WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Wednesday bade his staff farewell and said though he was leaving he would "always be a part of this wonderful family."
"Even though I step down as your secretary, I will never leave you," he said. "I will always be a part of this wonderful family."
Powell, the first African-American secretary of State, was appointed by President Bush in 2000.
Powell arrived at the State Department's lobby to sustained applause from his staff. He is said to be among the most popular secretaries to have headed the department. His staff presented him with a Cabinet chair and the secretary of state flag, spokesman Richard Boucher said.
During his four years on the job, Powell worked tirelessly to promote U.S. diplomacy worldwide but is reported to have been sidelined during the war on Iraq.
In his remarks Wednesday, Powell thanked the department's staff and their families for their work.
"You are in the first line of offense of America's foreign policy," he said.
Powell remains secretary of state until national security adviser Condoleezza Rice in confirmed by the Senate and sworn in.
