[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 40 (Monday, October 7, 1996)]
[Pages 1943-1948]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Middle Eastern Leaders

October 2, 1996

    The President. Good afternoon. Please be seated. The four of us have 
agreed that I will speak about our 2 days of meetings, and then do my 
best to faithfully answer questions that you have about it. And of 
course, the other three leaders will have a chance to be heard after the 
press conference.
    I'd like to begin by thanking King Hussein, Prime Minister 
Netanyahu, and Chairman Arafat for coming here to Washington at this 
critical and very difficult moment for the Middle East peace process. 
Their journey reflects a true commitment to peace and an understanding 
that there is no alternative to the path of peace their people have 
traveled so far along in the last few years.
    I invited them here with three urgent goals in mind: first, to seek 
to curb the terrible violence and death that we saw last week;

[[Page 1944]]

second, to get the Israelis and Palestinians talking again at the 
highest levels; and third, to help both parties return to the hard work 
of building peace through negotiations. Today I can report progress on 
these goals.
    First, the Israelis and Palestinians clearly are talking again at 
the highest levels. I believe the calm, constructive, face-to-face 
meetings Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat have had here will 
help to build trust between them and promote progress on the issues that 
still divide them. The Prime Minister and the Chairman agree that they 
are partners in peace, understand that it is vital to take into account 
each other's needs and concerns, and realize the importance of removing 
the frictions between them.
    Second, the Prime Minister and Chairman Arafat have recommitted 
themselves to a nonviolent future, to renouncing violence in the 
resolution of their disputes.
    Third, they are ready to renew and intensify negotiations on 
implementing the Interim Agreement, with Hebron as the first priority. 
They are committed to engaging immediately in talks and to achieving 
tangible progress quickly. To assist them in this effort I am sending 
Dennis Ross, our Special Middle East Coordinator, to the region now. The 
very first meeting will take place on Sunday morning at Erez. They want 
to resolve the problem of Israeli redeployment from Hebron, and they 
want to achieve this as soon as possible. I might point out that these 
talks will be occurring continuously, and these will be the first 
continuous peace talks that have been held since the Prime Minister 
assumed office with the Palestinians.
    Finally, the leaders also understand the need to make arrangements 
between their security forces so that cooperation is more reliable and 
the situation on the ground is stabilized. They are prepared to do what 
is needed to achieve that as well.
    All of us should put the meetings we have had over the last 2 days 
into the proper perspective. The peace process did not start today, and 
it will not be finished tomorrow. For 3 years now the Israelis and the 
Palestinians have been moving forward along the path to a lasting peace. 
Every step is hard. It requires both sides to make difficult decisions 
and to keep their eyes fixed on the prize of lasting peace. But the 
progress they have made has proved to the world that progress is 
possible and peace is possible. Both sides know there is no turning 
back. Just as there can be no peace without security, there can be no 
true security without peace.
    I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat understand 
the choice they face every day. It is the choice between cooperation and 
conflict, between progress and regression, between hope and fear. The 
Israeli and Palestinian people have chosen to strive for cooperation, 
progress, and hope. Now it falls to their leaders to guide them toward 
those goals, to help them stay true to their choice, and ultimately, to 
succeed.
    In this effort, we are all profoundly privileged to have a partner 
in King Hussein. He has shown the world equal parts of courage and 
wisdom, and he has especially shown that here this week. I thank him for 
being here. I rely on his counsel. The peace process has no better 
friend.
    Most of all, let me again thank Prime Minister Netanyahu and 
Chairman Arafat, who came here at very difficult times with tensions 
high. I am convinced they both want a more peaceful, prosperous future 
for their people. I am convinced they both want a more secure future for 
their people. And I believe they are both prepared to do the hard work 
that is necessary to achieve their goals.
    For our part, the United States will always be there to help. We 
remain committed to our common goal, a just, lasting, and comprehensive 
peace in the Middle East. We recognize our special responsibility to 
protect the peace process at moments of extreme difficulty, to help move 
it forward. We have embraced this responsibility because those who take 
risks for peace must be able to count on the United States.
    Mr. Hunt [Terence Hunt, Associated Press].

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Mr. President, after these marathon negotiations--we're told they 
went nonstop through the night--was there any narrowing of differences 
on the fundamental disputes? You mentioned Hebron, as well as the tunnel

[[Page 1945]]

in east Jerusalem. Or are the problems that exploded last week in 
violence still festering?
    The President. I would say that the problems that exploded last week 
in violence--that the problems are still there; the differences are 
still there. But I believe there is a higher level of understanding and 
a higher level of trust than existed before these talks began. They were 
not able to resolve their differences here. But to be fair, when we came 
together, there were no advance guarantees that there would be large-
scale substantive negotiations. We knew we only had about a day and a 
half to work here. And they got the most out of it. I think that a lot 
of people on both sides have hardly slept.
    And frankly, the agreement that was made here to immediately restart 
these negotiations and to do them on a full-time basis until agreement 
is reached on the critical issues, including Hebron, is encouraging to 
me. And I think that it comes out of the different feeling that they 
have about dealing with one another--I hope it does--and also a sense of 
urgency, given what has happened in the region in the last several days.
    Yes, sir, in the back.
    Q. Mr. President, is there a target date for ending the negotiations 
on the question of Hebron and also on other outstanding questions 
between Israel and the Palestinian Authority? Or is it negotiations 
without a target date?
    The President. There was no specific date set, but I think it's 
important to point out that what they did agree to do was to start 
immediately on a full-time basis with a priority on speed and a priority 
on Hebron. This is not--this is the first negotiations that these 
parties have undertaken since Mr. Netanyahu became Prime Minister that 
have been on a full-time, in effect, permanent basis. And I am convinced 
that both sides want as quick as possible resolution.
    Yes.
    Q. Mr. President, you said one of your goals was to end the cycle of 
violence in the Middle East. But today Israeli troops shot to death one 
Palestinian and wounded five others, and the negotiations that will take 
place are on issues that were supposedly settled a year ago here in 
Washington. Have you even--you spoke about progress, but it would seem 
you're back at square one.
    The President. Well, I wouldn't say that. There's been a clear 
commitment not to renegotiate agreements by which both sides are bound 
but instead to talk about the implementation steps necessary to 
implement those agreements. And I think that there is a clear 
distinction there first.
    Second, the level of violence at least, thank God, has declined in 
the last several days, and they are committed to taking it down as close 
to zero as they can. I believe you will see progress on that as they go 
back home. But we--when we compare where we are today with where we were 
a week ago, are we in better shape? Yes. Are we where I'd like to be? 
No. But we will get there, I think, if we keep working.
    Yes.
    Q. Mr. President, would you please tell us if Mr. Netanyahu has 
pledged to remove the tanks and the soldiers inside Palestinian 
territory which has been liberated, if you will, and it is now the 
Palestinian Authority, as well? Because the Palestinians are choked to 
death financially, economically. And if there is quiet now, will you, 
Mr. Netanyahu, remove, through your offices, these tanks and these 
soldiers and create a harmonious, self-confidence-building measures to 
facilitate for the Palestinians to live like the rest of human beings 
around the world?
    The President. Let me say that that and many other issues were 
discussed. Every issue that you would like to know was discussed, was 
discussed in the last 2 days. But I believe that anything that was not 
in my statement, I feel bound to let the leaders speak for themselves 
on. And I ask you and I ask the people of the Middle East, I ask the 
Palestinians and others, to give us a few more days to let this thing 
unfold. Give us a few more days to see whether these negotiations start, 
whether they're proceeding in good faith, whether progress can be made.
    I guess the message I want to send out across the Middle East is, 
I`m convinced that this process and that these parties are in better 
shape in their relation to one another than they were 2 days ago. And 
please, please give us a chance to make this thing work in the days 
ahead.

[[Page 1946]]

    Go ahead, Brit [Brit Hume, ABC News].
    Q. Mr. President, as Gene [Gene Gibbons, Reuters] mentioned earlier, 
some of these things were thought to have been agreed upon before. And 
I'm wondering whether you think it is fair to say not that the process 
has broken down but that there has been a major setback here from which 
you have not yet at least fully recovered?
    The President. Well, what I think has happened is that we have not 
made as much progress as I wish we had. But the Israeli Government has 
made it very clear that they have no intention of renegotiating the Oslo 
Agreements, the Interim Agreement. Everything that the Government is 
bound by by previous action they intend to honor. But we are now in a 
stage which we would have been in anyway, talking about how to implement 
this. And then there are the security questions which have been raised, 
which the parties have agreed to talk about to try to resolve between 
the two of them as a result of the events of the last several days.
    But I do not expect there to be an effort to undermine the 
agreements which have been made. The question is, can we get the 
negotiations on a track so that they can be implemented in a hurry. That 
is the issue.
    Yes, ma'am.
    Q. [Inaudible]--you mention in your statement about the issue of 
Jerusalem and the tunnel that started the whole situation. Has there 
been any talk or any agreement that Israel will not do anything to 
change the status of Jerusalem before the final status negotiations 
start? Thank you.
    The President. Well, there might be a--let me say, first of all, the 
tunnel was discussed at some length by the parties and all the aspects 
of it, all the various elements of the controversy, were discussed. No 
agreement was reached between them about that issue, and that's why it 
is not in my statement. But I think there were some significant 
discussions held. And again, the other question you asked me I think is 
part of the terms of the agreement by which all parties are bound; that 
is, to not to do anything to upset the balance of issues that have to be 
part of the final status negotiations.
    Yes, Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press International].
    Q. Mr. President, you're showing a lot of trust in the word of 
Israel to keep these commitments in terms of the status of Jerusalem, 
pulling troops out of Hebron--they were supposed to be done last March. 
What has restored your trust? And haven't you really struck out in 
getting any kind of firm commitment on anything?
    The President. Well, we never agreed--there was never an agreement 
when these parties came here to have substantive negotiations. Nothing 
would make me happier if we had--I wish we had resolved everything in 2 
days, but I didn't expect to do it. What I'm trying to do was to get 
people together and say, ``We'll stop the violence. We will immediately 
begin to talk--immediately--about Hebron and the other issues. We will 
immediately begin to try to resolve these disputes over the security 
matters which are preventing more rapid progress.''
    I am very pleased by the agreement that was reached, actually today 
before we came out, to start the negotiations on Sunday morning and to 
do it on a full-time continuous basis, with a mutual commitment to 
resolve these things as quickly as possible.
    I'm not asking any of you to trust anybody about anything. I'm 
saying give us some time now to let the thing cool down and to let these 
full-time negotiations get underway, and look at what results are 
produced, and make your judgments based on what actually happens. Let's 
don't--let's don't overreact now. We're in better shape than we were 2 
days ago. We still have a huge amount of work to do, but the parties 
have to resolve that between themselves, and I think they have committed 
themselves to a process which makes that possible.
    Yes, sir.
    Q. Mr. President, you called the parties here because there was a 
crisis. Do you really feel and assess that this crisis is over and the 
two parties that came here did the best they could to avoid further 
bloodshed in the region? Are you satisfied with their effort?
    The President. Well, I am satisfied that--I don't know that the 
crisis is over. What I am satisfied is, is that the level of--I hope the 
level of violence has been brought lower and can be maintained lower, at 
a lower level,

[[Page 1947]]

while all the people in the Middle East watch as these talks unfold.
    Keep in mind--keep in mind--let me ask you this. When you try to 
evaluate whether we did the right thing or not, or whether this has been 
worth doing, imagine what we would be reading in the press or seeing on 
the news if Chairman Arafat and King Hussein and Prime Minister 
Netanyahu had not come here and if everyone had withdrawn sort of to 
their respective positions and the turbulence that we were seeing in the 
region kept welling up. Imagine where we would be then. And keep in 
mind, too, that everybody who is here made a good-faith effort to 
address every single issue in the interim agreement, all the issues that 
they are bound to resolve, and to full-time negotiations beginning 
Sunday morning.
    So I'm just saying I think that they worked very hard--and their 
teams hardly slept at all, and they didn't sleep much--they worked very 
hard to put all these issues out, to see where they were, to identify 
the points of difference. I think when they start these full-time 
negotiations, they'd know a great deal about where they are now. And 
they should be given a little bit of time here to see if they can't 
produce some results. That's the only thing I'm saying. And I think they 
have all earned the right to that by coming here and proceeding in a 
good-faith manner.
    Yes, Rita [Rita Braver, CBS News].
    Q. Mr. President, in the past when you have had the leaders here, 
just about any leaders from any countries, we have always heard from 
them in the White House, even if they go off and have their own news 
conferences later. Why can't we hear from them here today? And doesn't 
it seem to send a message that things really have broken down, the fact 
that they're not going to be able to speak within the auspices of the 
White House?
    The President. They're certainly free to speak. It was my 
understanding that they thought it would be better if I spoke and 
answered the questions, and I'll tell you why. Keep in mind--consider 
the commitment they have made. They have come here after a period of 
days when the entire peace process could have been wrecked; when many, 
many people, innocent people, died; when there was no communications. 
And they have agreed to restore the peace, to commit themselves to a 
nonviolent future and a way of resolving their differences and to begin 
immediate talks on a full-time basis to deal with these issues. That's 
what they've agreed to do.
    Now, think of all the questions you're asking me here today about 
all the things we didn't do. We didn't do them. Think of the questions 
you asked--all the things we didn't agree to. Then you can ask them all 
the things we didn't do. And if one of us talks instead of four, the 
chances that we will say something that will make our work harder Sunday 
morning are less than if all four of us answer all these hard questions 
about what hasn't been done yet. Let's don't kid around. What we're 
trying to do is to avoid saying anything that will make our progress 
more difficult. We want to enhance the chances that we'll actually get 
something done.
    Yes.
    Q. Mr. President, are you satisfied with the level of good faith on 
both sides, and there are any American assurances to both sides about 
the involvement of the United States and the good faith of the other 
side?
    The President. I can only tell you how I feel, first of all. All 
these things are matters of feeling and trust, which is why you 
shouldn't minimize the hours that these leaders have spent with each 
other. I personally feel that the prospects for progress are more likely 
than I did 2 days ago. And I have told both parties that the United 
States will do whatever we can to support the peace process and to 
support the parties, and to make it a profitable thing to move forward 
in a constructive way, and to minimize the risks of peace. This is a 
risky business. And so, yes, I think I've made that clear, and I'll do 
my best to be there every step of the way.
    Yes, Wolf [Wolf Blitzer, CNN]. Last question.
    Q. Mr. President, with all due respect, can I follow up on Rita 
Braver's question? When we see the three leaders sitting here behind 
you, you say you want to urge everyone in the Middle East to be 
reassured, to calm down, to take this process seriously, but this news 
conference is being seen in the Middle East, all over the world, and 
when we don't

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hear your guests describe their feelings, we can only assume that they 
so disagree on these fundamental issues that these 2 days of 
negotiations have been a failure.
    The President. Well, I'll tell you what I'll do.
    Q. So why not let them speak?
    The President. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm telling you, the only 
reason that they asked me to do this is because you've asked me some 
very interesting and difficult questions, some of which would be even 
more difficult for them to answer than for me. So they wanted me to 
answer it so we wouldn't, any of us, say anything that would wreck what 
we're trying to do Sunday morning. But if they would like to come up--
and since I've answered my last question, if they would--if any of them 
would like to come up and make a brief statement, or all of them would, 
I would be happy to have them make a brief statement.
    Your Majesty, would you like to start? Anybody want to go?
    So, now this is a miracle. [Laughter] I didn't part the waters, but 
I have silenced the voices. [Laughter ]
    Thank you very much. Thank you.

Note: The President's 129th news conference began at 2:45 p.m. in the 
East Room at the White House. Present at the news conference were King 
Hussein I of Jordan, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel, and 
Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority.