WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- The White House has approved a plan to name Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Porter Goss as the manager of all US human intelligence-gathering, John D.Negroponte, director of national intelligence, announced Thursday.

    Negroponte also announced the formation of a new National Clandestine Services (NCS) group within the CIA to coordinate and evaluate intelligence.

    "I am confident that with the creation of the NCS, the US government will have a more cohesive and truly national human intelligence capability," said Negroponte, whose office would retain oversight of US human intelligence but not be involved in day-to-day management decisions.

    Human intelligence refers to information collected from people,rather than from technical sources such as electronic intercepts.

    The CIA reached separate agreements earlier this year on coordinating foreign intelligence with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pentagon, which have intensified their intelligence activities abroad since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

    The plan was drafted by Goss based on recommendations made in March by President George W. Bush's commission on US intelligence capabilities regarding weapons of mass destruction.

    Under the plan, Goss will set the common standards for spying operations, whether they are conducted by the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency or one of the 13 additional intelligence agencies in the federal government, news reports said.

    "This is another positive step in building an intelligence community that is more unified, coordinated and effective, and is better positioned to meet the increasingly complex intelligence challenges of the future," Negroponte said.

    The NCS would be under Goss's chain of command.

    A report in Thursday's edition of The Washington Post said the CIA's current deputy director for the agency's clandestine human intelligence operations, referred to as "Jose" because he is stillunder cover, would be the first NCS director.

    The decision represented "an expression of confidence in the CIA" from Bush and Negroponte, Goss said in a statement on Thursday.

    In a speech to CIA employees last month, Goss predicted that Negroponte would approve his plan and keep the agency as overall coordinator of US human intelligence. Enditem