US President George W. Bush has chosen national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to be successor of Secretary of State Colin Powell who resigned last Friday, a senior official said Monday.

Bush asks Rice to replace Powell

The official announcement of the appointment will be made on Tuesday, said the official who asked to be identified.

Stephen Hadley, deputy national security adviser, will replace Rice,

In addition to Powell, the White House also announced on Monday the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

Together with the resignations earlier this month of Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Attorney General John Ashcroft, six of Bush's 15 Cabinet members will not be part of Bush's second term, which begins with his inauguration Jan. 20.