[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9088-S9089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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   SUPPORTING SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT'S MIDDLE EAST PEACE MISSION

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today in sadness at the 
great crisis which threatens to end the Oslo Peace Process in the 
Middle East. The crisis, as we know, has been caused by the most recent 
cowardly and criminal acts of those who are enemies of not only the 
peace process but of the Israeli and Palestinian people themselves.
  My hope is that a solution to the crisis may be found through the 
ingenuity, faith, and the actions of those who have the courage to rise 
above hatred and suspicion. It is for that reason and in that spirit 
that I wish to express my strongest support for the mission of 
Secretary of State Albright to the Middle East this week.
  The recent bombings in Jerusalem were detestable acts of terrorism 
which had only one purpose--killing the peace process. Both Israelis 
and Palestinians alike will be the victims if the criminals succeed.
  Secretary Albright's mission is nothing less than an attempt to save 
the peace process. But the peace process can recover and move forward 
only in a secure environment, and the Secretary has properly identified 
security as the primary and essential focus of her trip. This, I must 
emphasize, must be transparently as important to the Palestinian 
Authority as it is to the Government of Israel. Those that have planned 
and carried out these acts of terrorism against Israel have at the same 
time weakened the Palestinian Authority.

[[Page S9089]]

  Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must address this 
problem at its root and without equivocation. The coordination of 
security efforts is not and cannot be a bargaining chip to be turned on 
or off at will. There can be no tolerance for the perpetrators of 
violence--those who plan, finance, supply, or abet terrorism must be 
arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned. No exceptions and no revolving 
doors.
  Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that there can be no peace 
without security. This is a commitment we share, and a commitment that 
must be evidenced by the Palestinian Authority beyond question through 
its own unilateral actions. At the same time, and as noted by Secretary 
Albright, we do not ask the impossible and, against suicide terrorists, 
cannot expect 100-percent success. There must, however, be nothing 
other than a 100-percent effort in this regard by the leadership of the 
Palestinian Authority.
  With this security perspective as the foundation, there must also be 
a political environment that makes it possible to rebuild the trust 
that has been a victim of the violence and move ahead to achieve a 
peace for all. Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed his commitment to 
``a peace that will surprise the world.'' We must encourage all parties 
to embrace such a commitment, and I fully support the Secretary in her 
efforts to that end.

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