THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                            (Austin, Texas)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                      June 19, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

The Supreme Court held today that the Massachusetts law barring state entities from buying goods or services from companies doing business with Burma was pre-empted by federal law. We agree with the Court's decision. It is important to recognize that the United States and Massachusetts share the same policy goal - the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights in Burma. The United States will continue to pursue this goal by employing sanctions against Burma as authorized by federal law. We will continue to prohibit new investment in Burma and urge other countries to do the same. We will continue to employ a combination of restrictions on foreign assistance and travel to the United States by Burmese officials and we will continue to coordinate international action to support the Burmese people in their struggle for political change.

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