01 August 2004	Sunday	14 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

WASHINGTON, July 31: US lawmakers are highly critical of a key recommendation from the commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 terror strikes , which calls for naming a cabinet-level intelligence chief who will work out of the US president's office, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

A rare vacation-season hearing was held on Capitol Hill Friday to consider the recommendations, with President George W. Bush and other public officials moving unusually swiftly to act, after Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called for immediate adoption of the advised reforms.

"Several GOP (Republican) and Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about that idea, saying that placing an intelligence director and a national counter-terrorism center inside the Executive Office of the President could increase the potential for misuse of information and could threaten the independence of US intelligence analysts," the paper said.

The paper also quoted an unnamed senior administration official as saying that Bush will oppose the idea.

Bush "wants to protect intelligence agencies from any undue influence" and ensure that analysts retain their autonomy, the official was quoted as saying.

At his Democratic Party's convention in Boston this week, Kerry called for immediate adoption of all of the commission's recommendations, including the creation of a cabinet-level intelligence center.

The July 22 release of the report by The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States issued a broad indictment of US intelligence and air defences in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which killed almost 3,000 people.

It also took aim at the executive and legislative branches, urging them to take swift action on reforms, just over three months ahead of the US presidential election.-AFP