[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 5 (Monday, February 8, 1993)]
[Pages 138-139]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher's Trip to the 
Middle East

 February 4, 1993

    In accord with my pledge to maintain continuity in the Arab-Israeli 
peace negotiations, I have decided to dispatch Secretary of State 
Christopher to the Middle East. His purpose will be to convey to all the 
parties my commitment to advance the peace negotiations. He will elicit 
their views on how best to promote progress, and he will discuss 
bilateral issues and regional problems, including Iraq.

    This will be Secretary Christopher's first mission abroad. It is an 
indication of the priority my administration attaches to peacemaking in 
the Middle East. It also presents an opportunity for the parties to 
focus their energies on the formidable challenge of achieving peace in a 
strife-torn region.

    With violence engulfing so much of the world, it is striking that in 
the Middle East a process of direct negotiations has begun. Israel, all 
its Arab neighbors, and the Palestinians have been engaged in a common 
endeavor to achieve a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on 
U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.

    The United States, together with our Russian cosponsor, played a 
critical role in launching these negotiations. It is my intention to see 
that we continue that role.

    We cannot impose a solution on the Middle East. Only the leaders of 
the region can make peace. Theirs is an awesome responsibility. Those 
who oppose the process, who seek to subvert it through violence and 
intimidation, will find no tolerance here for their methods. But those 
who are willing to make peace will find in me and my administration a 
full partner. This is an historic moment. It can slip away all too 
easily. But if we seize the opportunity, we can begin now

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to construct a peaceful Middle East for future generations.