THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                           (Cologne, Germany)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                      June 17, 1999

                           PRESIDENT CLINTON 
                       NAMES MICHAEL A. SHEEHAN 
                 AS COORDINATOR FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM 
                 WITH THE RANK OF AMBASSADOR AT LARGE
                   AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

President Clinton today announced his intention to nominate Michael A. Sheehan, of New Jersey, to be Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism with the rank of Ambassador, United States Department of State.

Mr. Michael A. Sheehan, of Red Bank, New Jersey, was an officer in the United States Army for twenty years during which time he served in numerous Infantry and Special Forces staff and command assignments. He also served as the Special Counselor to the U.S. permanent Representative to the United Nations and twice served at the National Security Council (NSC). From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Sheehan was the Director for International Programs and from 1995 to 1997, he was the Director for Global Issues and Multilateral Affairs at NSC. Mr. Sheehan retired from the Army in 1997 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and joined the Department of State as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of International Organizations Affairs.

Mr. Sheehan was born on February 10, 1955 in Red Bank, New Jersey. He was educated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York where he earned a B.S. in Engineering in 1977. He received a M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1988 and a M.S. in Military Art and Science from the Army Command and Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas in 1992.

In his capacity as Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, Mr. Sheehan will be responsible for the overall supervision of policy and resources related to the Department of State's programs to combat international terrorism. He will also coordinate all inter-agency counter-terrorism assistance activities. He will report directly to the Secretary of State and will serve as the principal Department of State advisor on international counter-terrorism matters.

-30-30-30-