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Today on the Trip
Thursday, October 16, 1997

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Today, President Clinton spends the day in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the morning the President participates in a wreath laying ceremony to commemorate Argentina's contribution to international peacekeeping. Following the ceremony, President Clinton meets Argentine President Menem to discuss a variety of security, economic, environmental and other policy issues. Later, he also meets with leaders from Argentina's political opposition and with Jewish leaders and relatives of victims of the 1992 terrorist bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 terrorist bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association. During the afternoon, President Clinton participates in a "Conversation on the Americas" town hall meeting, which will receive hemispheric-wide coverage. The President's day concludes with a state dinner hosted by President Menem at the main restaurant on the grounds of the Sociedad Rural de Argentina ("Rural Society of Argentina").

Wreath Laying Ceremony
Bilateral Meeting with President Menem
Meeting with Jewish Leaders
Conversation on the Americas Town Hall Meeting
State Dinner

Wreath Laying Ceremony
Plaza San Martin

At the Plaza San Martin President Clinton will offer brief remarks highlighting Argentina's contribution to international peacekeeping. Following his remarks, The President will lay a wreath.

Bilateral Meeting with President Menem
Casa Rosada

The two Presidents are expected to reaffirm the close and cooperative partnership between the U.S. and Argentina on a broad range of issues including international security, environmental preservation and sustainable development. Argentina is our close and consistent ally and shares many of our most important regional policy objectives.

Following his meeting with President Menem, President Clinton will meet with leaders from Argentina's political opposition at the Sheraton Hotel.

Meeting With Jewish Leaders
Sheraton Hotel

President Clinton will meet with Jewish leaders and relatives of victims of the 1992 terrorist bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 terrorist bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA), the principal Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The two bombings killed a combined 115 people.

Argentina is home to the fifth largest Jewish community in the world.

Conversation on the Americas Town Hall Meeting
Univision Television Studios

The Conversation on the Americas town hall meeting will be broadcast live by the Univision network . Univision is providing the satellite feed from the town hall to the Organization of Television Companies Ibereo-America (OTI). OTI is the main union for major broadcasters in the hemisphere (they distribute the feed from the World Cup) and will distribute the signal to all countries interested in the broadcast. This service will be free of charge and allow all 33 democracies in Latin America, as well as Spain and Portugal, to receive the broadcast.

After brief opening remarks President Clinton will take questions from a studio audience of young leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile as well as from other countries and from audiences in Miami and Los Angeles. The audience will be comprised of leaders in education, business, the environment, government, anti-drug and poverty groups and the arts.

State Dinner
Rural Center

President Menem will host a state dinner at the main restaurant on the grounds of the Sociedad Rural de Argentina (Rural Society of Argentina). The evening will be centered on a traditional Argentine "asado" or barbecue. Entertainment will likely consist of demonstrations of equestrian skills by gauchos in their typical garb, folk music and dance, the tango, and jazz, among other activities.


President Clinton's Trip to Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina