[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 51 (Monday, December 21, 1998)]
[Pages 2504-2505]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
United States-European Union Declaration on the Middle East Peace 
Process

December 18, 1998

    The signature on October 23 of the Wye River Memorandum broke a 
dangerous deadlock in the Middle East and opened the perspective for new 
progress in the Peace Process. We welcome implementation of the first 
phase of the Memorandum by both sides. We call on the parties to 
implement fully the remaining obligations, and thereby contribute to 
rebuilding the confidence essential to the completion of the Peace 
Process begun at Madrid and Oslo.
    We will work together, including through our respective envoys, in 
the political and economic area, to build on this achievement and to 
help the parties move the Peace Process forward to a successful 
conclusion. We will use our partnership to support the implementation of 
outstanding elements of the Interim Agreement. We will work for the 
early resumption of the Multilateral Track of the Process. We will also 
seek ways to help the parties in the Lebanese and Syrian tracks to 
restart negotiations with the aim of reaching a comprehensive 
settlement.
    Alongside other participants at the November 30 Washington 
Conference to Support Middle East Peace and Development, we made 
significant additional pledges of economic assistance to the West Bank 
and Gaza for the next five years. Against this background, the U.S. and 
the EU will continue their leading roles in the Palestinian donor effort 
in order to ensure that international assistance translates into 
tangible improvements in the living conditions of the Palestinians, 
starting at the coming meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in 
February in Germany.

[[Page 2505]]

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint declaration.