U.S. President George W. Bush announced Thursday that he has chosen his ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, as the first national intelligence director. Negroponte's background is in diplomacy, not intelligence. Prior to becoming the top diplomat in Iraq last year, the career envoy was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and argued unsuccessfully in the world body for military action in Iraq. In his new job, he will oversee all the 15 intelligence agencies of the United States, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Defence Department agencies, and he will have budget oversight of them. Bush called the appointment a "historic moment for intelligence services". The position of director of national intelligence was created last year by the U.S. Congress as part of an intelligence overhaul after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Negroponte, 65, said the new job is "the most challenging assignment I have undertaken". --More 0045 Local Time 2145 GMT
