[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 43 (Monday, October 31, 1994)]
[Pages 2166-2171]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Asad in Damascus

October 27, 1994

    President Asad. President Clinton, ladies and gentlemen, I am 
pleased to welcome President Clinton in Damascus, the oldest 
continuously inhabited city in the world, in the heart of the region 
which witnessed the dawn of human civilizations and the cradle of divine 
religions. This region whose peoples have long suffered, especially 
throughout the century, through the horrors of wars, the bitterness of 
conflict and bloodshed, hopes at last to enjoy peace and stability.
    The visit of President Clinton at the head of the high-level 
American delegation to our country, and the positive and fruitful talks 
we had today constitute an important step towards the realization of 
this noble objective

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to which the people of the region and the world at large aspire.
    Our talks today have focused on the different aspects of the peace 
process and its developments. In this regard, I would like to express my 
deep satisfaction with the fact that our views were identical regarding 
the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace on the basis of 
Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of land for 
peace and that the solution we seek has to be just in order to be stable 
and lasting.
    I have reaffirmed to President Clinton the continued commitment of 
Syria to the peace process and her serious pursuit of a comprehensive 
and just peace as a strategic choice that secures Arab rights, ends the 
Israeli occupation of the Arab land in conformity of the Security 
Council Resolutions 242, 338, and 425, and enables all peoples of the 
region to live in peace, security, and dignity.
    I also stressed to President Clinton--emanating from the principle, 
full withdrawal for full peace, I stressed to President Clinton the 
readiness of Syria to commit itself to the objective requirements of 
peace through the establishment of peaceful, normal relations with 
Israel in return for Israel's full withdrawal from the Golan to the line 
of June 4, 1967, and from the south of Lebanon.
    In this context, the statement of President Clinton on the eve of 
his trip to the region asserting that no comprehensive peace can be 
achieved in the region without Syria is a realistic expression that 
reflects an international consensus regarding this fact. Our nation has 
sacrificed hundreds of thousands of martyrs, not out of love for war or 
fighting but in defense of its rights, dignity, and land. That's why we 
aspire today to transform the region from a state of war to a state of 
peace: a peace that engenders to each party its rights, ends occupation, 
saves the blood of the innocent, and preserves man's dignity; a peace 
that prevails throughout the region and enables its peoples, both Arabs 
and Israelis, to live in security, stability, and prosperity.
    Finally, I would like to convey greetings to the American people 
through President Clinton and to thank President Clinton for his 
personal efforts and the efforts of his aides. I would like to express 
my readiness to work with him for achieving a real, comprehensive, and 
just peace in the region.
    Thank you.
    President Clinton. I am glad to have had the opportunity to stop in 
Syria to meet with President Asad. After yesterday's signing of the 
peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, I came to Damascus today to 
continue working for our common goal of peace in the Middle East.
    During our meeting this morning, President Asad and I affirmed our 
common commitment to that goal and want to accelerate progress toward 
our objective. Yesterday's signing represents an important step forward. 
But our job will not be done and we will not rest until peace agreements 
between Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon are achieved.
    A Syrian-Israeli agreement is key to achieving a comprehensive 
peace. Given Syria's important regional role, it will inevitably broaden 
the circle of Arab States willing to embrace peace. And it will build 
confidence throughout the area that peace will endure.
    My talks here with President Asad are a sign of our mutual 
determination to achieve a peace of the brave as quickly as possible. 
The United States will do everything possible to help make that a 
reality.
    For peace to endure, it must also be just. Peace between Israel and 
Syria must be based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 
and 338 and the principle of land for peace. Peace must also be real: 
more than mere words on paper; more than just the absence of war. 
Nations must establish normal peaceful relations.
    Peace must also be secure for both sides. Security for one side 
should not come at the expense of the other's security. Peace must 
guarantee security against surprise attack by any side. And peace must 
enable the parties to invest in economic development, rather than 
military might.
    All sides must enjoy stability and tranquility. Violence must cease. 
Borders must no longer be subject to aggression, terrorist infiltration, 
violent acts, or bombardment. The murderous acts of terror that we have 
witnessed over the past weeks have two targets: first, innocent people 
who have been killed and wounded; and second, the very

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peace that President Asad supports. All who work for peace must condemn 
these terrorist acts. President Asad and I agree that the peace process 
allows no place for the killing of innocent civilians.
    I also told President Asad of my desire to see the relations between 
our two nations improve. In an era of peace, improved relations would 
benefit both countries and improve regional stability and security.
    Finally, I want to tell the Syrian people how very glad I am to have 
the opportunity to visit your country, if only briefly. Like your 
neighbors in Israel, you have waited too long and have suffered too much 
to be further denied the hope for a new and better future.
    On behalf of the American people, I pledge that I will work with 
President Asad to do everything possible to make real this new and 
peaceful future.
    Thank you.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q.  President Asad, you do seem to hold, in the minds of many, the 
key to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and you have now 
expressed the bottom line of what will be true peace in the Middle East. 
How do you intend to go about getting it? And how soon will it occur?
    And President Clinton, do you agree that there should be a full 
withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Golan Heights to Lebanon and 
Syrian troops from Lebanon to make a real peace in the Middle East?
    President Clinton.  I think I answered the question in my statement. 
We believe that the peace between Israel and Syria must be based upon 
the United Nations Security Council resolutions. And we made some 
progress today in our own talks, the details of which, as you would 
expect, I am not free to discuss. But we are moving forward today, 
consistent with the United Nations Security Council resolutions, and we 
will continue to do it until we have a peace that is based on those 
resolutions.
    President Asad. For a long time we've been moving according to a 
mechanism that pushes us to achieve the peace process. We are relying in 
this, as President Clinton said, on Security Council resolutions and on 
different activities undertaken by all the parties, particularly the 
United States of America. We achieved a few things, and we didn't 
achieve other things. We are going to continue our pursuit in order to 
reach there, in this way or in any other more effective way, in order to 
achieve peace sooner.
    Q. [Inaudible]--security and stability of the region?
    President Clinton. I didn't get the translation. Am I on the wrong 
channel?

[At this point, the question was repeated.]

    Well, first, as I said, I think the role of Syria in the security 
and stability of the region is absolutely critical. I don't think we can 
finish a comprehensive peace or maintain peace in the region unless 
there is peace between Syria and Israel. And I think the benefits that 
would come to the people of both countries over the next several years 
are enormous if such a peace can be achieved.
    My view of President Asad, based on our two meetings and our many 
conversations over the telephone and his constant willingness to receive 
the Secretary of State and other representatives of the United States, 
is that he is committed to achieving peace. He is clearly a very 
effective and determined advocate for the interests of his country and 
its people. But I believe he wants peace, and I believe we will achieve 
it.
    Q. President Asad, the majority of the Israeli public, according to 
the polls, does not believe it is physically safe to give up the Golan 
Heights. This mistrust has been added to by the fact that you haven't 
visited Israel; you haven't met with Mr. Rabin; there's no direct talks; 
you haven't spelled out the exact terms of peace; your support for 10 
rejectionist groups in Damascus and Hezbollah. All this taken together, 
sir, I want to know what assurance can you give the Israeli public--now 
that you are able to address them through this press conference, they 
could hear you--what assurance can you give them that withdrawal will 
indeed lead to true peace and not to the next war? Thank you very much.
    President Asad. The concern of any country in the world about its 
security does not justify for that particular country to preserve the 
lands of other states, of other countries. And countries which fought 
throughout his- 

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tory did not put conditions for achieving peace that one party should 
visit the other or should not visit the other.
    The issue is not concerning a rhetorical or formal issue and not 
with a visit. There are people who visited Israel before, but he himself 
complained--when he was in office, he complained and went on for a long 
time before being able to reach a peace agreement with Israel.
    The important point is that the assumptions or the attempts to 
confine the peace process to small things, to formal things concerning 
the visit of one party to the other, or that one of us is concerned 
about security and that he should arrive there or we should take them 
there--to be secure and not to have any concern from anything--this was 
never there in reality or in books.
    There's nothing we have that proves our design for peace, except our 
saying that we want peace. And anyone who does not believe what we are 
saying, he would have no other way for peace. It would be him that does 
not want peace.
    What also makes us believe that they want peace? We have many proofs 
which we have against them that they do not want peace and not us who 
don't want peace. Such matters to a certain extent were the subject of 
discussion and contemplation between me and President Clinton, and we 
are both convinced, as I believe, we are convinced that the United 
States is serious in pushing the peace process forward.
    And as I've heard from President Clinton, he has proved that we are 
serious. Why the others are not convinced that we are serious--although 
I heard statements from Israeli officials which said that Syria is 
serious in the peace process--and probably what I remember is that Rabin 
was in the front, he was in the front of those people who said a short 
while ago that Syria is serious in wanting peace. And I hope I remember 
quite well, I hope my memory is accurate in this. I heard him saying and 
asserting that Syria is serious in the peace process. So of whom is he 
afraid?
    Q. Mr. President, in your speech today you emphasized the 
significance of security for both sides, i.e., Syria and Israel. On 
numerous occasions, Israeli leaders have sought preferential and rather 
advantageous security arrangements as a precondition for any peace pact 
with Syria. It's common knowledge that Israel possesses a huge arsenal 
of both conventional and mass destruction weapons, refuses to sign the 
nuclear arms nonproliferation treaty. How do you explain your 
endorsement of any future package of security arrangements in view of 
Israel's illogical and unacceptable precondition?
    President Clinton. Well, first of all, I don't have to explain it 
because there won't be a peace agreement until both sides agree on 
security measures. And these are measures that to some extent are 
objective and to some extent are based on intuition--the feeling about 
what the possible future threats to Syria and to Israel are.
    But the United States has absolutely no hesitation in facilitating 
an open and straightforward exchange on those issues. Both sides will 
have to be satisfied that their security needs are met. And it's been my 
experience that the countries, and particularly their leaders, are the 
best judge of what those security requirements are.
    I don't believe for a moment that President Asad or Prime Minister 
Rabin would agree to a peace that would undermine the security of either 
nation. I think both of them will feel that they're more safe after the 
agreement rather than less safe. And that, to me, is the ultimate answer 
to this question.
    Q. Mr. President, Secretary Christopher said that leaders, 
Presidents like yourself, are capable of bold moves that negotiators and 
diplomats aren't able to make. Can you tell us, were there any bold 
moves made today that you can report in terms of agreements on the Golan 
Heights or peace or terms of security?
    President Clinton. Well, let me restate what I said earlier. First 
of all, I respect and I welcome the statement that President Asad has 
made here today, which goes beyond, in my judgment, the public diplomacy 
initiatives which have been made in the past. And I think that that 
statement should be reassuring to the people of Israel and should 
encourage more dialog and a greater willingness to pursue the peace 
process.
    Secondly, in our private discussions there was some progress made, 
the details of which

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I will not and I should not discuss at this time. But we are moving 
forward. I will obviously see Prime Minister Rabin. We will have a frank 
and open discussion, as we always do, and we'll do what we can to keep 
moving forward.
    Q. President Clinton, I have a question for you please. On numerous 
occasions the United States has stressed commitment to Israel's security 
and has provided Israel with all forms of financial and military 
support. How would you, Mr. President, reconcile your role as an honest 
intermediary in the peace process and your different way of dealing with 
Syria, which since the outset of the peace process has confirmed her 
seriousness and positive attitude to make the process successful?
    President Clinton. The commitment of the United States to the 
security of Israel is something that goes back a long way, is of long 
standing, and is a given as a part of our foreign policy. I think that, 
notwithstanding that commitment, President Asad and all others in the 
Middle East who have dealt with us in this peace process would say that 
we have done our best, not just me but especially the Secretary of 
State, Mr. Ross, and others, to be an honest intermediary, to carry the 
legitimate concerns of the various parties, to try to help them make 
peace.
    I would say to you, if I might, what I said in the previous answer: 
This peace agreement will never occur unless Israel and Syria sign with 
the absolute conviction that they will be more secure for signing it, 
not less secure. So whatever the details of the ultimate security 
arrangement are in this peace treaty, if it is signed by the leaders of 
both countries it will only be because they are both convinced that they 
will be safer after they sign than they are before. And we will support 
that in any reasonable way that we can.
    Q. President Asad, President Clinton referred to terrorism earlier. 
As you are aware, the United States keeps Syria on its lists of 
countries that sponsor terrorism. Did you in this discussion promise not 
to sponsor terrorism anymore? Did you acknowledge that you, in fact, do? 
And can you tell us what the Syrian view is of terrorist activities?
    President Asad. We did not discuss terrorism as a separate title. 
And the context of our discussion mentioned some of the examples of the 
discussions which took place between me and some of the senior American 
officials--these discussions which are related to accusing Syria of 
supporting terrorism. I said in these discussions to the American senior 
officers, whom I asked then to mention for me one incident in which 
Syria has committed a terrorist action, and he was helpless. He was not 
able to mention one single incident in which Syria supported terrorism.
    Terrorism--but as it is known, the problem of terrorism is an 
accusation, allegation because of the conflict between us and Syria. 
This is a fact. None of you, in my opinion, neither an Arab nor an 
American, who doesn't know that the reason for accusing Syria of 
terrorism--it's not because that Syrians and those who are in Syria are 
practicing terrorism but for reasons which are related to our stand 
regarding Israel. That's why this accusation went on for a very long 
time. And regardless of the desire of many people, both in Syria and the 
United States, in different times to solve this problem, we did not 
reach until now such a solution.
    But at any rate, this was not one of the topics on the agenda in my 
discussion with President Clinton, and we are discussing what is more 
important. And our concern and focus was on the peace process.
    If the time allows, I would have asked all of you, does any one of 
you have anything that proves that Syria has done a single terrorist 
act. But I don't want this to be a question to you because time does not 
allow such a question.
    President Clinton. I'll make two points. First of all, in our 
meeting, I said and I believe President Asad agrees, that if we are 
going to have peace in the region and a peace agreement is made, then 
supporting those who try to undermine a peace that is made is 
inconsistent with that, particularly if they try to undermine it with 
terrorist tactics.
    Secondly, we do not, we cannot, and we will not support the killing 
of innocent civilians. And President Asad has said repeatedly and said 
to me in our meeting today that he thought that was wrong as well, 
wherever

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it occurred, whether in the bus incident or in Hebron. So we did discuss 
it in that context.
    I am here because I believe strongly that the best way to bring an 
end to terrorism in this part of the world is to achieve a comprehensive 
peace. And I believe we should keep working at it until we get the job 
done.
    Q. President Clinton, you said many times that achieving a progress 
on the Syrian track is the basis for achieving a just and comprehensive 
peace in the region. And incidents have shown that the stalemate in this 
track now is caused by the rejection of Israel to fully withdraw from 
the Golan and from the south of Lebanon. Do you believe, Mr. President, 
that it is possible to overcome this obstacle during this visit of yours 
to Syria? Thank you.
    President Clinton. No, I don't believe we'll announce a peace treaty 
on this visit. I don't believe we will finish the job on this visit. I 
do know we have made some progress here, and I expect to make some 
progress in Israel.
    I believe, and I have told all the parties in the Middle East this, 
that we should build on what has happened and try to accelerate this 
peace process, not slow it down.
    The people of Israel have been shaken by the incidents in the last 
couple of weeks. But I also think they must have been lifted up by the 
signing yesterday with Jordan. And they also should have been encouraged 
by President Asad's speech to the Parliament, by Foreign Minister 
Shara's interview on Israeli television, by the statement President Asad 
made here today.
    So no, I wish we were signing a peace treaty on this trip. We won't 
do it, but we are making progress.
    Thank you.

Note: The President's 76th news conference began at 12:55 p.m. in the 
Great Hall at the Presidential Palace. In his remarks, President Clinton 
referred to Dennis B. Ross, Special Middle East Coordinator, and Foreign 
Minister Farouk al-Shara of Syria. President Asad spoke in Arabic, and 
his remarks were translated by an interpreter. A tape was not available 
for verification of the content of this news conference.