    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [November 1, 1999]
    [Pages 1942-1943]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters in Oslo, Norway
    November 1, 1999

    Middle East Peace Process

        Q. What is your hope for the peace process?
        The President. Well, first of all, I would like to thank the Prime
    Minister, the Government, and the
    people of Norway for hosting this meeting. I think it's coming at a good
    time. I believe that Prime Minister Barak and
    Chairman Arafat want to continue the peace
    process. And we are now to the point where the really difficult
    decisions lie ahead. So coming back to Oslo, where the Oslo accords were
    born, coming here to honor the memory of Yitzhak Rabin, who gave his
    life for this peace process, it's a good thing to do.
        And so we're hopeful that we'll make some progress. And we'll see,
    and probably the less we say about it in public, the more likely we

    [[Page 1943]]

    are to get something done. But I'm hopeful. And I'm honored to be here
    in Norway. This is my first trip, as President, to Norway. I haven't
    been here in 30 years; 30 years ago next month was my first trip to
    Norway.

    President's First Visit to Norway

        Q. Do you remember it well?
        The President. Very well, yes. It was wonderful.
        Thank you.

    Note: The exchange began at 7 a.m. at Oslo International Airport. In his
    remarks, the President referred to Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik
    of Norway; Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel; and Chairman Yasser
    Arafat of the Palestinian Authority. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of this exchange.