[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
[April 25, 2002]
[Pages 667-669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Following Discussions With Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and an Exchange With Reporters in
Crawford, Texas
April 25, 2002
The President. Good afternoon. I was honored to welcome Crown Prince
Abdullah to my ranch, a place that is very special for me and a place
where I welcome special guests to our country. The Crown Prince and I
had a very cordial meeting that confirmed the strong relationship
between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.
Our partnership is important to both our nations. And it is
important to the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East and the
world. We discussed the critical importance of the war on terror. Much
of our discussion centered on the Middle East and how to defuse the
current situation so we can get back on the path to peace.
Our two nations share a vision of two states, Israel and Palestine,
living side by side in peace and security. I reiterated that all parties
have responsibilities to help achieve that vision. The Palestinian
Authority must do more to stop terror. Israel must finish its
withdrawal, including resolution of standoff--standoffs in Ramallah and
Bethlehem, in a nonviolent way.
We discussed the need for Arab states to condemn terror, to stop
incitement of violence, and as part of a long-term peace, to accept
Israel as a nation and a neighbor. We also agreed the world must join in
offering humanitarian aid to the many innocent Palestinians who are
suffering.
I told the Crown Prince how much I appreciate his vision for a
peaceful and integrated Middle East and how I appreciated his leadership
in helping rally the Arab world toward that vision. I also appreciated
the Crown Prince's assurance that Saudi Arabia condemns terror.
The Crown Prince is going to be in America for several more days,
and officials from both our Governments will be continuing our
discussions with the hope that our efforts can help return us to the
path of peace--a lasting peace.
I'll answer a couple of questions. Sandra [Sandra Sobieraj,
Associated Press].
Situation in the Middle East
Q. Mr. President, Saudi officials have taken strong issue with your
characterization of Prime Minister Sharon as a man
[[Page 668]]
of peace and say that your tolerance of what he's doing risks damage to
U.S.-Arab relations. Were you and the Crown Prince able to bridge
differences over that issue and find ways to fix the fragile Arab
support?
The President. Well, first of all, one of the really positive things
out of this meeting was the fact that the Crown Prince and I established
a strong personal bond. We spent a lot of time alone discussing our
respective visions, talking about our families. I was most interested in
learning about how he thought about things. I'm convinced that the
stronger our personal bond is, the more likely it is relations between
our country will be strong.
I made it clear to him that I expected Israel to withdraw, just like
I've made it clear to Israel. And we expect them to be finished. He
knows my position. He also knows that I will work for peace; I will
bring parties along. But I think he recognizes that America can't do it
alone, that it's going to require a unified effort, and one of the main
things about this visit was to solidify that effort.
He's a man with enormous influence in the Middle East. I respect
that a lot, and I'm confident we can work together to achieve a peace.
Patsy [Patricia Wilson, Reuters].
Oil
Q. Mr. President, the Crown Prince raised the prospect of Saudi
support for Iraq's oil embargo, and are you concerned that Arab nations
might use oil as a--try to use oil as a bargaining chip in the Middle
East crisis?
The President. Well, Saudi Arabia made it clear and has made it
clear publicly that they will not use oil as a weapon. And I appreciate
that, respect that, and expect that to be the case.
Situation in the Middle East
Q. Mr. President, to follow on what Sandra asked you, do you feel
like you made some personal headway in meeting with the Prince today, in
reassuring him of the United States belief that all parties in the
region must work harder to----
The President. I----
Q. ----do you feel like--do you feel like you need to convey this
message, perhaps in a stronger way, by sending somebody to the region to
meet with other Arab leaders who are raising concerns along these lines?
The President. Well, Stretch [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News], we just
sent somebody to the region. And that somebody has just returned from
the region, and his name is Colin Powell.
And we're exploring all options. A lot of our discussion with the Saudi
delegation was how to get back on the path to peace. Clearly, there's
some things that must be done in the short run--finish the withdrawal by
Israel, for the Palestinian Authority to clamp down on terror. We
discussed that in very plain and straightforward terms.
As to where we head from now, one of the things that I think is
important for the Crown Prince to have heard is we're interested in his
advice; we're interested in his counsel. We share a vision, and I
reminded him how much I appreciated his statement toward Israel. I
thought that was a breakthrough moment. And it--and then he went and
sold that in Beirut, and I appreciated that as well.
So there's a shared vision. And as to how to achieve that vision is
something we must consult with our friends. And that's what this meeting
was about. It went on quite a while because there was a lot to discuss,
plus, I want you to know, I had the honor of showing him my ranch. He's
a man who's got a farm, and he understands the land, and I really took
great delight in being able to drive him around in a pickup truck and
showing him the trees and my favorite spots. And we saw a wild turkey,
which was good. But we had a very good discussion, and I'm honored he
came to visit.
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Last question.
Saudi Arabia and Terrorism
Q. Mr. President, do you believe--you said that the Crown Prince is
against terror. Do you think he will speak out? Did he make any promises
about speaking out? Should he speak out? And secondarily, in Saudi
Arabia, do you believe the leadership is doing enough to deal with their
own problems with terrorism that comes out of their own country? Fifteen
of the 19 hijackers----
The President. Yes, I--the Crown Prince has been very strong in
condemning the murder of U.S. citizens. He's been very strong about
condemning those who committed those murders. And I appreciate that a
lot. Right after 9/11, he was one of the strongest voices of
condemnation. He understands how devious Usama bin Laden has been. He knows that--that anybody who--you know,
that a strategy by some would be to split the United States and Saudi
Arabia. It's a strong and important friendship, and he knows that, and I
know that, and we're not going to let that happen. So he's been very
strong in the condemnation of terror, for which I'm grateful.
And we're constantly working with him and his Government on
intelligence-sharing and cutting off money. And we're reminding him, on
occasion, where we find money flows, and the Government has been acting,
and I appreciate that very much. He's got a--right now we're working on
an issue in the border region with Yemen to make sure that Yemen doesn't
become a haven for Al Qaida killers. And I appreciate his cooperation on
that matter as well. It's in his interest that we rout out terror.
Listen, thank you all very much.
Note: The President spoke at 4:06 p.m. at the Bush Ranch. In his
remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida
terrorist organization. A reporter referred to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon of Israel.