[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 46 (Monday, November 19, 2001)]
[Page 1661]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and President Vladimir V. 
Putin of Russia on the Middle East

November 13, 2001

    We express our deep concern over the situation in the Middle East, 
which has led to untold suffering by Palestinians and Israelis during 
the past year. The violence and terror must end.
    The United States and Russia, as cosponsors of the Middle East peace 
process, call upon the leadership of Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority to take urgent steps to ease tension, as well as to refrain 
from actions that are harmful to the other side and to resume the 
dialogue at a high political level. It is also necessary to proceed 
without delay towards the implementation of the Tenet workplan and the 
Mitchell Report recommendations: to end the violence, to set up stable 
cooperation in the area of security, to implement confidence-building 
measures, and to resume the substantive negotiating process.
    Our two nations, acting in concert with other key parties, are 
stepping up their efforts aimed at facilitating early resolution of the 
crisis in the region and resuming negotiations on all tracks--
Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese--in the interests of making progress 
toward a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East, based on the 
Madrid principles, UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and 
existing agreements and accords.

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