WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The President and Mrs. Clinton are hosting His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, and Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem at a White House State Dinner on Tuesday, June 20, 2000. King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Meryem will arrive at the North Portico at 7:15 p.m.

The President and Mrs. Clinton, and King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Meryem, will receive guests at the base of the Grand Staircase in the Grand Foyer of the White House. Following the receiving line, the President and Mrs. Clinton will escort King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Meryem into the South Lawn Pavilion for dinner.

Tables in the South Lawn Pavilion will be set with dark green base plates; cream china with a gold band will be used for service. Gold flatware will be set on hunter green damask tablecloths. A "summer garden" of silver Revere bowls and silver topiaries filled with varying shades of peach roses will adorn each table. Crystal votive candles will surround the centerpieces.

Following the dinner, guests will be entertained in the South Lawn Pavilion by Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and Grammy Award winners, Earth, Wind & Fire.

ENTERTAINMENT

In the early 1970s, Maurice White enlisted his brother Verdine, a classically trained bassist from Chicago; Philip Bailey, a four-octave singer-percussionist from Denver; and Ralph Johnson, a drummer-percussionist-vocalist from Los Angeles, to create a group called Earth, Wind & Fire that would forever blur musical boundaries.

The band borrowed from nearly all styles of music - jazz, soul, funk, gospel, blues, rock and dance - to create the unique sound that quickly topped the charts around the world. In addition to introducing countless styles into their music, Earth, Wind & Fire introduced elements of their African heritage to an ever-expanding audience, and Maurice's kalimba, a handheld African thumb piano, soon became a trademark sound.

In 1983, the group disbanded so that members could pursue individual interests. Maurice released a solo album and produced superstars Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. Verdine produced an album from British pop band Level 42. Philip made several gospel records, one of which earned a Grammy Award, and recorded "Easy Lover" with Phil Collins, which became an international hit.

Their solo endeavors reinvigorated the members of Earth, Wind & Fire, who reunited in 1987. After 30 years of touring, Maurice broke from the group, while Philip and Verdine kept the rhythm going. As Earth, Wind & Fire continued to perform, Maurice built a state-of-the-art recording studio and produced several jazz projects, eventually unveiling a boutique record label which he named Kalimba Records.

An encounter with Earth, Wind & Fire is not soon forgotten - their skillful combination of vocal interplay, sophisticated instrumentation and complex arrangements has inspired musicians for decades. Behind 22 albums, six Grammy Awards, four NAACP Image Awards and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is the timeless music of Earth, Wind & Fire.

It is with great honor that President and Mrs. Clinton celebrate the visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, with a dynamic performance by Earth, Wind & Fire, a legendary creative force whose music transcends generations and musical boundaries.

OFFICIAL GIFTS

PRESIDENT CLINTON'S GIFT TO HIS MAJESTY MOHAMMED VI, KING OF MOROCCO:
The official gift for His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, from President Clinton on the occasion of his state visit to Washington, D.C., is a Tiffany & Co. handcrafted sterling silver cache pot with an engraved inscription to King Mohammed VI. The piece features an etched border design inspired by a cornice found in the President's Oval Office and an etched floral design taken from the fireplaces in the Green and Red Rooms of the White House. The flower in the center is a dogwood blossom, a tree frequently found in the President's home state of Arkansas. The Presidential Seal is engraved on the bottom of the silver piece. The cache pot was designed exclusively as a gift for President Clinton to present on the occasion of a state visit. Every American president has had a signature gift to give during his tenure.

MRS. CLINTON'S GIFT TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS LALLA MERYEM:
The official gift for Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem from Mrs. Clinton is a Judith Leiber evening handbag. Ms. Leiber, a Hungarian-American, is renowned as the world's foremost designer of fine handbags. The tiny jewel-encrusted evening sachets for which she is most noted are wearable, collectable art forms coveted by celebrities and socialites and are in the permanent collections of such museums as the Smithsonian Institution and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The book entitled, Judith Leiber: The Artful Handbag, accompanies the gift.

OFFICIAL DELEGATION GIFT:
The official gift for members of the Moroccan delegation is a 12-inch Tiffany & Co. pewter Chippendale tray with an inscription commemorating the state visit to Washington, D.C., of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, and Princess Lalla Meryem.

HIS MAJESTY KING MOHAMMED VI's GIFT TO THE PRESIDENT:
His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, presents to President Clinton a dagger decorated with gold and encrusted with diamonds and emeralds.

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS LALLA MERYEM'S GIFT TO MRS. CLINTON:
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem presents to Mrs. Clinton a hand-painted ceramic pitcher with gold lip and handle. This gift was designed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

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