[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 18 (Monday, May 6, 1996)]
[Pages 770-772]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to Discussions With Chairman Yasser Arafat of the 
Palestinian Authority and an Exchange With Reporters

May 1, 1996

Middle East Peace Process

    The President. First, let me say I am very pleased to have Chairman 
Arafat in the Oval Office today. We need to take this opportunity to 
take stock about where we are with our common efforts in the Middle 
East. I had a good visit with Prime Minister Peres yesterday, and I look 
forward to this one.
    I do want to make two specific points before we begin. First of all, 
I want to applaud the action that Chairman Arafat has taken in keeping 
the commitment he made at the Sharm al-Sheikh meeting to revise the 
Palestinian Covenant. I think that was applauded by all Americans.
    And secondly, we now have to work hard on where we go from here. I 
want to talk to him about what we can do to improve the welfare of the 
Palestinian people and what we can do to continue to work together to 
improve security for all the people in the region. And I'm looking 
forward to that conversation.

Palestinian State

    Q. Mr. President, do you endorse a Palestinian State as we did so 
avidly the creation of the State of Israel?
    The President. I endorse the continuation of the talks between the 
Palestinians and the Israelis to resolve that problem.
    Q. Well, how does the U.S. feel?
    The President. We are going to do everything we have done--we can 
do, just as we have since I took office, not to get in the way of these 
parties making a permanent peace that suits them. That's what we want to 
do.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Chairman Arafat, can we ask you how you view the state of Israel-
Palestinian rela- 

[[Page 771]]

tions in the aftermath of the Israeli military campaign in southern 
Lebanon?
    Chairman Arafat. First of all, I have to thank His Excellency for 
giving me this opportunity. It is a great privilege from His Excellency. 
And no doubt, it is a very important opportunity to speak about how to 
push forward to strengthen more and more the peace process which we 
cannot forget His Excellency was from the beginning, which started here 
under his provision.
    Q. How are relations now with Israel in the aftermath of that 
military action in southern Lebanon?
    Chairman Arafat. What is important is that the efforts to stop all 
the military activities has succeeded, and the two sides have retained 
back to the agreement of 1993, which is very important, and this is also 
because of His Excellency's efforts and Mr. Christopher's shuttling 
visits.
    Q. Could President Asad learn anything from your example, sir?
    Chairman Arafat. I am sure that President Asad will follow up in his 
Syrian track the same line so that we can achieve a comprehensive, 
lasting peaceful solution in the whole area.
    The President. Thank you.

Gas Tax

    Q. Are you going for a gas tax repeal?
    The Vice President. That's a good place to leave it, Helen [Helen 
Thomas, United Press International]. [Laughter]
    Q. But what is the answer?
    The Vice President. Thank you.
    Q. You've got a new press secretary here. [Laughter]
    The President. He's always been better at it. [Laughter]

[At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group 
entered.]

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Mr. President, when will----
    Q. --Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital?
    The President. Let me begin by making a statement if I might. I am 
delighted to have this opportunity to meet with Chairman Arafat. When we 
met at Sharm al-Sheikh he said that there would be a revision in the 
Palestinian Covenant by the 1st of May. Under difficult circumstances, 
he kept that commitment. And now it's time for us to discuss the 
continuation of the peace process, what we can do to help improve the 
welfare of the Palestinian people, which I know is uppermost on his 
mind, and we are very concerned about that, and what we can do together 
to improve the security for all the people in the region. So we're going 
to discuss all these issues.
    Q. Mr. President, when will we see that Israeli negotiations are 
going to continue to complete the circle of peace that you are talking 
about?
    The President. I believe that they will continue shortly, and we're 
going to discuss that.
    And as to your question, ma'am, my position from the day I got here 
is still the same position. I believe that those matters are going to 
have to be worked out by the parties in the region. I do not believe the 
United States can serve any useful purpose by getting in the middle of 
decisions which have to be resolved by the parties themselves.
    Our purpose is to try to speed the peace process along and to help 
those like Chairman Arafat who take risks for peace. When people take 
risks for peace, we want to minimize those risks, and we want to do what 
we can to help improve life for ordinary people in the region. And we 
intend to do that, and that's what we're going to discuss here.

Abu Abbas

    Q. Mr. President, 99 Senators asked for you to, and for Chairman 
Arafat, to authorize the extradition of Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the 
Achille Lauro hijacking. Will you ask the Justice Department to issue an 
extradition request?
    And Chairman Arafat, would you honor such a request if it came from 
the United States?
    Chairman Arafat. We should not forget that Abu Abbas came and 
attended the PNC and voted to change the Covenant of the PLO and to 
support the peace process.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Mr. Arafat, Mr. Peres said this week that Jerusalem is the 
capital of Israel forever,

[[Page 772]]

and Mr. Savir said the right to return is not going to be given to the 
Palestinians. What are you going to talk about in the final talks of 
negotiations, only the settlement?
    Chairman Arafat. No, according to what has been agreed upon and what 
had been signed in Washington and in Cairo and in Washington, that this 
has to be discussed with other matters--Jerusalem--settlements, borders, 
and relation with neighbors.

Note: The President spoke at 10:03 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. Hafiz al-Asad is President of Syria; and Uri Savir is the 
Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.