    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 18, 2003]
    [Pages 1179-1182]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With King Abdullah II of Jordan at Camp David, Maryland
    September 18, 2003

        President Bush. Thanks for coming. His Majesty and I will answer
    some questions after a couple of statements.
        First, I'm so pleased to welcome my friend King Abdullah and Queen
    Rania to Camp David. I want to thank them so very
    much for rearranging their schedules to get up here ahead of Hurricane
    Isabel. Laura and I look forward to spending some
    quality time with two really fine people.
        We're going to have some serious discussions today. Then we'll have
    a nice lunch, and then we'll batten down the hatches and spend a good
    evening with our friend. The King is a good friend, and I say with
    certainty he is a fine man. He's a reformer who's working to build a
    country that is tolerant and modern and prosperous. He cares deeply for
    the people of Jordan. I know firsthand. I have seen his passion for the
    people in that important country. He suffers when people suffer. He
    exults when people succeed. He's a leader who takes risk for peace. He's
    a peaceful man.
        King Abdullah and I last met more than 3 months ago in Aqaba,
    Jordan. He hosted a very important meeting. It was a moment of great
    hope for the people of the Middle East. At that meeting, Prime
    Minister Abbas--former Prime
    Minister Abbas strongly condemned terror. Prime Minister Sharon committed Israel to supporting the emergence of a
    viable Palestinian state. The King affirmed the commitment of his
    country to help forge a lasting peace.
        In the weeks that followed, there was good progress. Israel withdrew
    from Gaza City and Bethlehem and turned responsibility for security in--
    there over to the Palestinian Authority. Hundreds of prisoners were
    released. Checkpoints were removed. Some unauthorized outposts were
    taken down.
        And on the Palestinian side, Prime Minister Abbas made a good-faith effort to meet the
    commitments made at Aqaba. Yet, at every turn, he was undercut by the
    old order. I remain committed, solidly committed, to the vision of two
    states living side by side in peace and security. Yet, that would only
    happen with new Palestinian leadership committed to fighting terror, not
    compromised by terror.
        I look forward to discussing with His Majesty how we can encourage
    Palestinian reform, how we can work together to fight off the terrorists
    who want to destroy the hopes of many, and how we can move forward to
    peace, peace in a region that needs peace.
        I appreciate the King's cooperation in the critical efforts to build
    a stable Iraq. The

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    hearts of the American people go out to the people of Jordan for the
    ruthless attack on the Embassy in Baghdad. That attack just once again
    shows the nature of terror, indiscriminate killing of innocent people,
    all trying to intimidate and create fear.
        I look forward to hearing His Majesty discuss his efforts to
    continue to work for long-lasting jobs for the Jordanian people, how we
    can work together to expand trade, what we can do together to enhance
    our friendship that has endured across the generations. Today, as the
    United States works to bring--helps to work to bring peace and hope to
    the Middle East, we can rely on Jordan as a vital partner. And that's
    why Laura and I are so honored to welcome you,
    sir, to Camp David, and thank you for coming.
        King Abdullah. Thank you very much, Mr. President, for those very
    kind words of welcome. And I'm particularly delighted, myself and my
    wife, Rania, and our delegation, to really be able to visit with you
    again and discuss many of the issues that are facing both our countries.
        I'm also particularly honored by the strong, genuine dedication that
    you have shown in trying to make our part of the world a better place.
    It took a lot of courage to come to the Middle East, to meet in Sharm
    el-Sheikh with Arab leaders, and then again to come to Aqaba and give
    hopes to the Israelis and Palestinians to move forward. And as you
    rightly said, we did see progress.
        Unfortunately, there is a lull at the moment. But again, your
    dedication to really reach out to the overwhelming majority of Israelis
    and Palestinians that have been suffering for so many years and put your
    heart behind making their future far more hopeful. And this is what I
    believe this weekend is all about. The President has always been
    committed to solving the problems of the Middle East. And I've seen,
    from personal experience, his outward dedication to make a hope for
    Israelis and Palestinians--equally so, your dedication and your desire
    for Iraqis to have a new dawn. And we're extremely appreciative of the
    time that you are spending with us over the weekend to see what we can
    do together to face the challenges ahead of us.
        So a warm thanks from myself and my delegation for your dedication,
    your continued friendship, and really, your genuine desire to make life
    for all of us in the Middle East a much better place. Thank you very
    much.
        President Bush. Thank you, sir. Thanks. Terry [Terence Hunt,
    Associated Press].

    Reform of the Palestinian Authority

        Q. Mr. President, you have refused to talk with Yasser Arafat. And
    Israel says that it's going to remove him. Yet, he is picking ministers
    for the new Prime Minister and is in virtual control of the Government.
    How are you going to deal with the Arafat situation in terms of Middle
    East peace? And is it possible to continue to go around him?
        President Bush. Mr. Arafat has failed as a
    leader. And as I mentioned, Prime Minister Abbas was undermined at all turns by the old order--that
    meant Mr. Arafat. And the people of the Palestinian territory must
    understand if they want peace, they must have leadership who is
    absolutely 100 percent committed to fighting off terror. I believed
    Prime Minister Abbas when he told me at Sharm el-Sheikh, then at Aqaba,
    then in the Oval Office, he would do everything in his power to fight
    terror, that he would work to consolidate the security forces so that he
    could fight terror. And his efforts were undermined, and that's why
    we're now stalled. I'm still committed to peace, because I believe the
    vast majority of people want peace. I'm committed to the roadmap.
        But I'll remind those who focus on the roadmap that the first thing
    the roadmap said was that there must be security in order for peace to
    advance, that there must be a collective effort to fight off terror. Mr.
    Arafat has failed in that efforts. And

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    hopefully, at some point in time, a leadership of the Palestinian
    Authority will emerge which will then commit itself 100 percent to
    fighting off terror. And then we'll be able to consolidate the power
    necessary to fight off terror.
        And when that happens, the world will come together to provide the
    conditions for hope. The world will come together to help an economy
    grow so that the Palestinian people can have a hopeful future. The first
    thing that must happen is an absolute condemnation and defeat of those
    forces who will kill innocent people in order to stop a peace process
    from going forward.
        Your Majesty, do you want to call on somebody?

    Terrorism and the Roadmap for Peace

        Q. Your Majesty, the roadmap provides a monitoring system to ensure
    that Israelis and Palestinians are fulfilling their obligations, and the
    U.S. has its own envoy in the region to monitor the process. What about
    enforcing stricter monitoring mechanism involving the Quartet and the
    international community?
        King Abdullah. Well, I think these are some of the issues that we
    can discuss. I think it's more important now to see how we can move the
    process back on track. I'm sure monitoring and other issues out there
    can be discussed at a later date. We're talking now about the principle
    of getting the movement forward again and Israelis and Palestinians
    engaging positively in the right direction.
        President Bush. Let me remind--I gave a speech on June 24, 2002,
    which laid out a vision for how to achieve peace. And I said,
    ``Everybody has got responsibilities.'' His Majesty has assumed his
    responsibility. He's a leader. He has stood up and said, ``Look, we will
    work for a peaceful solution.'' Other leaders in the region must do the
    same. We must cut off money to terrorist organizations. We must work
    together. Israel has got responsibilities.
        But let me remind you that it is very difficult to stay on a road to
    peace when there are terrorists bombing and killing people. And that's
    what must be stopped. In order for there to be a peace, we must stop
    terror, and it requires a collective effort. All people are responsible.
        And the speech I gave on June 24th still stands as--at least the
    U.S. view--of how to achieve what we want, which is peace and a
    Palestinian state. I think a Palestinian state is one of the most
    hopeful things for a--for the Palestinian people and for the Israelis,
    for that matter.
        But first things first, defeat those who want to stop this from
    happening. And make no mistake about it, the terrorists who are bombing
    and killing aren't interested in a peaceful Palestinian state. They
    don't share our mutual vision, a peaceful vision and a hopeful vision.
        Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    European Support in Iraq

        Q. Thank you. Do you think you can count on Europeans to provide
    financial contributions for Iraq? And what happens if they don't?
        President Bush. Do I think that we can count on the Europeans to
    provide? Yes, I think we're getting help, and I would remind you that
    there is a--two multinational divisions led by--one led by Britain, one
    led by Poland--full of other European countries. And I--that's help. In
    terms of reconstruction, A, we're getting help, and--because Colin
    Powell will continue to ask for help.
        One of the things I must do and will continue to do is make the case
    that a peaceful and secure Iraq is not only in the interests of the
    neighborhood--certainly in Jordan's interest that there be a nation that
    is peaceful and prosperous--but it's in Europe's interest as well, and
    the Americans' interest. You see, freedom in Iraq will change the nature
    of the neighborhood in a positive way. A free Iraq will mean this good
    man will have a partner in peace,

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    somebody with whom he can work--to not only establish good trade but to
    work for additional peace. And it's in Europe's interest that that
    happen.
        And so we will continue to make the case that reconstruction aid is
    necessary. And we'll also remind our European friends that we're making
    good progress there, that businesses are beginning to flourish;
    hospitals are open; pregnant women are receiving medicines; young
    children are getting vaccinated. I mean, there's case after case after
    case where life is improving for the average Iraqi citizen. And we would
    hope that they would participate in this momentum that is taking place
    on a daily basis.
        It is--and I can't--we'll see. I will have a much better feel for
    attitude after next week. As you know, I'll be at the United Nations
    General Assembly. We'll be giving an address there Tuesday morning, and
    then we'll be meeting with a variety of world leaders. His Majesty and
    I, he will be giving me a report on what he knows. He's got pretty good
    antennae. He's well plugged-in, and he knows what's going on in the
    world, and he also is--he has got good friends in Europe and he will--
    part of our discussions will center on how best to broaden the coalition
    of participants.
        Yes.

    U.N. Resolution on Iraq/Hurricane Isabel

        Q. Do you expect you'll have a U.N. resolution by the time you get
    to New York?
        President Bush. Probably not. We're still working it. The question
    was, will we have a U.N. resolution by the time I get to New York? No, I
    don't think so, but it could be. We'll continue to work it, though. And
    the whole purpose, of course, is to make sure that the nations feel--if
    they need a U.N. resolution, they'll have one, in order to justify
    participation.
        And the other thing, of course, is that the U.N. resolution must
    promote an orderly transfer of sovereignty to what will be a freely
    elected government based upon a constitution. So in other words, we must
    have--the constitution must be written, and there will be free
    elections, and then sovereignty will occur once the Iraqi people are
    able to express their opinions. And so we'll be working on that as well.
        Listen, thank you all for coming. We appreciate you all as well
    adjusting your schedules. I know this was supposed to take place at a
    different time, but we wanted to get this over with, so that you didn't
    have to float down the hill, if you know what I mean.
        And by the way, we're very well prepared for Hurricane Isabel. I met
    this morning by SVTS--that's video conferencing--with Tom Ridge and John Gordon of the NSC staff,
    fully briefed on the path of the storm. I'm assured that the Homeland
    Security Department is in close contact with the States' emergency
    preparedness offices. We've got prepositioned equipment in place. Proper
    warnings have gone out, and the communications systems are up and
    running, so that when the storm hits, the response for the citizens will
    be an effective response. And we'll--of course, I'll be monitoring the
    situation. I'll be in close contact with the emergency management
    people.
        All right, get going before it starts raining. Thank you all very
    much.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 10 a.m. In his remarks,
    he referred to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and
    Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority; and Prime Minister
    Ariel Sharon of Israel. A reporter referred to Prime Minister-designate
    Ahmed Korei of the Palestinian Authority.