This is historical material, "frozen in time." The web site is no longer updated and links to external web sites and some internal pages will not work.

THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary
                             (Columbus, Ohio)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                        May 4, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today's vote is a key milestone toward enactment of legislation that will launch a new era of cooperation between the United States and our partners in Africa and the Caribbean Basin. This important measure will strengthen our economic partnership with these nations, lower trade barriers, help developing nations to lift their people out of poverty, and create a more secure world. I congratulate those members of Congress who have worked hard to reach agreement on this bill. I look forward to signing this historic legislation into law upon final passage.

###