News

ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96091006.TXT
DATE:09/10/96
TITLE:10-09-96  WHITE HOUSE REPORT, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1996

TEXT:
(Yeltsin, Iraq)  (270)

These items are based on an Air Force One pool report covering
President Clinton's trip from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City,
Missouri.

CLINTON PHONES KOHL

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry told the pool President
Clinton telephoned German Chancellor Helmut Kohl from Air Force One
for a 20-minute conversation including a discussion of NATO
enlargement and the health of Russian Federation President Boris
Yeltsin. Kohl visited Yeltsin over the weekend.

McCurry said Kohl told Clinton his conversation with Yeltsin covered
the elections in Bosnia, NATO expansion, and German-Russian bilateral
matters. Kohl said Yeltsin -- who is to undergo heart surgery later
this month -- was "very engaged, obviously very concerned about his
upcoming medical procedure, but obviously looking forward to having it
over with."

McCurry said Clinton and Kohl "compared notes" on Yeltsin's health as
well as "the general subject of NATO expansion."

IRAQI ACTIVITY MONITORED

Leon Panetta, the White House chief of staff, said the administration
has detected Iraqi military activity in the southern section of that
country which "we are watching very carefully." Panetta said he wasn't
sure whether Saddam Hussein was testing the White House or if he had
some other purpose in mind in ordering the movements.

The chief of staff said he had seen news reports alleging that U.S.
intelligence assets were being slaughtered by Saddam, and had talked
about the matter with John Deutch, director of central intelligence.
Panetta told pool reporters on Air Force One that "we don't know where
(the reports) are coming from."
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