    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [June 3, 2003]
    [Page 587]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 587]]

    Remarks at a Multilateral Meeting With Arab Leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh,
    Egypt
    June 3, 2003

        Well, Mr. President, thank you very much
    for hosting this important meeting. I want to thank the leaders for
    coming, Your ``Abu Mazen'' I want to thank you and
    your delegation for coming as well.
        I'm the kind of person who, when I say something, I mean it. I mean
    that the world needs to have a Palestinian state that is free and at
    peace. And therefore, my Government will work with all parties concerned
    to achieve that vision. I believe now is the time to work to achieve the
    vision.
        All of us have responsibilities to achieve the vision. You, sir,
    have got a responsibility, and you've assumed it. I want to work with
    you, as do the other leaders here. We must not allow few people, a few
    killers, a few terrorists to destroy the dreams and the hopes of the
    many.
        Israel has got responsibilities. Israel must deal with the
    settlements. Israel must make sure there's a contiguous* territory that
    the Palestinians can call home.
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        *White House correction.
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        The leaders at the table have got a responsibility. The biggest
    responsibility that they have, it seems like to me, is to fight off any
    source of funding to terror, is to prevent the terrorists from gaining a
    foothold. I know that is the commitment of the leaders here; I have
    talked to them about that. It's in their own self-interests to fight off
    terror. It's in their own self-interests to enable the Palestinian state
    to emerge.
        So this is an historic meeting. It's the beginning of a long process
    and a tough process. But no matter how difficult it is, you have my
    commitment that I will expend the energy and effort necessary to move
    the process forward.
        I believe that, as I told the Crown Prince, thank you for convening
    this meeting. Tomorrow we've got important meetings as well. This is the
    beginning of a process where all of us must not allow the few to destroy
    the hopes of the many.
        May God bless our work.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:50 p.m. at the Movenpick Conference
    Center. The following leaders participated in the meeting with the
    President: President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt; King Abdullah II of Jordan;
    King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi
    Arabia; and Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian
    Authority. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
    these remarks.