    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 15 (Monday, April 15, 2002)]
    [Pages 576-577]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's Radio Address

    April 6, 2002

        Good morning. This weekend, Laura and I are hosting the British
    Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his family at our ranch in Crawford,
    Texas. America has no better ally in our war against terrorism than
    Great Britain.
        Six months ago, when the United States launched military strikes
    against Al Qaida training camps and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan,
    British forces were right by our side. And the success of Operation
    Enduring Freedom owes much to the strong support from allies like Great
    Britain. Yet, the war against terrorism is far from over. It will
    continue in Afghanistan and beyond.
        The world has been brutally reminded these past 2 weeks of the price
    exacted by terror. Prime Minister Blair and I will spend much of our
    time this weekend discussing the tragic outbreak of violence in the
    Middle East. Across the world, people are grieving for Israelis and
    Palestinians who have lost their lives.
        When an 18-year-old Palestinian girl is induced to blow herself up
    and in the process kills a 17-year-old Israeli girl, the future itself
    is dying--the future of the Palestinian people and the future of the
    Israeli people. The United States is strongly committed to finding a
    just settlement in the Middle East. That

    [[Page 577]]

    settlement must lead to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by
    side in peace and security.
        This goal can never be realized through terrorism. It can only be
    realized through a political process. Arab governments, the Palestinian
    leadership, and the Palestinian people must recognize that suicide
    bombings are jeopardizing the very possibility of an independent
    Palestinian state. This week, I called upon the Palestinian leadership
    to order an immediate and effective cease-fire and a crackdown on
    terrorist networks.
        Israel, too, faces hard choices. America will always be a committed
    friend of Israel, and we recognize Israel's right to defend itself
    against terror. Yet, to lay the foundations of future peace, I've asked
    Israel to halt incursions into Palestinian-controlled areas and begin
    withdrawing from those cities it has recently occupied.
        Next week, Secretary of State Powell will travel to the Middle East
    to seek broad international support for these principles and to work
    towards a cease-fire that will lead to a political settlement. I have no
    illusions about the difficulty of this mission. Yet, our determination
    is strong. We'll work closely with nations in the region and with close
    allies such as Great Britain to end this conflict and to begin an era of
    peace.
        This could be a hopeful moment in the Middle East. A number of Arab
    leaders have endorsed a proposal that brings them closer than ever to
    recognizing Israel's right to exist. The United States is on record
    supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a
    Palestinian state. And Israel has recognized the goal of a Palestinian
    state.
        I believe the region could write a new story of democracy and
    development and trade and join the progress of our times. Yet, progress
    requires an atmosphere of peace, and peace requires acts of leadership,
    not acts of terror.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:20 a.m. on April 5 at the Bush
    Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 6. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    April 5 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of
    the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this
    address.