Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Powell Intends to Step Down if Bush Elected: Report
US Secretary of State Colin Powell and his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, have hinted that they intend to step down even if President George W. Bush is reelected for a second term, The Washington Post reported Monday.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell and his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, have hinted that they intend to step down even if President George W. Bush is reelected for a second term, The Washington Post reported Monday.
Armitage recently told national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that he and Powell would leave on Jan. 21, 2005, the day after the next presidential inauguration, the newspaper quoted "sources familiar with the conversation" as saying.
The report, however, was denied by State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker on Monday. "There's no basis to the story at all," he said.
"There was no conversation between the deputy secretary and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice concerning any plans for 'stepping down'," Reeker said in a statement.
The report said Powell has indicated to associates that a commitment made to his wife, rather than any dismay at the administration's foreign policy, is a key factor in his desire to limit his tenure to one presidential term.
Citing "sources inside and outside the administration," the report said Rice and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz are the leading candidates to replace Powell.