`COMPLETELY AND TRUTHFULLY'; CLINTON PLEDGES HONESTY IN AUG. 17 TESTIMONY.

Byline: John M. Broder The New York Times

President Clinton declared Friday that he would testify ``completely and truthfully'' in the Monica Lewinsky investigation Aug. 17 but said that until then he would have no public comment on the matter.

The president's brief remarks on the subject that has consumed Washington for the past week came as FBI crime-laboratory technicians began examining a navy blue cocktail dress that Lewinsky gave prosecutors Wednesday. Lawyers say she told prosecutors that the dress contains a stain that could provide evidence of a sexual encounter with the president.

The president's testimony will be transmitted live to grand jurors on closed-circuit television, according to an individual with knowledge of the agreement. The arrangement met a central condition that Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel, set in exchange for withdrawing a July 17 subpoena to compel the president's testimony.

Also on Friday, Starr announced that he was taking an indefinite unpaid leave of absence from the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis to complete his inquiry. Starr, a former solicitor general and federal judge, had come under criticism for making nearly $1 million a year from the firm to represent such clients as General Motors Corp. and Meineke Discount Muffler at the same time that he was conducting a publicly funded investigation of the president.

``Everybody's got a question,'' the president said, smiling, after delivering a statement on the domestic economy and before departing for the Hamptons in New York for a weekend of fund raising, golf and socializing. ``Well, let me give you the answer to all of them.''

He continued: ``No one wants to get this matter behind us more than I do, except maybe all the rest of the American people. I am looking forward to the opportunity, in the next few days, of testifying. I will do so completely and truthfully. I am anxious to do it.''

However, he added, ``I hope you can understand why in the interim I can and should have no further comment on these matters. Thank you very much.''

Clinton's lawyer announced Wednesday that he would provide videotaped testimony for grand jurors Aug. 17, after months of resisting Starr's requests that he answer questions on the Lewinsky matter.

The president's lawyers and advisers had been deeply split over whether Clinton should subject himself to the risk of answering grand jury questions in an inquiry in which he is the potential target. But all agreed that Clinton should not speak publicly about the matter before he gives his testimony, according to senior White House officials.

Lewinsky spent much of the day with prosecutors from the Independent Counsel's Office, who are continuing to prepare for her appearance before the grand jury. She is expected to meet with prosecutors over the weekend as well. No date has been set for her questioning.

Clinton's attorneys will spend the next two weeks assessing Starr's case against the president and trying to anticipate questions Clinton might face. While Clinton plans to maintain an ordinary schedule of official activities over the next two weeks, he has set aside the entire weekend before the Aug. 17 testimony for preparation.

The FBI had not completed its initial examination of Lewinsky's dress by day's end, according to Angela Bell, a bureau spokeswoman. She said a determination about whether there was a stain containing semen or any other identifiable material would not be made until Monday at the earliest. And she said the information would be given to the Independent Counsel's Office and not disclosed publicly.

If there is a semen stain, it would take ``several weeks'' to identify or eliminate any individual as the source, Bell said, although experts on DNA testing said the matching could be done in a matter of days.

White House officials would not comment on whether Clinton would supply saliva or blood samples for DNA matching voluntarily.

Starr issued a statement late Friday announcing that he would drop his private law practice to devote his time to the presidential investigation. White House officials and others have criticized Starr harshly for continuing to represent private clients while overseeing the Independent Counsel's Office.

``Since my appointment, my duties as independent counsel have been my top priority,'' Starr said. ``I have said that I would fulfill my obligations to my private clients and I have done so. At this critical stage of our work, I am taking an unpaid leave of absence from my law firm until I complete my public duties.''

Thomas Yannucci, the firm's managing partner, said Starr is currently in ``no position'' to represent private clients.

He said the indefinite leave was granted at Starr's request with the expectation that he will return to work full time after the investigation is completed.

Told that some Clinton allies were spreading the word that the firm had nudged Starr out, or at least was glad to see him go, Yannucci said, ``I'm not surprised, but that's completely false.''

On Capitol Hill, Sen. John Ashcroft, a conservative Missouri Republican and a possible presidential candidate in 2000, said he would conduct hearings during the August recess on legal and constitutional questions arising from the investigation. He said he would explore whether the president is subject to ordinary criminal prosecution while in office, or must first be impeached and convicted by Congress.

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PHOTO (Color) Speaking to reporters Friday at the White House, President Clinton said he will testify truthfully in the Monica Lewinsky investigation.

Khue Bui/Associated Press