THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release December 9, 1993 Statement by the Press Secretary The White House announced today that the President and President Hafez Assad of Syria have agreed to meet in Geneva in mid-January 1994. Secretary of State Warren Christopher arranged the meeting during his meeting with President Assad in Damascus today following several rounds of discussions with Israeli and Syrian leaders. The meeting will provide the two leaders an opportunity to discuss the requirements for peace with security between Israel and Syria. It will help put in place this critical cornerstone in the effort to build a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for all the people of the region. The President has met with the other leaders of the states involved in the peace process over the last year for high-level discussions. These meetings have been indispensable to our role as full partner and active intermediary in the Arab-Israeli peace process. President Clinton's meeting with President Assad is one in a series of meetings between U.S. Presidents and the Syrian leader. President Nixon met with him in 1974; President Carter in 1977; and President Bush in 1991. # # #