THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                     (Ramstein Air Base, Germany)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                        May 5, 1999

        PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES MARK W. ERWIN FOR U.S. AMBASSADOR 
        TO THE REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS, THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES, 
             AND THE FEDERAL ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF THE COMOROS

The President announced today his intention to nominate Mark W. Erwin to be U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Seychelles, and the Federal Islamic Republic of The Comoros.

Mr. Mark Erwin, of Charlotte, North Carolina, currently serves as a director of the Overseas Private Investment corporation and is also President of Erwin Capital, Inc., a family owned investment company located in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition, he is actively involved in community service and is a member of the Board of Visitors at Queens College and the Winthrop University Foundation Board. Mr. Erwin has been recognized by the State of South Carolina Legislature for outstanding service to the community and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the State of North Carolina. He currently serves on the Charlotte World Affairs Council Board, as well as the Charlotte United Way Board.

Mr. Erwin was born in Coral Gables, Florida on March 30, 1944. He is an alumni of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Winthrop University in South Carolina, where he is an adjunct professor at the Business School. He is married to Joan Payne Erwin. They have two daughters, Jennifer Ann and Melissa Joan.

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