russian Affairs. Ambassador Burns earned his bachelor's degree from Boston College and his master's degree from Johns Hopkins University.

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