[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 25 (Monday, June 23, 2003)]
[Pages 763-765]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters in Kennebunkport, Maine

June 15, 2003

Situation in the Middle East

    The President. Good morning.

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    Q. How are you?
    The President. Good.
    Q. Do you want to visit a bit?
    The President. Sure.
    Q. What's your assessment of things in the Middle East?
    The President. My assessment is, is that there are people that want 
peace to go forward, and there are people that don't. And for those of 
us who want peace to go forward, we must combine our efforts to prevent 
people like Hamas from sabotaging peace.
    I'm confident we can achieve peace. It's going to be a tough road, 
but I am determined to continue to lend the weight of this Government to 
advance peace.
    Q. Sir, why haven't you called Prime Minister Sharon and Abbas?
    The President. We're in touch with the Governments. We're in contact 
with the Israeli Government as well as the Palestinian Authority. The 
message is clear: Prime Minister Abbas wants peace; Prime Minister 
Sharon wants peace; America wants peace; the European Union wants peace. 
But there are clearly killers who don't. And for those of us who are 
interested in moving the process forward, we must combine our efforts to 
cut off all money, support for anybody who tries to sabotage the peace 
process.
    Q. Will you send Dr. Rice to the region?
    The President. I'll let you know if we decide to. Of course, we just 
got out--Ambassador Wolf * is there now, and he's working the process.
    * White House correction.
    Q. Are you willing to give money or arms to the Palestinian 
Authority to help them out with Hamas----
    The President. We would like for the Palestinian Authority to set up 
a security force under Mr. Dahlan that will do the job that Prime 
Minister Abbas assured me that they're interested in doing, which is to 
defeat those terrorists who will do everything they can to deny the 
establishment of a peaceful Palestinian state. And a peaceful 
Palestinian state is in the interests of the Palestinian people.
    Q. [Inaudible]--have enough arms, enough money?
    The President. We are in the process of helping them implement a 
strategy which is--was described to us in Aqaba as to how the 
Palestinian Authority want to reconstitute a security force in order to 
make sure the terrorists, the haters of peace, those who can't stand 
freedom, do not have their way in the Middle East.
    I believe peace is possible, and I believe we've got a lot of work 
to do to get there.
    Q. Do see a break in the violence right not, in the last several 
days?
    The President. It seems like it, but you know--but until these 
people are brought to justice, those who are killing people in order to 
deny the establishment of a Palestinian state, there will be violence. 
And so the mission of the free world, those who care for peace, is to 
deny the people like Hamas the ability to destroy and to kill. And I 
believe that the agents of peace, the people who love, those who care 
about a decent future for the suffering Palestinian people, and those 
who live in Israel, will prevail. But it's going to take a lot of work.
    Listen, have a wonderful Father's Day.

Iran

    Q. ----think of the unrest in Iran?
    The President. I think that freedom is a powerful incentive. And I 
am--I believe that someday freedom will prevail everywhere, because 
freedom is a powerful drive for people to--and it's the beginnings of 
people expressing themselves toward a free Iran, which I think is 
positive.

Hamas

    Q. Sir, have the Israelis been justified in going after Hamas----
    The President. Wait for us to succeed peace. Wait for us to have two 
states, side by side--is for everybody coming together to deny the 
killers the opportunity to destroy. And that's what they want to do. 
There are people in the Middle East who hate the thought of a peaceful 
Palestinian state. That's what they can't stand. And the objective of 
this Government and my objective as the President is to move the process 
forward so a state is established. It will be a peaceful state, a free 
state, a prosperous state, so people have hope. And in the meantime, 
before

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that state is established, it is clear that the free world, those who 
love freedom and peace, must deal harshly with Hamas and the killers. 
And that's just the way it is in the Middle East.
    But we've laid out the way forward, and I intend to keep the process 
moving. And I believe we can have a peaceful Palestinian state living 
side by side with the Israelis.
    Have a great Father's Day. We'll be out there catching fish.

Note: The exchange began at 9:50 a.m. outside Cape Arundel Church. In 
his remarks, the President referred to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of 
Israel; Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Minister of State 
for Security Affairs Mohammed Dahlan of the Palestinian Authority; and 
Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation John S. Wolf. A tape 
was not available for verification of the content of this exchange.