    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 10 (Monday, March 10, 1997)]
    [Pages 272-273]
    [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

    March 3, 1997

        The President. Good morning. I'm glad to welcome Chairman Arafat
    here. This is our sixth meeting, and I'm hopeful that it will be as
    productive as our previous ones have. You will remember the last time he
    was here, last fall, we were facing a very difficult situation with
    regard to Hebron, and because of the efforts that he made in working
    with the Israelis, an agreement was reached, a timetable was
    established, and we're moving forward. And I'm hopeful that we can keep
    doing that. This is also a difficult moment, but I think we can work
    through it and go forward and I appreciate his coming to see me.

    Middle East Peace Process

        Q. Mr. Chairman, are the new settlements designed by the Israelis to
    make the annexation a fait accompli of east Jerusalem?
        Chairman Arafat. Not only for Jerusalem but also for Bethlehem,
    because their target is to squeeze and to isolate Jerusalem but, at the
    same time, to build the settlements at the entrance of Bethlehem, to
    replace Har Homa, our capital--in the city of Bethlehem during the 2,000
    years of our celebration for our Jesus Christ.
        Q. What are you going to do about it?
        Chairman Arafat. I am sure that His Excellency will push for--to
    prevent it.
        Q. Mr. President, what do you think about the settlement?
        The President. Well, what I think about the settlement is what I
    think about all these issues. You know, the important thing is for these
    people on both sides to be building confidence and working together. And
    so I would prefer the decision not have been made, because I don't think
    it builds confidence, I think it builds mistrust. And I wish that it had
    not been made.

    [[Page 273]]

        Q. Mr. President, the Jerusalem Embassy Act declares that the United
    States should recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Is Jerusalem
    Israel's capital, and does Israel have the right to build within the
    municipal boundaries of Jerusalem?
        The President. Well, you know, I've been asked that question a lot,
    and I'm going to give you the same answer I always give. I do not
    believe, now that the parties have reached the agreement they reached in
    1993 and they have made this the final status issue, that the United
    States can serve any useful purpose by saying, or especially by doing,
    anything which seems to prejudge what should be a final status issue
    between the parties. I think that would be a big mistake.

    1996 Campaign Financing

        Q. Vice President Gore, did you solicit money in the White House,
    Mr. Gore, during the campaign?
        Vice President Gore. I'll talk with you all later, not during this.
        The President. Nice tie, Ron [Ron Fournier, Associated Press].
        Q. Thank you. Got that in Arkansas.

    Storms in Arkansas

        Q. Do you want to say anything about the storms?
        Q. Are you going to Arkansas?
        The President. I'm going down tomorrow. I'm very concerned about it.
    I talked over the weekend to--I talked to the Governor twice and the
    mayor of Little Rock and Representative Malone in Arkadelphia. You know,
    it's a bad situation. More people were killed in 18 hours than in the 12
    years I was Governor, I believe combined, in the tornadoes.
        Q. Did you know anybody that was hurt or killed?
        The President. Not to my knowledge, although I did recognize a
    couple of people on television last night who had lost their homes. One
    man said--did you see that--where he had given away a couch to the
    Goodwill Industries, and whoever got the couch had their home destroyed
    and the couch was blown back into his house. [Laughter]
        Q. You're going down----
        The President. I recognized three or four people on television. But
    I'm going down there. I'll see tomorrow.

    Chelsea Clinton's Birthday

        Q. You had a good birthday celebration?
        The President. Wonderful. Chelsea had a good birthday. New York was
    good.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:12 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and
    Mayor Jim Dailey of Little Rock. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.