[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 24 (Monday, June 19, 2000)]
[Page 1366]
[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

June 15, 2000

Middle East Peace Process

    The President.  Good morning, everyone. I'm delighted to have 
Chairman Arafat and his team back here again, and I'm looking forward to 
our conversation.
    Q.  Do you fear that the Palestinian track is in danger of collapse, 
Mr. President?
    The President.  No, I think it's an important moment, and we just 
have to keep working on it.
    Q.  Mr. President, are you going to put any pressure on the 
Palestinians concerning the third redeployment, which is supposed to 
happen on the 23d of this month?
    The President.  What I would like to do today is just get on to our 
business and our conversation and not say very much. If we're going to 
make peace, we're going to have to deal with the difficult issues, and 
the less we say now, the better, I think.
    Q.  Mr. President, President Arafat was reported to be very upset 
with the way the Israelis are handling the negotiation. What is your 
assessment now, especially as time is running out before the deadline of 
September 13th?
    The President.  I don't think I should characterize what's going on. 
I can only tell you that I want to finish the job, and I'd like to see 
it finished on time.

 Note:  The exchange began at 9:44 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
exchange.