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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                          (New York, New York)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   January 15, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

The President announced today the appointment of Donald K. Bandler as Special Assistant to the President for the NATO Summit to be held in Washington on April 23-25, 1999. Mr. Bandler will also serve as Counselor to National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger for Summit matters.

Mr. Bandler will advise the President and National Security Adviser on all aspects of this historic summit, the largest gathering of world leaders ever to be held in the nation's capital. The summit will commemorate NATO's fiftieth anniversary and prepare the Alliance for the future. Mr. Bandler will head-up a newly created office within the National Security Council and be responsible for coordinating policy and planning with all U.S. Government agencies involved in the summit. His appointment reflects the President's commitment to ensuring the success of this summit and to deepening the partnership between the United States and Europe.

Mr. Bandler is currently serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council. Prior to joining the NSC in 1997, he was Deputy Chief of Mission and then Charge d'Affaires at the American Embassy in Paris. A career Senior Foreign Service Officer, he has also served at the American Embassy in Bonn and as Director of the State Department Office of Israel and Arab-Israeli Affairs.

Mr. Bandler, a member of the District of Columbia Bar and other professional organizations, has been the recipient of the State Department's Superior Honor Award on four occasions and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1998. He holds a B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. and a J.D. degree.

Mr. Bandler is married to the former Jane Goldwin. They have two daughters, Lara and Jillian, and a son Jeffrey.

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