[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 25 (Monday, June 25, 2001)]
[Page 946]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Easter Seals Representatives and
an Exchange With Reporters

June 20, 2001

    The President. It's an honor for me to welcome the representatives 
from the Easter Seals here, two courageous Americans who are 
compassionate to give back to their country, and it's an honor to have 
you all in the Oval Office.
    Thanks for coming.

Situation in the Middle East

    Q. Have you talked to Arafat yet?
    The President. I talked to Chairman Arafat today.
    Q. What can you tell us about that conversation?
    The President. I told him--I talked to him about--I talked to Prime 
Minister Sharon, Mubarak, as well as Mr. Arafat. And I said we're making 
some progress and that they all must continue to work toward breaking 
the cycle of violence.
    I do feel like it's the appropriate time for Colin Powell to go to 
the Mideast--and he's headed there next week--and that the parties must 
continue to work in an all-out effort to bring peace. And people can 
find excuses or rationale not to continue to work to break the cycle of 
violence. I urged them just to not think that way, to believe in the 
possible. And we're making enough progress for me to feel comfortable 
about asking the Secretary of State to go.
    We have another mission from our Government to remain involved in 
the process. We look forward to the implementation of Mitchell. But it's 
hard--we cannot start Mitchell, the Mitchell plan, until the cycle of 
violence has been crushed and broken. And we believe we are making 
enough progress with that to send the Secretary of State.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 3:03 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Chairman Yasser Arafat of the 
Palestinian Authority; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; and 
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The President also referred to the 
Report of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee. A tape was not 
available for verification of the content of these remarks.