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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 20, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I congratulate Abdurrahman Wahid on his election as President of Indonesia. He and the people of Indonesia deserve enormous credit for the democratic process that led to this peaceful change in government. This election, conducted fairly and transparently, has been a true triumph of democracy.

Indonesia still faces many challenges -- achieving national reconciliation, consolidating economic recovery, and building institutions accountable to its people. With a democratically elected leadership, I am optimistic that real progress will be made toward all these goals.

I look forward to working closely with the new President and his government.

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