THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                 (Beijing, People's Republic of China)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                      June 26, 1998

                PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES SUSAN G. ESSERMAN 
               AS DEPUTY UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE 
                         WITH RANK OF AMBASSADOR

The President today announced his intent to nominate Susan G. Esserman as Deputy United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador.

Ms. Susan G. Esserman, of Bethesda, Maryland, currently serves as General Counsel to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Ms. Esserman has played an important role in the development of United States trade policies, including trade law and World Trade Organization enforcement strategies. Previously, Ms. Esserman held two senior posts at the United States Department of Commerce. She served as Acting General Counsel at the Department of Commerce, having been nominated for this position in August 1996. Between March 1994, and April 1996, she served as Assistant Secretary for Import Administration. As Assistant Secretary, she was responsible for enforcement and development of policy. Before her tenure in the Clinton Administration, Ms. Esserman was a partner in private law practice in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in international trade law. She began her career as a judicial clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Gasch.

Ms. Esserman received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was on the Editorial Board of the Law Review. She graduated from Wellesley College with honors.

The Deputy United States Trade Representative is responsible for conducting trade negotiations and assisting the United States Trade Representative in developing and implementing international trade policy. The Office of the United States Trade Representative coordinates and formulates U.S. trade policy, negotiates trade agreements, and advises and speaks for the President on trade related matters. Ms. Esserman's portfolio will encompass negotiations and the development of trade policy in the World Trade Organization and other multilateral fora and Europe, Russia and the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, the Middle East and Africa.

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