US President George W. Bush on Thursday named John Negroponte as the first national intelligence director to coordinate the work of all 15 intelligence agencies of the United States.

Bush made the nomination at a press conference held at the White House, saying that the director's responsibility is straightforward and demanding.

Bush said that Negroponte's nomination came "at a historic moment for our intelligence services" and he "will make sure that those whose duty it is to defend America have the information we need to make the right decisions."

Negroponte, 65, was a former US representative to the United Nations and has been serving as the top diplomat in Iraq since last June.

Describing the intelligence as the first line of defense, Bush said that "if we are going to stop the terrorist before they strike, we must ensure that our intelligence agencies work as a single unified enterprise."

"That's why I supported and Congress passed reform legislation creating the job of director of national intelligence," Bush added.

Bush signed the bill last year to create the new position to coordinate the work of all 15 intelligence agencies of the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2005)