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September 18, 1998

PRESS BRIEFING BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SANDY BERGER

                                THE WHITE HOUSE
                         Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                          September 18, 1998     
                               PRESS BRIEFING BY
                     NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SANDY BERGER
                               The Briefing Room
9:59 A.M. EDT
..........
	     MR. BERGER: 
	     Following the speech, the President will meet with Prime 
Minister Sharif of Pakistan.  As you know, we've had a close 
relationship with Pakistan for many years and we hope to work with 
Pakistan in the years to come.  That has obviously been complicated, 
as is the case with India, by their nuclear tests.
	     Since that time, there have been ongoing discussions 
between the Indians and the United States, between the Pakistanis and 
the United States, on measures and steps that the two governments 
could take that would move them more firmly back into the 
nonproliferation regime.  These relate to the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty.  They relate to how they develop and deploy their missiles.  
They relate to moratoriums on fissile material and direct dialogue on 
some of the fundamental issues that divide them, particularly 
Kashmir.  And the President will be talking to Prime Minister Sharif 
on each of these and hope that we can get -- encourage him to take 
some steps in this direction, as we have with the Indians.
.................
	     Q	  In connection with your meeting with Prime Minister 
Sharif, is the United States encouraged or discouraged by what's 
happening in India and Pakistan?  And where do you stand in terms of 
the trip to India and Pakistan?  When is the decision?
	     MR. BERGER: Well, let me answer the second part and then 
the first part.  You all know these trips have a certain lead time so 
that advance work can be done, security work can be done.  I think we 
have to make a decision on this sometime in the next few weeks.  We 
have discussed with the Indians, and with the Pakistanis, the steps 
that we think need to be taken to put them back on track, as I say, 
more firmly back on track in the nonproliferation regime.  I think 
there has been some movement, but I think so far it's been 
insufficient.