    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [July 16, 2006]
    [Pages 1411-1412]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    G-8 Leaders' Statement on the Situation in the Middle East
    July 16, 2006

        Today, we the G-8 Leaders express our deepening concern about the
    situation in the Middle East, in particular the rising civilian
    casualties on all sides and the damage to infrastructure. We are united
    in our determination to pursue efforts to restore peace. We offer our
    full support for the UN Secretary General's
    mission presently in the region. The root cause of the problems in the
    region is the absence of a comprehensive Middle East peace.
        The immediate crisis results from efforts by extremist forces to
    destabilize the region and to frustrate the aspirations of the
    Palestinian, Israeli and Lebanese people for democracy and peace. In
    Gaza, elements of Hamas launched rocket attacks against Israeli
    territory and abducted an Israeli soldier. In
    Lebanon, Hizbollah, in violation of the Blue Line, attacked Israel from
    Lebanese territory and killed and captured Israeli soldiers, reversing the positive
    trends that began with the Syrian withdrawal in 2005, and undermining
    the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Fuad
    Siniora.
        These extremist elements and those that support them cannot be
    allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos and provoke a wider
    conflict. The extremists must immediately halt their attacks.
        It is also critical that Israel, while exercising the right to
    defend itself, be mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences
    of its actions. We call upon Israel to exercise utmost restraint,
    seeking to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and damage to
    civilian infrastructure and to refrain from acts that would destabilize
    the Lebanese government.
        The most urgent priority is to create conditions for a cessation of
    violence that will be sustainable and lay the foundation for a more
    permanent solution. This, in our judgment, requires:
         The return of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon unharmed;
         An end to the shelling of Israeli territory;
         An end to Israeli military operations and the early
                withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza;
         The release of the arrested Palestinian ministers and
                parliamentarians. The framework for resolving these disputes
                is already established by international consensus.
        In Lebanon, UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680 address
    the underlying conditions that gave rise to this crisis. We urge the UN
    Security Council to develop a plan for the full implementation of these
    resolutions.
        We extend to the Government of Lebanon our full support in asserting
    its sovereign authority over all its territory in fulfillment of UNSCR
    1559. This includes the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces to all parts
    of the country, in particular the South, and the disarming of militias.
    We would welcome an examination by the UN Security Council of the
    possibility of an international security/monitoring presence.
        We also support the initiation of a political dialogue between
    Lebanese and Israeli officials on all issues of concern to both parties.
    In addition, we will support the economic and humanitarian needs of the
    Lebanese people, including the convening at the right time of a donors
    conference.
        In Gaza, the disengagement of Israel provided an opportunity to move
    a further step toward a two state solution under the Road Map. All
    Palestinian parties should accept the existence of Israel, reject
    violence, and accept all previous agreements and obligations, including
    the Roadmap. For its part, Israel needs to refrain from unilateral acts
    that could prejudice a final

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    settlement and agree to negotiate in good faith.
        Our goal is an immediate end to the current violence, a resumption
    of security cooperation and of a political engagement both among
    Palestinians and with Israel. This requires:
         An end to terrorist attacks against Israel;
         A resumption of the efforts of President Abbas to ensure that the
                Palestinian government complies with the Quartet principles;
         Immediate expansion of the temporary international
                mechanism for donors established under the direction of the
                Quartet;
         Israeli compliance with the Agreement on Movement and
                Access of November 2005 and action on other steps to ease
                the humanitarian plight of the people of Gaza and the West
                Bank;
         Resumption of security cooperation between Palestinians and
                Israelis;
         Action to ensure that the Palestinian security forces
                comply with Palestinian law and with the Roadmap, so that
                they are unified and effective in providing security for the
                Palestinian people;
         Resumption of dialogue between Palestinian and Israeli
                political officials.
        These proposals are our contribution to the international effort
    underway to restore calm to the Middle East and provide a basis for
    progress towards a sustainable peace, in accordance with the relevant UN
    Security Council Resolutions. The Quartet will continue to play a
    central role. The G-8 welcomes the positive efforts of Egypt, Saudi
    Arabia and Jordan as well as other responsible regional actors to return
    the region to peace. We look forward to the report of the Secretary
    General's mission to the Security Council later
    this week which we believe could provide a framework for achieving our
    common objectives.

    Note: The statement referred to Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the
    United Nations; and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian
    Authority. An original was not available for verification of the content
    of this joint statement.