Bush gives State Department control over reconstructing foreign countries

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Wednesday designated Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to take charge of overseeing U.S. assistance to countries recovering from war or civil strife.

A statement issued by White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the move would facilitate helping the countries prevent terrorists from operating in their territory.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., agreed. "We already have seen how terrorists can exploit nations afflicted by lawlessness and desperate circumstances," the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a statement.

Bush's directive authorized Rice to coordinate U.S. reconstruction efforts.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it was elevating peacekeeping to a level comparable to war fighting, saying it would increase training and other steps so that maintaining stability where necessary would be a core U.S. military mission.