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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release December 2, 1997

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

President Clinton has named former U.S. Representative Dr. Howard Wolpe as Special Envoy of the President and Secretary of State to Africa's Great Lakes region. Dr. Wolpe has been serving as Special Envoy of the President and the Secretary of State to the Burundi peace negotiations for the past 18 months. In recognition of the regional nature of the challenges facing Central Africa, his geographical mandate and responsibilities are being expanded. Dr. Wolpe will continue to center his efforts on policy and the complex regional diplomacy, political, and economic challenges facing the Great Lakes states, particularly Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dr. Wolpe brings to this mission a wealth of experience gained during fourteen years as a member of Congress from Michigan, including ten years as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, and an earlier career as an academic specialist on Africa. Recently, he was a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. Dr. Wolpe received a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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