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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release September 23, 1998

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Meeting with Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore

President Clinton and Prime Minister Goh of Singapore met today in the Oval Office. The President expressed appreciation for Singapore's cooperation on economic and security issues.

Singapore is the ASEAN chair this year, hosting the ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Post-Ministerial meetings next summer. Singapore has played a constructive role throughout the economic crisis, employing measures to help augment IMF assistance to Indonesia and Thailand.

On security, Singapore is one of our closest partners in Southeast Asia on a broad range of economic and security initiatives. Under our Status of Forces Agreement, we carry out joint military exercises and enjoy access to Singapore's military facilities.

On economics, the two leaders focused on the regional and global situation. President Clinton reported on his meeting with Prime Minister Obuchi and the two leaders agreed on the importance of a strong Japanese economy to the recovery of the region. They also discussed how to use this November's APEC meeting to sustain progress on trade liberalization in the region.

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