THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                        (New Orleans, Louisiana)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                 September 27, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Presidential Travel to Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy and Greece

President Clinton will travel to Istanbul, Turkey from November 18-19 to attend the summit meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The OSCE Summit is an opportunity for leaders from 54 countries throughout the Euro-Atlantic region to focus on promoting security and stability among and within member states.

Before attending the summit, the President will make an official visit to Bulgaria, where he will meet with Bulgarian leaders to discuss matters of mutual concern including efforts to promote reconstruction and stability in Southeastern Europe. He will also make a State Visit to Turkey where he will have the opportunity to meet with Turkish leaders in Ankara to discuss the wide range of subjects on which Turkey and the United States cooperate.

After the OSCE Summit in Istanbul, the President will travel to Florence to attend a conference hosted by Prime Minister D'Alema on "Progressive Governance for the 21st Century" from November 20-21. He will then travel to Greece for a State Visit and discussions with Greek leaders about a broad range of issues of mutual concern to Greece and the United States.

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