[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 11 (Monday, March 18, 1996)]
[Pages 489-490]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Ezer Weizman of Israel and 
an Exchange With Reporters in Jerusalem, Israel

March 13, 1996

    The President.  Let me say that it is a great honor to be back at 
the President's house and with the President again. And along with the 
Prime Minister, we were able to give a report on our impressions of what 
happened at Sharm al-Sheikh today and what the significance of it was, 
and then we talked a little bit about the challenges ahead. We spent 
about an hour in a very good discussion, and as always when I'm with the 
President, I learned a lot and I leave with a lot of food for thought.
    But I feel much better about our prospects for presenting a united 
front against terror and for security and therefore creating and 
maintaining conditions under which the peace process can proceed than I 
did before I went to Sharm al-Sheikh today. And I thank the Prime 
Minister for his work, and I say again, I came here more than anything 
else just to once again express the solidarity of the United States with 
Israel, grief at your loss, and our determination to do what we can both 
to restore your security and to preserve the march of peace.

Israeli Capital

    Q. President Clinton, do you have any reflections on President 
Weizman not going to the airport, obviously intending thereby to 
demonstrate Israel's historic commitment to Jerusalem being its capital, 
a position that

[[Page 490]]

you endorsed yourself during your campaign but we haven't heard much 
from you on since? Do you have any feeling about that situation you'd 
like to share with us?
    The President. No, my feeling is what it has been ever since the 
first agreement was reached in which Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority agreed that that would be part of the final negotiations. And 
the United States agreed that we would support the process that Israel 
had fashioned. And that's what I intend to continue to do. I haven't 
changed my position on anything. I just--I believe that we are a partner 
in a process that primarily affects the Israelis and the neighbors of 
Israel, and we ought to support the process that the parties agreed to 
for resolving all those matters.

Note: The President spoke at 10:20 p.m. at President Weizman's 
residence. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
these remarks.