[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[July 26, 1994]
[Pages 1314-1315]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Reception Honoring King Hussein of Jordan and 
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel
July 26, 1994

    Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. Thank you for your kind remarks. 
Thank you for being a remarkable host tonight for this fitting capstone 
of the last 2 days. And thank you for your tireless efforts toward this 
remarkable achievement. The world is in your debt as well, sir, and 
we're grateful to you.

[[Page 1315]]

    What a 2 days this has been. It's been so elevating and so 
exhilarating, I hesitate to diminish it in any way with a little humor. 
But when we were being called in and we realized, the three of us, that 
once more we were going to be asked to say something, I said, ``Isn't it 
wonderful we're going to give another speech.'' [Laughter] His Majesty 
rolled his eyes--[laughter]--and the Prime Minister said, ``You go in 
and tell everybody we're very grateful to them, we've had a wonderful 
time, and we're going to eat and drink some more.'' [Laughter]
    I think America will long remember the remarkable signing ceremony 
yesterday and the gripping appearance of King Hussein and Prime Minister 
Rabin before the joint session of Congress today. They were truly 
magnificent. They remind us by the events here in the last 2 days and by 
the lives that they brought here that it still is possible for hope to 
triumph over hate, for unity to triumph over division, for optimism to 
vanquish cynicism even in this day and time.
    And I want to say a special word of thanks on behalf of the American 
people for this process in the Middle East. Your Majesty, Prime 
Minister, if you look out in this room today, there are Jewish-American 
and Arab-American citizens of my country who never knew each other 
before this process began, who never related to each other, who always 
wondered if they really did share the same citizenship, the same 
experiences, the same feelings and values. Now they're part of the 
Builders for Peace program. They're talking about all the young people 
coming over here from Jordan and Israel and Egypt and Morocco in the 
Seeds for Peace program. They're imagining what might happen in the new 
world of investment and trade and human contact between people in the 
United States and people in the Middle East. So that is something that 
we owe you as Americans.
    I am very proud of the role the United States has been able to play 
in this process, but all we can ever do is to make it possible for brave 
leaders to feel secure enough, certain enough, trusting enough of us so 
that they can do what it is in their heart they wish to do. If we have 
done that, I am very proud and grateful for the opportunity to have done 
that.
    But in the end, we must, all of us, be grateful to these two 
remarkable men and their remarkable nations. And we must commit, all of 
us, to make sure that the great journey they have started has a 
successful conclusion. That is my commitment. And with that, I welcome 
them to this podium and thank them for these last 2 magnificent days.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 9:25 p.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room at 
the State Department.