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ATTORNEY GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER MEISSNER STATEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General Janet Reno and I.N.S. Commissioner Doris Meissner met today with Mariela Quintana, Raquel Rodriguez, grandmothers of Elian Gonzalez, and Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, Bob Edgar and Oscar Bolioli, of the National Council of Churches, as well as Oden Marichal of the Cuban Council of Churches.

The Attorney General and Commissioner Meissner issued the following statement:

• "Ms. Quintana and Ms. Rodriguez made a very compassionate and heartfelt plea to be reunited with their grandson. They asked when Elian could return to his father and the rest of his family in Cuba. We explained that this matter is now in federal court but that we will seek resolution as expeditiously as possible. We accepted a letter from Ms. Quintana and Ms. Rodriguez which reiterated the issues raised in today's meeting.

• We maintain that the law recognizes the unique relationship between parent and child and that family reunification has long been a cornerstone of both American immigration law and INS practice."

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