[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 11 (Monday, March 18, 1996)]
[Pages 483-488]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in 
Sharm al-Sheikh

March 13, 1996

Summit of the Peacemakers

    President Mubarak. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Once again, 
the nations of the world have rallied together in order to enhance peace 
and promote security in the Middle East. Many leaders who are not 
present with us today contacted us to express their solidarity and 
support for the objectives of the conference.
    This site where the Peacemakers Summit was held was the theater of 
many battles in the unhappy past. Today, it has become the living symbol 
of the new era of peace and coexistence. Our gathering represented all 
worldly cultures and reflected the real concern for peace and stability 
in this troubled area. It is our consensus the Sharm al-Sheikh 
conference was a big success.
    All leaders and delegates demonstrated a profound commitment to the 
promotion of peace and security throughout the region. All of them spoke 
their minds and discussed the issues in a spirit of openness, candor, 
and objectivity. Our discussions remained focused on the issues of peace 
and security. Many valuable contributions were made in the course of the 
two sessions we held.
    There were no sharp disagreements or disputes. The interventions 
went beyond the customary generalities and dealt with specific points 
which were quite relevant to the purpose of the summit conference. The 
outcome of the discussions were properly reflected in the statement 
which has been distributed to you a while ago.
    You have certainly noticed that the conference adopted a set of 
policies and measures in order to enhance the chance for peace and 
reinforce the security of all parties directly involved in the peace 
process. Concrete measures and mechanisms were agreed upon for the 
purpose of combating terror and the terrorists. All the peoples of the 
region view terrorism as one of the most dangerous threats to their 
security and stability, individually and collectively.
    It is our hope that the believers in peace and reconciliation who 
constitute the great majority will triumph over the forces of doom and 
gloom. Hope will ultimately prevail over despair and fear. It is our 
hope also the peace process would be activated and revived without 
delay. As greater security and tranquility are achieved in the area, 
restrictive, measures would be eased and lifted as soon as possible. The 
living conditions of the innocent people who are suffering in the 
aftermath of the violence should be improved markedly.
    Finally, I would like to say a few words to all those wise leaders 
who attended the conference. I want to state in this gathering that we 
are indebted to each and every one of them for their significant 
contribution and positive spirit. The leaders of the parties who are 
immediately concerned exhibited their courage and vision. They spoke 
candidly and positively.
    Our Arab brothers exemplified the true spirit of Islam and the Arab 
culture. Our European friends demonstrated once again that they are 
fully aware that our two regions are inseparable. Our destiny is one and 
the same. The cosponsors of the peace process showed the depth of their 
commitment to peace and security in the Middle East. Each participant in 
the conference was equally helpful.

[[Page 484]]

    President Clinton, who cochaired the meetings, who shares the podium 
with me, has made invaluable contributions. He worked with me day and 
night during the past few days. The 7 hours time difference was no 
barrier or hindrance. He's a statesman of vision and courage.
    Before I open the floor to your questions to both of us, I would 
like to thank you, representatives of the media, for your cooperation 
and patience. I realize that you are hard-pressed by time and space, but 
you'll prevail as we will. Thank you.
    President Clinton. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Let me begin 
by thanking President Mubarak for his willingness to host this historic 
meeting and by the work that he did to help get this amazing group of 
people together.
    This is an historic showing of the strength of peace in the Middle 
East today. And as the cochairman's statement makes clear, this 
unprecedented meeting of leaders from this region and from all around 
the world has been very serious, has been very successful, is very 
productive. The statement has been passed out, I believe, to all of you, 
but I would like to summarize it for the benefit of those who may not 
have read it yet. And I see some of the members of the press nodding 
their heads they don't have it yet, so let me just--it's very brief, so 
let me go over it.
    The Summit of Peacemakers has just concluded. This meeting took 
place at a time when the peace process confronts serious threats. The 
summit had three fundamental objectives: to enhance the peace process, 
to promote security, and to combat terror.
    Accordingly, the participants here today expressed their full 
support for the Middle East peace process and their determination that 
this process continue in order to accomplish a just, lasting, and 
comprehensive peace in the region; affirm their determination to promote 
security and stability; and to prevent the enemies of peace from 
achieving their ultimate objective of destroying the real opportunity 
for peace in the Middle East; and reemphasize their strong condemnation 
of all acts of terror in all its abhorrent forms, whatever its 
motivation and whoever its perpetrator, including recent attacks in 
Israel, considering them alien to the moral and spiritual values shared 
by all peoples of the region; and reaffirm their intention to stand 
staunchly against all such acts and to urge all governments to join them 
in this condemnation and opposition.
    To that end we decided to support the Israeli-Palestinian 
agreements, the continuation of the negotiating process, and to 
politically and economically reinforce it; to enhance the security 
situation for both with special attention to the current and pressing 
economic needs of the Palestinians; to support the continuation of the 
negotiating process in order to achieve a comprehensive settlement; to 
work together to promote security and stability in the region by 
developing effective and practical means of cooperation and further 
assistance; to promote coordination of efforts to stop acts of terror on 
bilateral, regional, and international levels, ensuring instigators of 
such acts are brought to justice; supporting efforts by all parties to 
prevent their territories from being used for terrorist purposes and 
preventing terrorist organizations from engaging in recruitment, 
supplying arms, or fundraising; to exert maximum efforts to identify and 
determine the sources of financing for these groups and to cooperate in 
cutting them off; and by providing training, equipment, and other forms 
of support to those taking steps against groups using violence and 
terror to undermine peace, security, or stability.
    Finally, to form a working group open to all summit participants to 
prepare recommendations on how best to implement the decisions contained 
in this statement through ongoing work, and to report to the 
participants within 30 days. I can say that President Mubarak and I 
asked the participants to support an effort by the United States to 
coordinate an early working group meeting of these--of all the 
participants here, and we expect to do that within a couple of weeks.
    Let me just make one last point. This is a remarkable day because of 
the number of people from the region who came here, as well as those who 
came from all around the world. When I leave President Mubarak and 
Egypt, I will go to Israel with a clear message that Israel is not 
alone. Now, throughout the region as well as the world, there are peace- 


[[Page 485]]

makers who stand together against terror, for security, and for the 
cause of peace. The meeting today and the statements which were made in 
public by the leaders who were here today would have been unthinkable 
just a short while ago.
    Let me say again to President Mubarak, you, sir, deserve a large 
share of credit for the fact that this meeting could take place, and it 
could have taken place in no other place than Egypt. We are grateful to 
you. And let me say on behalf of the United States, to the people of 
this region who stand for peace, you can all draw courage and strength 
and inspiration from what we have achieved here today and what we are 
committed to do in the future.
    Thank you very much.

Palestinian Territories

    Q. President Mubarak and President Clinton, I had a question for 
Egyptian television. President Mubarak and President Clinton, what is 
your opinion on the closure of Palestinian territories and collective 
punishment pursued by Israel? Has this conference come up with any 
decisions to safeguard innocent Palestinians as well, because certain 
measures were taken against Palestinians right before the conference 
took place? Thank you.
    President Mubarak. Anyway, I think that the closure is starting to 
be released. We have discussed this--I discussed this with Prime 
Minister Peres, and it was not going to last long. They opened the gates 
for supplies for the people, and I think this situation will not stay 
for a long time.
    President Clinton. Yes, we discussed it, and I know that there are 
many more trucks going in today with basic supplies than yesterday. And 
I expect to see some changes. But if I might say, viewed through one 
eye, this is collective punishment. Viewed through another, it is an 
elemental security measure at a time when it's hard to tell who may be 
wrapped in plastique. So it's very important that this be seen as a 
process of strengthening our common efforts against terrorism and for 
security, and opening the borders.
    Obviously the peace cannot succeed unless the people in Gaza have a 
chance to flourish economically, to reap the benefits of peace. And it 
is clear that peace and security are two sides of the same coin, not 
only for the Israelis, but for the Palestinians. And having voted for 
peace, as the Palestinians have, they now are bound up together in a 
mutual destiny. And it is in all of our interests to see that both of 
them succeed in becoming more secure and more peaceful.

Terrorist Nations

    Q. President Clinton, Prime Minister Peres and John Major both 
talked of Iran as a source of terrorism. He also mentioned Libya. Why 
did this conference not single out any of the nations that you accuse of 
sponsoring terrorism, point fingers, and impose or try to impose any 
kind of sanctions on these nations?
    President Clinton. Well, I think you know my statements on that 
issue have been quite clear and forthright, and the United States has 
taken very strong actions there. Let me answer you in this way: The 
nations here in what they agreed to do--and if you go back to my 
statement, this is a remarkable statement--that every person here agreed 
that we would together take specific steps, including dealing with 
funding sources. I believe that's a pretty explicit commitment on our 
part to do what we can within our means to reduce terrorism in the area. 
And I believe that we shouldn't diminish what we did do by focusing on 
what was not done or said. What was done and said is far more than has 
ever been done and said by people working together in this region.
    President Mubarak. We don't want to accuse so many--mention any 
country now in the time being, but we condemn all kinds of terrorism 
wheresoever. And to condemn some countries who have--[inaudible]--should 
have definite reasons for that.

Syria

    Q. President Mubarak and President Clinton, aren't you gentlemen 
worried or even bothered that something in the success of this 
conference is lacking as a result of the absence of a major player in 
the peace process in the Middle East, and I mean Syria?
    President Mubarak. Look, Syria is committed to peace. This 
conference is dealing with the peace process in general, and to see

[[Page 486]]

that or to condemn the terrorism and seek for security. Syria, although 
she didn't attend the conference, and it had its own reasons, but she 
said she is committed to peace, and I think she is ready to start 
negotiations for peace.
    President Clinton. Obviously, from our point of view, we wish the 
Syrians had come. President Mubarak invited them; we had urged them to 
come. But I wouldn't overread their absence here; it's part of a general 
pattern of going their own way.
    I was encouraged by the statement which was issued today, and I do 
believe that the Syrians still want to achieve a peace with Israel at 
the earliest practical time. Again, I say to you, you can focus on what 
didn't happen today, but if you do, it will blind you to what has 
happened, which no one would have conceived of happening even a few 
months ago.
    And if you watch, we're going to follow up on this, and this 
agreement is very specific about what we're going to do. I should also 
talk about--we're talking about what didn't happen--no one can promise 
in Israel, in Gaza, in the United States, that, in Egypt, that there 
will never again ever be an act of terrorism. What we can promise is 
that we are working hard, we are increasing our capabilities to combat 
it, and we are going to reduce it and raise the price of doing it. And 
that is what we committed to do.

Israel Trip

    Q. President Clinton, can you tell me why you decided on this 
upcoming trip to Jerusalem to visit Mr. Netanyahu and what you plan to 
tell him?
    President Clinton. Oh, I visited with him when I was there last 
time, and I always--typically, when I'm in any country, I visit with 
leaders of both parties. And I expect what I will do is to reaffirm my 
determination to fight for both peace and security for Israel, and I 
will listen to him, which is what I did the last time I was there.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. President Mubarak, President Clinton, do you have the feeling or 
the conviction now, in the light of the last days' and even hours' 
discussions, that--and decisions, probably--that the peace process will 
continue soon and that there will not be a long gap? And do you share 
the view of some political observers who believe that a long pause now 
will be extremely detrimental to the whole peace process?
    President Mubarak. I would like to tell you that the peace process, 
although she is meeting some problems, and we expect every now and then 
until we reach the final goal, we expect that we are going to meet some 
problems, but that doesn't mean that the peace process will stop. The 
peace process--we met here today just at least to stop the deterioration 
of the implementation of the peace agreements.
    I think it's a very important point for the peace process to 
continue. The Syrians have already declared that they are committed to 
peace. So we shouldn't worry because peace is so precious and it is 
going on and there is no other way else for the region except to go 
through the peace.
    President Clinton. Let's be candid here. The purpose of the terror 
was to kill the peace. I mean, the purpose of the terror was to make the 
Israelis feel so insecure that peace seemed worse--that pursuing the 
peace process seemed worse than some reversion to the status quo. And 
the purpose of the terror was to make sure that the Palestinians wound 
up suffering economically so much they no longer wanted to pursue the 
peace.
    Our purpose here is to try to bolster the level of confidence among 
Israelis and Palestinians to say that we need peace and security and 
basic prosperity, and we need to pursue all three at once. The pace of 
these processes is not within anyone's total control, as President 
Mubarak said. But what we know is if we keep pushing forward, if we 
don't permit it to slip backward, that in the end we believe we will 
succeed because all the parties not only want peace but it is in their 
interest to achieve it.
    And so the short answer to your question is I believe we will 
prevail on whatever timetable, unless the enemies of peace can raise the 
pain of pursuing peace to the Israelis or to the Palestinians so high it 
seems pointless to them.

[[Page 487]]

Iran and Security

    Q. Mr. President, you answered this question in a more general way 
but I wondered, after listening to Prime Minister Peres, if you are 
willing as the President of the United States to issue a challenge to 
all of the countries here to isolate Iran, not to do business with them, 
since it appears that they are in fact the major sponsors of Hamas? And 
I also wanted to ask you in regard to some of the other points you made 
here, if you were a family member of one of the victims in Israel--we've 
watched all of these anguished faces--do you think that you would feel, 
with so many of today's accomplishments yet to be achieved, that you 
would want this to go forward without a lot more security, the things 
that the Israeli people are demanding?
    President Clinton. Well, first of all, let me remind you that last 
year I took far stronger steps against Iran than any of our European 
allies had taken up to that point. And many of them disagree with me 
honestly. They believe that it's better to maintain some dialog, to have 
some engagement. I have continued to argue for the isolation of rogue 
states. I did it in the United Nations last year, and I continue to do 
that, and I will continue to do that based on the evidence we have at 
hand.
    In answer to your second question, I don't know how I would feel if 
I had lost a child. Anyone who says that you know exactly how you would 
act if you had lost a child, unless you've lost a child, you don't know 
that. I can tell you this: that I met with the two American Jewish 
families who lost their children recently, two of them, in New Jersey 
the other day. And their reactions, I think, are pretty reflective of 
the Israelis.
    One family--a woman who lost her daughter, her other daughter is 
about to go back to Israel to continue her studies and feels strongly 
that the peace process should continue because unless it continues there 
will never be any long-term security for the people of Israel. The other 
family, the father of a slain daughter, has spent a lot of time going 
around our own country speaking up for the importance of peace, but he 
is very concerned about security because he knows unless people are 
secure they won't feel free to make peace. And I don't think that means 
they're ambivalent or wishy-washy. I think it means that they understand 
that these are two sides of the same coin.
    There must be a certain level of security in order for people to 
feel free to pursue peace. But unless we ultimately resolve these 
questions in a peace agreement, there will never be the kind of security 
that normal life brings and that people expect in the normal course of 
day-to-day events.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Mr. Mubarak, in the light of the discussions of the day and in 
the light of the final statement, what are the steps adopted by this 
conference for us to guarantee that the peace process will go back to 
its normal course? Another question--that is, the guarantees presented 
by this conference so that the peace process might not run into 
difficulties again.
    President Mubarak. Well, in reality when it comes--[inaudible]--you 
cannot guarantee 100 percent that it will not be met with obstacles. I 
think nobody on Earth can guarantee this. Nobody on Earth can guarantee 
that there will be no terrorist acts to stop the peace process or to 
impede it. We must make sure that this will not happen, and this is why 
we have to take steps for security.
    Now, there are steps that were mentioned in the statement. We also 
decided to set up a committee to follow up this statement and to 
guarantee the peace process and we talk about terrorism because 
terrorism seeks to impede this peace process. So it's two aspects. We 
wish to denounce terrorism, to struggle against it, and there are also 
means and ways, procedures specified in the statement to struggle 
against terrorism.

Extremist Movement

    Q. President Clinton, I'd like to ask this question of you. Have you 
not adopted a series of mechanical means to combat what is essentially 
an ideological movement, namely Islamic extremism, a movement which in 
fact has caused great tragedy not only in Israel but also in Egypt and 
even in the United States and other countries? Should you not deal with 
the problem directly instead of through euphemisms?

[[Page 488]]

    President Mubarak. I'll surely tell you that you are mentioning only 
Islamic--Muslims, like any other religion--Islam, like any other 
religion, is against violence, against any act of violence under any 
title.
    President Clinton. I want to support President Mubarak. He has taken 
action within Egypt to deal with the problems here. I am gratified that 
in our most serious terrorist incidents we have made arrests quickly, 
and in the cases where the legal process has run its course, we have 
achieved convictions with strong sentences.
    That does not mean--and in each of these countries, the facts may be 
somewhat different. So I don't think we're speaking in euphemisms when 
we talk about the terror here being tied up with the question of getting 
peace in the Middle East. But Islamic--to equate Islam with terror I 
think is a big mistake. I mean, the Japanese dealt with it in the Tokyo 
subway with the sarin gas. We dealt with it at Oklahoma City. People all 
over the world are coming to grips with it. The British are having their 
buildings blown up again.
    So, I think you have to look at this in every country, in every 
place it rears its head, and see how it can be dealt with. The problem 
here is that the terror is associated with people who do not want a 
peaceful resolution in the Middle East. If we had a peaceful resolution 
in the Middle East and if the Palestinian Authority had time to develop 
as an ordinary government, they would have more and more and more 
capacity to deal with the terrorism on their own. And that's what we're 
talking about.
    One last question. Shall we take one last question?

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. A question for President Mubarak. Madrid Conference II is an idea 
which was presented by Russia and by Syria and again today it was 
presented by Saudi Arabia. What's your point of view about it, and will 
it be proposed to save the peace process?
    President Mubarak. Look, Madrid Conference, Cairo Conference, Moscow 
Conference, Washington Conference--it is--are issues which should be 
tackled and discussed and come out with a resolution to help the process 
to continue. When the Saudis said about Madrid--just to check if the 
peace process continues or to help. We have discussed a very important 
issue which is handling the peace process, security, and terrorist 
action. This is very important because it is laying the peace process. 
So I don't think Madrid or Washington or Moscow or Egypt or France 
doesn't deal--the name of the town will solve the problem.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President's 115th news conference began at 3:50 p.m. in the 
courtyard at the Movenpick Hotel. Participants referred to Prime 
Minister Shimon Peres of Israel and Likud Party leader Binyamin 
Netanyahu of Israel.