Rice to replace Colin Powell

2004-11-16 09:21

Washington - Secretary of State Colin Powell, who battled with Bush administration hawks over the Iraq war, has stepped down and senior officials said national security advisor Condoleezza Rice would take his place.

Powell was the most senior of four members of President George W Bush's cabinet to quit on Monday.

Bush, who won re-election this month, accepted the resignation of the former top general who directed the 1991 war against Iraq but was only a lukewarm supporter of last year's invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.

Two senior administration officials said the president would name his national security adviser, Rice, to replace Powell. They said the announcement would come on Tuesday.

High praise

Bush plans to turn to deputy national security adviser Stephen Hadley to replace Rice, who is one of the president's closest advisers and confidants, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rice, who was 50 on Sunday, has been tipped for months as a leading contender to succeed Powell. She is a fluent Russian speaker and an expert on arms control.

Powell indicated that he has been in longstanding discussions with the president about leaving.

"As we have discussed in recent months, I believe that now that the election is over, the time has come for me to step down as Secretary of State and return to private life," Powell, 67, said in a letter to Bush.

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, 59, was also likely to step down, officials said.

The White House also announced the departure of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Education Secretary Rod Paige. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans quit last week.

But Powell has created the greatest stir, depriving the administration of a highly regarded voice on the international scene at a time when Bush hoped to mend fences after the Iraq war and revive Middle East peace talks.

Bush described Powell as "a soldier, a diplomat, a civic leader, a statesman and a great patriot," and praised his work over the past four years.

Powell "is one of the great public servants of our time," Bush said in a statement.

Son of Jamaican parents

Tributes also flowed in from around the world.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan had a "very warm working relationship" with Powell and especially appreciated "support for the United Nations and for multilateral approaches to problem-solving," said Annan spokesperson Fred Eckhard.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Powell "a remarkable man who has been a good friend to this country over a very long period."

Powell is the son of Jamaican immigrants who rose to become a four star general and then the highest ranking African American to serve in the US government. As Rice is also black the changeover will again be a first in US administration history.

- AFP