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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Notice to the Press
March 9, 1999

President To Address U.S.-Africa Ministerial March 16

President William Jefferson Clinton will address the opening plenary of the first-ever U.S.-Africa Ministerial: Partnership for the 21st Century one year after his historic trip to Africa. The Ministerial will be held from March 15-18 at the US Department of State.

Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Finance from 46 African states will join eight US Cabinet members and four US. Agency heads in a joint discussion on how the United States and African countries can best collaborate to accelerate Africa's full integration into the global economy. To this end, the participants will address a broad range of issues including Trade and Investment, Economic Reform, Development, Financing, Human Capital Development, Democracy and Governance, Human Rights, HIV/AIDS, and Conflict Resolution through plenary sessions, panel discussions, workshops, roundtables and networking activities.

The Secretary of State, and the Secretaries of Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, Labor, Agriculture and Energy, the United States Trade Representative, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and the Administrator of the Agency for International Development will be active participants in the Ministerial and associated events, as will the Chairman of the Export-Import Bank, the President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Official press credentials are required for ALL media covering this event. Credentialing information and instructions are attached and should be carefully followed.

The opening and closing plenary sessions only will be open to the press; however, daily readouts from the closed panel/roundtable/workshop proceedings will be provided and there will be some photo and interview opportunities during the course of each day.

The opening session begins at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 16 and ends at 10:00 a.m. All press and camera/equipment set-ups must be in place no later than 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday March 16.

For credentials instructions and application, please go to the following web site: www.state.gov/www/regions/africa or call Chip Ellis at 202-661-8942.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE MINISTERIAL, YOU MAY GO TO THE ABOVE-NOTED WEBSITE, OR CALL: Maggie Westmoreland at 202-646-4359 or Louis Segesvary at 202-736-4094.

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