President Barack Obama, in his televised speech to the nation Tuesday, will announce the creation of an oil recovery "czar" to oversee progress in siphoning crude from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, his chief spokesman said.

Speaking on ABC television's "Good Morning America" program, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the position is envisioned as "somebody that will be in charge of a recovery plan, putting a recovery plan together...when we get past the cleanup and response phase of this disaster."

Obama is to deliver what will be his first Oval Office address, as he seeks to reassure anxious Americans over the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe.

The president flies back to Washington Tuesday after a two-day, three-state tour of the scene of the spill.

Gibbs told ABC that in the address, "the president will outline tonight...a plan going forward, to restore the Gulf--not to where it was the day this accident happened, but to restore this Gulf to where it was years ago."

The spokesman added that by the end of the month it is "absolutely" likely that BP Plc (BP) will be able to siphon more than 90% of the oil gushing out of the damaged wellhead, now that U.S. officials have prodded the British oil giant to step up its "containment strategy."

"We believe (it) will capture most of the oil that is leaking from the Gulf," Gibbs said.

He said the British oil giant currently is "adding additional lines" which "will bring more oil off of the surface and out of the Gulf."
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