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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 21, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

President Clinton to Make Historic Visit to Africa

President Clinton will travel to Africa in March 1998 -- to South Africa for a state visit at the invitation of President Mandela and to several other African nations to be announced soon. No sitting President has ever visited South Africa.

This historic visit will be an opportunity for the President to highlight the growing U.S. partnership with a new Africa -- a diverse continent of 700 million people, increasingly open to democracy and free markets -- while promoting peaceful resolution of current conflicts, encouraging greater respect for human rights, and strengthening efforts to prevent future regional conflicts.

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