... Q Hasn't he been talking about that? Some of this dates back to the campaign, some of the rhetoric. MR. McCLELLAN: These -- sure, I just said these are two high priorities for the President. And this is simply an effort to sharpen the focus on these two priorities. Go ahead. Q Can you tell us why you're encouraging Arab ambassadors to return to Baghdad where the level of violence is extremely high while your own State Department issue warnings for Americans not to travel to other parts of the Middle East -- MR. McCLELLAN: What we're doing is encouraging all countries to support the Iraqi people. Q Violence is minimal in other countries, like in Israeli-Palestine area and in Saudi Arabia. Yet in Iraq, it's extremely high, and yet you want to -- is it more of a symbolic gesture than anything else? MR. McCLELLAN: This is something -- the Iraqi people -- I just, as I pointed out, this is a sovereign country. This is a government that was elected by the Iraqi people. And they are moving forward to build a free and democratic future. And all countries, we believe, should do what they can to support them as they move forward. And Secretary Rice has talked about how Arab nations can help play a more prominent role in supporting the Iraqi people and recognizing them as one of their neighbors. And that's what we've been talking about. But this is -- the Iraqi Foreign Minister is the one who announced that the ambassador for Egypt would be returning to Iraq.

...Q Did you encourage him, then, for sure -- MR. McCLELLAN: We encourage the international community to stand with the Iraqi people, that -- today's conference that took place in Brussels is a sign that the international community does stand with the Iraqi people as they seek to build a democratic and peaceful future. Secretary General Annan just wrote an op-ed the other day in the newspaper and talked about the progress that's being made and talked about how the United Nations is supporting the Iraqi people as they move forward. This is a representative, elected government that is in place in Iraq. It is a sovereign country. And they are working to move forward and address the challenges ahead, and we should all do what we can to support them as they do so. Q Let me ask you about Israel, as well. As you know, they fired a rocket in northern Gaza today, and they said they assuming or resuming, rather, the policy of target assassination of Palestinian militants. Do you see, do you fear that that might sabotaged a plan of pulling out from Gaza, with the escalation of violence? MR. McCLELLAN: This is a very hopeful period in the Middle East. The Palestinian leader, President Abbas, and Israeli leader, Prime Minister Sharon, had a meeting yesterday to talk about how to move forward on the disengagement plan. And the parties are working to coordinate their efforts on that disengagement plan. That's where our focus is; that's where the focus needs to be. The parties are working together. They've indicated that they'll continue meeting and discussing how to move forward. It's important that this disengagement plan is successful. That's why Secretary Rice has been in the region; that's why we have General Ward, who has working to help with the security structure of the Palestinian security apparatus; that's why the Quartet envoy, Jim Wolfensohn, has been in the region to help address the economic issues related to the disengagement plan so that we can move forward and make sure that it is successful. Now, you bring something up. There are terrorist organizations in the region that are determined to derail efforts toward the President's two-state vision of Palestine and Israel living side-by-side in peace and security. These -- some of these are terrorist organizations that have direct ties to Damascus. And our views on terrorist organizations are well known -- they need to be dismantled. There is more that the Palestinian leadership can do to go after those who engage in violence and terrorist activity, and we encourage them to do more.

...Q Scott, the wires are reporting that the U.S. has decided to give North Korea 50,000 metric tons of food today, and it's not related to efforts to jump-start the stalemated six-party talks. Can you explain to us briefly what the thinking is behind this -- MR. McCLELLAN: I'll come back to you in a minute. I was calling back here but I'll come back to you in a minute. Go ahead. Q Thanks very much, Scott. At the Waco summit, and subsequently after the Waco summit, in private conversations with the Canadian Prime Minister, the President said that he was taking a personal interest in the Devil's Lake diversion. The Governor of North Dakota is now saying that those taps, that diversion is going to start within the next couple of days. Is the President going to get involved in this issue before the water starts flowing? MR. McCLELLAN: I know there was an issue that came up in his recent conversation with the Prime Minister. I don't have an update at this point. We can check with the Council on Environmental Quality on that matter. You might want to check with them, as well. Go ahead, Paula. Q Would the White House be willing to support a compromise on estate taxes that excludes everything but the largest estates? MR. McCLELLAN: The President believes that the death tax should be wiped out and that it should not come back to life. That's the President's view. It is a double -- unfair double taxation on people, and it's one of our pro-growth policies that the President outlined. And we believe that it ought to be repealed.