THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                           (Des Moines, Iowa)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                      July 16, 1999

        Special Envoy for the Americas Kenneth H. "Buddy" MacKay
               Embarks on Andean trip to Peru and Bolivia

President Clinton's Special Envoy for the Americas, Kenneth H. "Buddy" MacKay, will travel to Bolivia and Peru July 19-July 24 to discuss issues of mutual interest, including economic integration, democratization, anti-corruption, transparency issues.

On July 20, Governor MacKay will meet in La Paz with President Banzar, Vice President Quiroga, Foreign Minister Murillo, and Minister for Economic Development Lupo. In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the Special Envoy will meet with private sector representatives to emphasize the indispensable role of the private sector in economic integration. The following day he will visit coca cultivation/eradication sites, as well as a USAID funded alternative development project in the area.

The Special Envoy will then travel to Lima, where he will meet with cabinet and other high-level government officials. Among other bilateral issues, Governor MacKay will stress the importance the United States attributes to democratic values and the rule of law. The Special Envoy will also meet with business representatives to hear their views on hemispheric economic integration efforts.

"We are in the midst of a strong historic current flowing in favor of democratization and economic integration," MacKay stated recently. "This trip represents a continuation our administration's effort to contribute toward this momentum through discussing current challenges and opportunities in Bolivia and Peru."

Special Envoy MacKay plans to return to the U.S. on July 24.

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