[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 44 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[Pages 2230-2231]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister 
Barak and an Exchange With Reporters in Oslo

November 2, 1999

Middle East Framework Agreement

    The President. Ladies and gentlemen, we have just completed a very 
good meeting. I feel that we have revitalized the peace process, and 
we've got these final status--the framework talks off to a very good 
start.
    The two sides have not only named their teams; they have agreed that 
the leaders will personally continue to meet on a regular basis. They 
have agreed to work very hard to avoid public comments or actions which 
will cause enormous difficulty for the other side in the next 100 days 
or so when they're trying to come to agreement on the framework. And 
they have agreed with me that we might well have a summit at the end of 
this process if enough progress has been made to make us all believe 
that, in good faith, we can actually get an agreement at a summit.
    Q. Is that the framework process, Mr. President?
    The President. The framework process, yes.
    Q. When will you have that summit?
    Q. [Inaudible]--their intentions, though?
    The President. Well, when and whether depends upon what we're doing. 
We have a very ambitious timetable here. I think the timetable is the 
middle of February that they've agreed to have the framework agreement. 
So you won't have to wait long for answers to the details. We'll all be 
in high gear between now and then.
    Thank you very much.
    Q. Mr. President, is this more than you expected to come out of 
Oslo? Are you surprised?
    The President. I feel quite good about it. I feel very good about 
it. I'm very pleased by it.

[[Page 2231]]

Note: The President spoke at 6:50 p.m. at the U.S. Ambassador's 
residence. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
these remarks.