[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 43 (Monday, October 31, 1994)]
[Pages 2151-2152]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for the Middle East

October 25, 1994

    Good morning. Today I embark on a mission inspired by a dream of 
peace, a dream as ancient as the peoples I will visit, a dream that now, 
after years of struggle, has a new chance of becoming a reality.
    Tomorrow, in the desert between Israel and Jordan, two neighbors 
will agree to lay to rest age-old animosities and give a new future to 
their countries and their children. King Hussein and Prime Minister 
Rabin will enter into an historic peace treaty. By their courage, they 
help their peoples, their region, and the entire world. They help to 
begin a final journey to peace in one of the most perilous conflicts of 
our age. By taking part in that ceremony, I will help to fulfill a 
mission pursued vigorously by the United States, by Presidents of both 
parties, since the end of World War II.
    Peace in the Middle East is in our fundamental interests, and our 
continued participation in the peace process is crucial to its success. 
The signing ceremony I will wit- 

[[Page 2152]]

ness grows out of the peace process we have helped to build.
    The treaty between Israel and Jordan will be only the second full 
peace treaty between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors and the first 
ever signed in the Middle East itself. The roots of this process reach 
back to the Camp David accords between the late Anwar Sadat of Egypt and 
Menachem Begin of Israel, in which President Carter played such a 
pivotal role, and to the historic peace treaty they signed here 15 years 
ago.
    But this trip is more than a celebration of another important step 
toward peace, it's an opportunity to pursue new steps. Israel and Jordan 
have shown that contact can overcome conflict and that direct talks can 
produce peace. My goal is to make clear that the time has arrived for 
all parties to follow the brave and hopeful inspiration of Israel and 
Jordan. With so much at stake, it is more important than ever for the 
United States to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who are taking 
risks for peace.
    For all the progress toward peace, indeed, because of that progress, 
we have witnessed a new wave of terrorism and violence. No step on this 
long journey requires more patience, more discipline, more courage than 
the steps still to come. At this crucial moment, the people of the 
Middle East stand at a crossroads. In one direction lies the dark past 
of violence, terrorism, and insecurity that desperate enemies of peace 
seek to prolong. In the other lies a brighter future, a brighter future 
that Israel and all her Arab neighbors can achieve if they have the 
courage to stand up to violence, to terrorism, to mistrust, to build 
that future.
    Above all else, I go to the Middle East to deliver one clear 
message: The United States stands by those who, in the words of the 
Psalms, ``seek peace and pursue it.'' And we stand up to those who 
threaten to destroy the dream that has brought us to this historic 
moment.
    Standing up for peace in this region includes countering the 
aggressive acts of Iraq's toward its neighbors. Like our troops around 
the world, the men and women of our Armed Forces stationed in Kuwait are 
the strength behind our pledge to support peace and security. They are 
doing a magnificent job, and I want them to know how proud all Americans 
are of their efforts. When I visit them on Friday, I know I'll carry the 
good wishes of all their fellow Americans, just as I know all Americans 
will pray this week for the progress toward peace as we witness this 
historic treaty and carry the peace process forward.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 7:42 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House.