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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 9, 1997

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Delegation for Nicaragua Presidential Inauguration

The President has appointed Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to lead a delegation representing the United States at the January 10 inauguration of Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman. Other members of this Presidential Delegation are U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States Ambassador Harriet Babbitt, U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Lino Gutierrez, American-Nicaraguan Foundation Director Henry Howard, and Francisco Aguirre, Publisher of Diario de Las Americas, a leading Spanish-language newspaper based in Miami.

Tomorrow's inauguration will be the first transfer of power from one democratically-elected President to another in the history of Nicaragua. As such, it marks another important watershed in Central America's long process of national reconciliation and democratic consolidation.

On this historic occasion, the President offers his congratulations to President Aleman and to the people of Nicaragua for their achievement in carrying forward Nicaragua's transition to democracy. We anticipate working closely with President Aleman and his cabinet to further strengthen our bilateral relationship and build towards the Miami Summit goal of a hemispheric community of free market democracies.

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