  We show that Einstein--Podolsky--Rosen--Bohm (EPR) and
Greenberger--Horne--Zeilinger--Mermin (GHZ) states can not generate, through
local manipulation and in the asymptotic limit, all forms of three--partite
pure--state entanglement in a reversible way. The techniques that we use
suggest that there may be a connection between this result and the
irreversibility that occurs in the asymptotic preparation and distillation of
bipartite mixed states.
