FRANK SESNO, CNN ANCHOR: President Clinton says he is pulling for Mr. Obuchi, and pledged to work with acting Prime Minister Aoki. CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is travelling with the president in San Jose, California. Hello, Kelly.</s>KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Frank. Well, the president will be briefed this morning about the latest situation surrounding Prime Minister Obuchi. Although White House aides say the president was made aware yesterday of just how serious things are. Now Mr. Clinton has certainly had a chance to get to know Mr. Obuchi fairly well. He considers him a friend. So therefore it was no surprise that Mr. Clinton expressed sadness at hearing the news about the prime minister. He Spoke to reporters as soon as he arrived here in San Jose last night for a Democratic fund-raiser.</s>WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He has been a good friend to me personally, a good friend of the United States, and he has been a tireless worker to restore the Japanese economy and to bring Asia back from its financial crisis. And I just wanted to say that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him, his family and the people of Japan. We hope for a speedy recovery.</s>WALLACE: The president is also promising to work closely with Japan's acting prime minister to maintain, in the president's words, "the strong relationship the two countries enjoy." Now, so far, the president has not been on the phone with anyone in Japan. Although White House aides say the president is likely to send a message to Mr. Obuchi's family today. Mr. Clinton is also not expected to address the situation later this morning when he gives a speech here in Silicon Valley. The speech will focus on the challenges facing the new economy, a big centerpiece of that speech, Mr. Clinton will renew his call for Congress to grant permanent normal trade relations with China. To make that case, he will say that 35 governors support it and 200 CEOs. Kelly Wallace, CNN, reporting live from San Jose. Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNmoney.com The Web
President Clinton Pulling for Japanese P.M. Obuchi, Pledges to Work with Acting P.M. Aoki