News

USIS Washington 
File

09 April 1999

SECSTATE SENDS ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW BOARD PROPOSALS TO CONGRESS

(Secretary stresses need for more security funding) (420)
By Sarah Lapp
USIA Staff Writer

Washington -- Secretary of State Albright says she agrees with all of
the recommendations made by the two boards tasked with investigating
the bombings of two US Embassy bombings in East Africa, and urges that
Congress provide enough funds to upgrade the security of diplomatic
posts around the world.

The Secretary's 48-page "Report to the US Congress on Actions Taken by
the State Department in Response to the Program Recommendations of the
Accountability Review Boards on the Embassy Bombings in Nairobi and
Dar es Salaam" was released on April 9, 1999.

The two boards investigated the circumstances of the near-simultaneous
terrorist bombings of the US Embassies Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania on August 7, 1998. Over 220 people were killed in the
two blasts and more than 4,000 were wounded. Twelve of the dead were
American and 40 were Kenyan and Tanzanian employees or family members
of the United States Embassy.

Both Accountability Review Boards appointed by Albright were chaired
by retired Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. The Boards were created to
assess the adequacy of US security systems and procedures, and to
recommend improvements to them.

A total of twenty-four recommendations were made with respect to
improvements in security systems and procedures, crisis management and
intelligence.

Secretary Albright said she intends to implement the Boards'
recommendations aggressively, with only slight changes. She noted that
some of the recommendations have already been implemented. Other
recommendations will require more time and money, she said.

The two main concerns of the recommendations are improved protection
of American diplomatic personnel and facilities and the need for
greater financial resources.

The Boards have estimated a cost of $14 billion over a period of ten
years to implement their recommendations. According to Albright, "It
takes a lot of money to rebuild and repair embassies, purchase
security-related equipment, and hire and train needed security
personnel."

The Fiscal Year 1999 emergency security appropriation of $1.4 billion
provided for such things as creating temporary embassies in Nairobi
and Dar es Salaam, expanding local guard coverage, upgrading emergency
radio communications to all posts and, among other things, providing
assistance to Kenya and Tanzania.

"In the end, our success will require the long-term commitments of
this Administration and Congress, and of our successors," said the
Secretary. "I am ready and eager to work with the Congress in this
critical effort."