Bush, Cheney to Meet 9/11 Commission; additional funding request for Iraq; Sharon withdrawal plan supported; Cyprus urged to accept U.N. peace plan

BUSH, CHENEY TO MEET WITH 9/11 COMMISSION APRIL 29

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters April 21 that President Bush and Vice President Cheney will meet April 29 at the White House with the independent commission reviewing the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"The president and vice president look forward to answering any questions they might have so the commission can complete it's very important work,'' McClellan said.

Bush and Cheney agreed March 30 to one joint private session with all the commissioners, but they will not be under oath. One commission staff member will be present to take notes of the session, which will not be recorded.

The independent commission, created by Congress, has until July 26 to report on U.S. intelligence failures before the attacks that killed about 3,000 people.

WHITE HOUSE MAY SEEK ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR IRAQ

Asked if the administration plans to request an additional supplemental appropriation from Congress for operations in Iraq, the press secretary said, "The director of our Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has said we will need an additional supplemental for Iraq."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers testified before the House Armed Services Committee April 21 that it will cost $700 million to keep 20,000 troops on an extended 90-day deployment in Iraq.

"The Pentagon officials have said that at this time they have more than adequate funding to meet their needs," McClellan said.

When asked if the administration would request the supplemental before January 2005 the spokesman said, "We do not expect one this year. However, we always look to the commanders in the theater to make those determinations in terms of what the troops need to complete their work and do their job.

"This president has increased defense spending by record amounts, by 35 percent since 2001. In addition to that significant increase in funding to meet our defense needs, the president has worked to pass supplementals totaling $164 billion for the Pentagon to wage the war on terrorism.

"This is about winning the war on terrorism. And this is the highest priority for this country, because it goes directly to the safety and the security of the American people."

BUSH TO CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL PLAN

Asked for the administration's reaction to recent comments by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, the spokesman said, "We have a unique opportunity to move forward on the road map, which will lead us to the two-state vision that the president outlined."

According to news reports, Mubarak said in an April 21 interview with the French newspaper Le Monde that Arabs hate Americans now more than at any other time, and he cited both the conflict in Iraq and Bush's support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan as reasons.

"This is a unique opportunity for the Palestinian people to realize their hopes and aspirations for a free and viable and democratic state," McClellan said of the withdrawal plan, adding that "the president made it very clear that when it comes to some of the issues that leaders are bringing up, those are issues that will be decided in negotiations between the parties."

"The United States is working to help the people of the Middle East realize their hopes and aspirations, and realize a future that is built on freedom," the spokesman said.

WHITE HOUSE URGES CYPRIOTS TO ACCEPT U.N. PLAN

Noting that on April 24 the people of Cyprus will vote on a settlement plan presented by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, McClellan said, "The Annan plan offers a hopeful vision of a peaceful and prosperous future for all Cypriots as citizens of a unified state."

He outlined the main features of Annan's plan saying, "The plan foresees the return of over 120,000 Greek Cypriot refugees to their former properties; the reduction of tens of thousands of foreign troops to several hundred; and the enshrinement of human rights and democratic freedoms in a new state with workable governing institutions."

McClellan noted that the United States and the European Union have pledged $800 million toward the implementation of the settlement, should the U.N. plan be accepted.

"The friends of Cyprus around the world are thus extending heartfelt encouragement for the people of Cyprus to make the decision of a lifetime on April 24 in favor of peace," McClellan said.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)