[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[October 19, 1998]
[Page 1820]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Departure for the Wye River Middle East Peace Talks and an 
Exchange With Reporters
October 19, 1998

Terrorist Attack in Beersheba, Israel

    The President. I want to begin by saying how much I deplore the 
grenade attack earlier today on a bus station in Beersheba, Israel. No 
cause, no grievance justifies terror. This is another attempt to murder, 
plain and simple.
    Now, I am convinced that reaching a secure, just, and lasting peace 
between Israelis and Palestinians is the best way to ensure that 
terrorism has no future in the Middle East. I'm now returning to the 
Middle East peace talks to encourage the Israelis and the Palestinians 
to make the hard decisions necessary to move this peace process forward.
    As I said when we launched the talks last week, the United States 
will do everything we can to help; but ultimately, only the parties 
themselves can bridge their differences and put their people on a more 
hopeful course. The issues are difficult. The distrust is deep. The 
going has been tough. But the parties must consider the consequences of 
failure and also the benefits of progress.

Flash Floods in Texas

    Finally, let me say just a few words about the flash flooding that 
has wreaked havoc in southeast Texas. Reportedly, 18 people have lost 
their lives, 5,000 evacuated from their homes, 1,200 in refuge in 
emergency shelters. The storms themselves have not yet abated. We offer 
our thoughts, our prayers, our resolve to help to those who have lost 
family members, those who have been uprooted.
    A short while ago, I spoke to our FEMA Director, James Lee Witt. He 
is already working with the Texas officials to assess the damage, and 
the budget I am about to sign contains nearly $1 billion in additional 
resources to FEMA so that this vital agency will be even stronger as it 
works to address this and future disasters. For now, the Nation stands 
ready to assist the people of Texas in their time of need.

Wye River Middle East Peace Talks

    Q. Mr. President, will the Wye talks cancel your trip to California 
tomorrow in order to be available to continue the Middle East 
negotiations?
    Q. Can they still succeed at Wye?
    The President. I'm going back today to work on this. As you know, I 
got home at 3 o'clock last night. We're working hard through it. This 
incident in Israel is certainly a complicating factor. I have been 
briefed on the progress of events this morning, and we're going to work 
as hard as we can today and we'll have more to say about it as events 
unfold.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 1:28 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House.