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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                  (San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   October 17, 1997

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I am pleased that our negotiators have reached an agreement in principle that will open trade in Japan's ports and level the playing field for American shippers. We have long pressed Japan for a firm commitment to liberalize trade in its ports, and today they have done just that. Japan has agreed to provide an expedited licensing process for American ships entering its ports and to support an alternative to the port services provided by the Japanese Harbor Transportation Authority. Those provisions, after the details are worked out, will allow America's shippers to compete and win in the global marketplace. I want to congratulate our negotiators for all of their hard work on behalf of America's businesses and workers.

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