Kenneth Starr on Wednesday characterized his resignation as the Whitewater independent counsel as a purely personal decision that has nothing to do with the progress of the three-year investigation of President Clinton and his wife.

Appearing before a group of local lawyers here in this Virginia suburb of Washington, the usually circumspect prosecutor offered his most extensive explanation of the status of the investigation, and tried to justify his resignation announcement, which has confounded many lawyers following the inquiry.

On Monday, Pepperdine University said Starr would step down as the independent counsel by Aug. 1 to become the dean of its law and public policy schools.