[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 29 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[Pages 1655-1656]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for Okinawa, Japan, and an Exchange With Reporters 
in Thurmont, Maryland

July 20, 2000

Middle East Peace Summit

    The President. As all of you know, for the past 9 days we have been 
engaged in the most comprehensive and thorough negotiations ever between 
Palestinians and Israelis on the core issues of their 52-year conflict. 
The two parties have been making an intensive effort to resolve their 
differences over the most difficult issues. The gaps remain substantial, 
but there has been progress, and we must all be prepared to go the extra 
mile.
    After a round of intensive consultations this evening, the parties 
agreed to stay at Camp David while I travel to Okinawa for the G-8 
summit. Mr. Lockhart will be able to fill you in on the details of how 
this occurred. I have to take the plane, and I'm running late, but I do 
want him to explain what happened.
    During the time I am gone, Secretary Albright will be working with 
the parties, and we'll continue to try to close the gaps. Upon my 
return, I will assess the status of the talks.
    There should be no illusion about the difficult task ahead, but 
there should be no limit to the effort we're prepared to make. These are 
in fundamental ways the hardest peace issues I have ever dealt with, but 
the short answer to why we're still here after everybody thought we were 
through is that nobody wanted to give up. After all these years, as hard 
as these issues are, they don't want to give up. And I didn't think we 
should give up, and so we're still plugging away.
    But you should draw no inference from this. I will observe the news 
blackout on the details and will continue to do it, but this is really, 
really hard.
    Thank you very much.
    Q. Mr. President, could you say one thing about your personal 
involvement here, what you have invested here personally over the past 9 
days, and what it was that led you to conclude that this phase of the 
summit is not going to pan out as you had hoped?
    The President. Well, I don't know that it won't now. I think 
anything I would say about that would in some way or another violate the 
prohibitions we have had. I have respected that rigorously. I have asked 
the other members of the parties to do so. And I just think any 
characterization or description beyond what I told you--we all thought 
it was over, at least now that--and then we

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discovered that nobody wanted to quit. Nobody wanted to give up. And 
that should be encouraging.
    Thank you.

 Note: The President spoke at 12:45 a.m. at Thurmont Elementary School.