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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                           (Lisbon, Portugal)
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For Immediate Release                                       May 30, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak will meet on Thursday, June 1, in Berlin. The two leaders were scheduled to meet on May 23rd, but Prime Minister Barak was compelled to cancel his visit to the United States in light of developments in Lebanon and in the West Bank and Gaza. Both the President and the Prime Minister believe it is important for them to meet at this time to discuss prospects for reaching an Israeli-Palestinian Framework Agreement on Permanent Status and assess the situation following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. The two leaders also will exchange views on how to strengthen the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

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