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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary 
                          (New York, New York)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                    April 15, 1997

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Opening of Border Talks Between Ecuador and Peru

The United States welcomes the April 15 opening of the first stage of substantive border talks between Ecuador and Peru and congratulates the two countries for their determination to consummate peace in our hemisphere.

As a Guarantor of the Protocol of Peace, Friendship and Boundaries of Rio de Janeiro of 1942, the United States expects Ecuador and Peru will approach the talks in good faith with a view toward definitively resolving all differences between them.

A final settlement of this decades-old dispute would improve the outlook for economic development in both Ecuador and Peru, strengthen prospects for regional integration and stability, and set the stage for further deepening of the Miami Summit process.

The United States reiterates its permanent commitment to peace in the hemisphere and unwavering support for a comprehensive and lasting settlement.

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