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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                           (Des Moines, Iowa)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                     April 24, 1995

                    STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

President Clinton welcomes today's announcements by the British Government and by Sinn Fein indicating that they have reached agreement on the basis for ministerial-level talks and that a meeting will soon be held. Today's step builds on the historic cease-fires now in place in Northern Ireland and offers further promise of progress toward a comprehensive and lasting peace in that troubled land.

As he emphasized on April 4, the President views a serious approach to the issue of arms decommissioning as crucially important to resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland. We welcome Sinn Fein's stated readiness to take such a serious approach. Similarly, we applaud the willingness of British ministers to address other issues of concern to Sinn Fein.

President Clinton will continue to offer his strong support to the leaders of Ireland and the United Kingdom in their courageous efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

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