DATE=10/30/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-268649

TITLE=CLINTON / SHIP ATTACK (S ONLY)

BYLINE=DEBORAH TATE

DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: President Clinton is appealing to Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, for greater cooperation in the investigation of the bombing of the U-S-S Cole earlier this month. V-O-A Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from the White House.

TEXT: Appearing before reporters Monday to discuss the budget, Mr. Clinton was asked if Yemen is doing enough to give U-S investigators access to witnesses, suspects, and evidence in their probe of the Cole attack.

The president said the Yemenis could be doing more - a point he said he underscored in a phone conversation with President Saleh on Saturday.

/// CLINTON ACTUALITY ///

There have been difficulties, not because they do not want to find out who did it, but perhaps because they are worried about having America deploy more resources in Yemen to do the investigation that they are doing. I think they feel comfortable that they can do it. But what I argued to President Saleh was that we ought to have a genuine joint investigation.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Clinton said there are some promising leads, and that it is important to move forward quickly in the investigation because - as he put it - the trail can get cold. (Signed)

NEB/DAT/JWH