Abstract submitted to the
         XXXth International Conference on High Energy Physics
                July 27 - August 2, 2000, Osaka, Japan
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       A measurement of the total photon-proton cross section at HERA



                               ZEUS Collaboration





                                    Abstract


   The total photon-proton cross section has been measured in the process
   e^+p -> e^+ + \gamma^* p -> e^+ + X with the ZEUS detector at HERA.
   Events were accepted with photon virtuality Q^2 < 0.02 GeV^2, with
   average \gamma^* p centre-of-mass energy W_{\gamma^* p} = 207 GeV.   
   The data were recorded in a dedicated, systematics-controlled run 
   with an integrated luminosity of 50 nb$^{-1}$.