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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release December 29, 1996

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I welcome today's official statement by North Korea conveying its deep regret for the submarine incident in South Korea last September. I am pleased that P'yongyang has pledged to prevent the recurrence of such an incident and has expressed its willingness to work with others for durable peace and stability on the peninsula. This is a significant development, which I hope will contribute to the reduction of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

I extend my appreciation to President Kim Young Sam for his personal efforts to resolve the submarine incursion in a way that opens the door for future South-North dialogue. The United States and South Korea have cooperated closely as firm allies to resolve this issue. I hope discussions can now begin to move forward on the four-party peace talks which President Kim Young Sam and I offered last April.

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