[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 1 (Monday, January 14, 2008)]
[Pages 41-48]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of 
Israel in Jerusalem

January 9, 2008

    Prime Minister Olmert. Good evening. I am proud and delighted to 
welcome President Bush to the Prime Minister's home in Jerusalem. We 
spent more than 2\1/2\ hours talking privately and with the delegations, 
and this was a very interesting and, I think, very important meeting, 
Mr. President.
    I think your visit is timely and is very important to encourage the 
process that you and Secretary Rice helped start in Annapolis a few 
weeks ago, and that we, both sides, I believe, are very seriously trying 
to move forward with now in order to realize the vision of a two-state 
solution, a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people and the State 
of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
    I want to thank you--this opportunity--for the friendship and the 
support for the security of the State of Israel that you have manifested 
for a long period of time, throughout your tenure as President of the 
United States of America. This last year, you decided to increase the 
annual support for the State of Israel for an overall package of $30 
billion, which is remarkable and important and is very helpful for the 
future of the State of Israel.
    We discussed regional issues and the bilateral relations between 
Israel and America and, naturally, of course, the progress that we 
envisage for the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. And I 
hope, Mr. President, that you felt through these talks that the Israeli 
team is absolutely committed to carry on these negotiations in a very 
serious manner, to deal with all the core issues that we need to deal in 
order to bring about an agreement that will have to be implemented, 
subject, of course, to the implementation of the roadmap, as we agreed 
with the Palestinians and as you have announced in Annapolis in the 
international meeting. That was a very important and encouraging 
meeting, with the participation of so many countries coming from the 
region and from all parts of the world.
    We are dealing with serious security problems. Only today the 
terrorists were shooting many Qassam rockets on the southern part of 
Israel, and mortar shells and few of the rockets landed inside the city 
of Sderot. This is a serious problem. Israel does not tolerate and will 
not tolerate the continuation of these vicious attacks on uninvolved and 
innocent civilians living in our cities. And we made it clear to 
everyone that we'll take all the

[[Page 42]]

necessary measures in order to reach out for those who are responsible 
for these attacks, and we will not hesitate to take all the necessary 
measures in order to stop them.
    There will be no peace unless terror is stopped, and terror will 
have to be stopped everywhere. We made it clear to the Palestinians; 
they know it, and they understand that Gaza must be a part of the 
package and that as long as there will be terror from Gaza, it will be 
very, very hard to reach any peaceful understanding between us and the 
Palestinians.
    Mr. President, I want to thank you for your visit, for your efforts, 
for your friendship, for the power that you used for good causes for 
this region and for the world. Welcome.
    President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. I view this as an 
historic moment. It's a historic opportunity, Mr. Prime Minister, first 
of all, to work together to deal with the security of Israel and the 
Palestinian people--a matter of fact, the security of people who just 
simply want to live in peace.
    We're in conflict with radicals and extremists who are willing to 
murder innocent people to achieve a dark vision. And this is an historic 
opportunity for the world to fight that--to fight those terrorists. It's 
an historic opportunity to spread freedom as a great alternative to 
their ideology, as a society based upon human rights and human dignity, 
a society in which every man, woman, and child is free. And it's a 
historic opportunity to work for peace. And I want to thank you for 
being a partner in peace.
    I believe that two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living 
side by side in peace is in the best interests of America and the world. 
I believe it's in the long-term security interests of Israel and, I 
know, to provide a more hopeful society for the Palestinians. And that's 
why I articulated this vision early in my Presidency. And that's why I'm 
so pleased to have--to watch two leaders, you and President Abbas, work 
hard to achieve that vision.
    It's in the interests of all of us that that vision come to be. I'm 
under no illusions; it's going to be hard work. I fully understand that 
there's going to be some painful political compromises. I fully 
understand that there's going to be some tough negotiations. And the 
role of the United States is to help in those negotiations.
    It's essential that people understand America cannot dictate the 
terms of what a state will look like. The only way to have lasting 
peace, the only way for an agreement to mean anything, is for the two 
parties to come together and make the difficult choices. But we'll help, 
and we want to help. If it looks like there needs to be a little 
pressure, Mr. Prime Minister, you know me well enough to know I'll be 
more than willing to provide it. I will say the same thing to President 
Abbas tomorrow as well.
    I come--you know, people in America say, well, do you really think 
these guys are serious? We've heard a lot of rhetoric in the past, a lot 
of grand proclamations. I wouldn't be standing here if I did not believe 
that you, Mr. Prime Minister, and President Abbas and your negotiators 
were serious. It is my considered judgment that people now understand 
the stakes and the opportunity. And our job, Mr. Prime Minister, is to 
help you seize that opportunity.
    In the rest of my trip, I will be talking about the opportunity for 
Middle Eastern peace and remind people in the neighborhood that if they 
truly want to see two states living side by side in peace, they have an 
obligation, Arab leaders have an obligation to recognize Israel's 
important contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East and to 
encourage and support the Palestinians as they make tough choices. I'm 
an optimistic people--people say, do you think it's possible during your 
Presidency? And the answer is, I'm very hopeful and will work hard to 
that end.
    We also talked about Iran. Iran is a threat to world peace. There 
was a recent intelligence report that came out that I think sent the 
signal to some that said, perhaps the United States does not view an 
Iran with a nuclear weapon as serious--as a serious problem. And I want 
to remind people, Mr. Prime Minister, what I said at the press 
conference when I discussed that National Intelligence Estimate. I said 
then that Iran was a threat; Iran is a threat; and Iran will be a threat 
if the international community does not come together and prevent that 
nation

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from the development of the know-how to build a nuclear weapon.
    A country which once had a secret program can easily restart a 
secret program. A country which can enrich for civilian purposes can 
easily transfer that knowledge to a military program. A country which 
has made statements that it's made about the security of our friend 
Israel is a country that needs to be taken seriously. And the 
international community must understand with clarity the threat that 
Iran provides to world peace.
    And we will continue to work with European countries, Russia, and 
China as well as nations in this neighborhood to make it abundantly 
clear that--the threat that Iran poses for world peace.
    So we've had a very constructive dialog, and I'm not surprised. This 
isn't the first time we've had a chance to visit. Every time we've had, 
I've come away impressed by your steadfast desire to not only protect 
your people but to implement a vision that will lead to peace in the 
long term. Thanks for having me.
    Prime Minister Olmert. Thank you.

Iran

    Q. [Inaudible]--Israel's finding about Iran are completely different 
than the NIE report. Given the duration and the unpopularity of the war 
in Iraq, there is a fear, a concern in Israel that your administration 
will not take the necessary action against Iran.

[At this point, the reporter asked a question in Hebrew, and her remarks 
were translated by an interpreter as follows.]

    And the question to Prime Minister Olmert: Did you perhaps present 
to Mr. Bush positions that run counter to those of the Americans, and 
perhaps you are concerned that what he said now actually indicates that 
his hands are tied when it comes to Iran?
    President Bush. [Inaudible]--what the NIE actually said. It said 
that, as far as the intelligence community could tell, at one time, the 
Iranians had a military--covert military program that was suspended in 
2003 because of international pressure. My attitude is that a 
nontransparent country, a country which has yet to disclose what it was 
up to, could easily restart a program. The fact that they suspended the 
program is heartening in that the international community's response had 
worked. The fact that they had one is discouraging because they could 
restart it.
    Secondly, there are three aspects to a weapons program. One is the 
capacity to have--enrich so that you can have the materials necessary to 
make a bomb. They're claiming they're enriching for civilian purposes. I 
believe that knowledge gained for civilian purposes could be transferred 
for military purposes. Therefore, our efforts are to stop them from 
enriching.
    Secondly, the knowledge of how to convert any materials into a 
bomb--we don't know whether they have that knowledge or not. However, 
for the sake of peace, we ought to assume they do, and therefore, rally 
the world to convince others that they're a threat. Third, they've got 
missiles in which they can use to deliver the bomb. So no matter how you 
might have interpreted the NIE, I interpreted it to mean you better take 
the Iranians' threat seriously.
    Secondly, I have always told the American people that I believe it's 
incumbent upon the American Presidents to solve problems diplomatically. 
And that's exactly what we're in the process of doing. I believe that 
pressure--economic pressure, financial sanctions--will cause the people 
inside of Iran to have to make a considered judgment about whether or 
not it makes sense for them to continue to enrich or face world 
isolation. The country is paying an economic price for its intransigence 
and its unwillingness to tell the truth.
    The Iranian people--we have no qualm with the Iranian people. I'm 
sure Israel doesn't either. It's people with a proud history and a great 
tradition. But they are being misled by their Government. The actions of 
their Government are causing there to be isolation and economic 
stagnation. People went into office saying, we promise you this, and we 
promise you this economic benefit, but they're simply not being 
delivered. And so we'll continue to keep the pressure on the

[[Page 44]]

Iranians, and I believe we can solve this problem diplomatically.

[At this point, Prime Minister Olmert spoke in Hebrew, and his remarks 
were translated by an interpreter as follows.]

    Prime Minister Olmert. We had a very thorough discussion, which, of 
course, also covered the Iranian subject, as President Bush said. And we 
discussed all aspects of this issue, and of course, it goes without 
saying that we shared with one another what we know and what we--what 
the Americans know when it comes to this topic. And without my sharing 
with you right now all of the details, of course, despite the natural 
curiosity, which I appreciate, I believe that what has just been said 
now by the President of the United States is particularly important. The 
President of the largest power in the world, the most important power in 
the world, is standing right here, and he has said in no uncertain terms 
that Iran was a threat and remains a threat.
    And the fact that it has certain technological capacities is a fact. 
And through this, it is capable of realizing that potential and creating 
nuclear weapons. And considering the nature of the Government there and 
the type of threats that they are voicing, one cannot possibly disregard 
that power, and we must do everything possible to thwart them.
    Of course, the United States will decide for itself just what steps 
to take. I can only say one thing, namely, my impression based on this 
conversation as well as previous talks that we had--and we talk quite 
frequently, apart from the face-to-face meetings--my impression is that 
we have here a leader who is exceptionally determined, exceptionally 
loyal to the principles in which he believes. He has proven this 
throughout his term in office in his preparedness to take exceptional 
measures in order to defend the principles in which he believes and in 
his deep commitment to the security of the State of Israel.
    Inasmuch as I could sum up all of these impressions this evening, I 
would say that I certainly am encouraged and reinforced having heard the 
position of the United States under the leadership of George Bush, 
particularly on this subject.
    Press Secretary Dana Perino. Anne Gearan of the Associated Press, 
please.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Mr. President, are you disappointed that the Israelis and the 
Palestinians haven't made more specific progress since Annapolis? And is 
it maybe time for you to apply some of that direct pressure you referred 
to earlier?
    And for the Prime Minister, did you offer any new assurances to the 
President--or do you plan to--that Israel will stop disputed settlement 
and construction activity?
    President Bush. Step one of any complicated process that is going to 
require a lot of hard work and serious dialog is whether the mindset is 
right. It's one thing for somebody to say to the President, sure, we're 
for a two state, just to make the President feel okay. That's not the 
case here. The fundamental questions that I was seeking at Annapolis and 
on my return trip is the understanding about the power of what a vision 
will do for peace.
    You know, one of the concerns I had was that--whether it be the 
unprovoked rocket attacks or the issues of settlement, that the leaders 
would be so bogged down in the moment that they would lose sight of the 
potential for a historic agreement. And I've come away with the belief 
that while those issues are important and certainly create consternation 
amongst the respective constituencies, that both leaders are determined 
to make the hard choices necessary.
    Now, implicit in your question is whether or not the President 
should butt in and actually dictate the end result of the agreement. In 
my judgment, that would cause there to be a nonlasting agreement. In my 
judgment, the only way for there to be a vision that means something is 
for the parties to seriously negotiate that vision. If you're asking me, 
am I nudging them forward--well, my trip was a pretty significant nudge, 
because yesterday they had a meeting.
    And by the way, the atmosphere in America was, nothing is going to 
happen, see. That these issues are too big on the ground; therefore, you 
two can't get together and come up with any agreements. You just heard 
the man talk about their desire to deal with core

[[Page 45]]

issues, which I guess for the uneducated on the issue, that means 
dealing with the issues like territory and right of return and 
Jerusalem. Those are tough issues--the issue of Israeli security. And 
they're going to sit down at the table and discuss those issues in 
seriousness.
    And I've been briefed today from the Israeli perspective of those 
discussions. Tomorrow I'll be briefed by the Palestinians about their 
interpretation.
    Now, there's three tracks going on, by the way, during this process. 
One is the vision track. Let me just make sure everybody understands--in 
our delegation--the goal. The goal is for there to be a clear vision of 
what a state would look like so that, for example, reasonable 
Palestinian leadership can say, here's your choice: You can have the 
vision of Hamas, which is dangerous and will lead to war and violence, 
or you can have the vision of a state, which should be hopeful.
    The second track is to help both parties deal with roadmap issues. 
Settlements is a roadmap issue; security is a roadmap issue, in a 
certain limited sense. Third issue is to help the Palestinians, one, 
organize their security forces so that they can better assure their own 
people and, equally importantly, better assure Israel that they can deal 
with the extremists in their midst. That's what General Dayton is doing 
here, for example. Or an economic track--listen, the best way to make 
sure that the Palestinians realize there's a hopeful future in which 
it's in their interests to live at peace with Israel is for them to 
realize that they've got an economy in which they can make a living. And 
Tony Blair is helpful on that, and so is America.
    And so you're watching three tracks parallel each other. And the 
one, of course, you're asking about is whether or not the leadership has 
got the willingness and the desire and the drive to design a state, 
compatible to both sides. And my answer is, yes, I think they will.
    Prime Minister Olmert. I hope that I don't disappoint anyone, 
certainly not the President, because we talked at length, if I will say 
that the President didn't ask for me to make any commitments other than 
the ones that Israel made already with regard to the peace process and 
as I have spelled it out on many different occasions, including in 
Annapolis, which was a very, as I said, a very important event. The 
commitment of Israel is absolutely to carry on in this process in order 
to realize the vision of two states living side by side, as I said 
before.

    Now, there are many issues. Settlement is one of the issues. We made 
clear our position. And I know that sometimes not everyone is happy with 
this position, but we are very sincere. And we were never trying to 
conceal any of these facts from anyone, starting with President Bush and 
Secretary Rice and, of course, our Palestinian partners.

    They know that there is a moratorium on new settlements and the new 
expropriation of land in the Territories. But they also know, and we 
have made it clear, that Jerusalem, as far as we are concerned, is not 
in the same status. And they know that the population centers are not in 
the same status. And there might be things that will happen in the 
population centers or in Jerusalem which they may not be in love with, 
but we will discuss them, and we will not hide them. We are not going to 
build any new settlements or expropriate land in the Territories. We 
made it clear, and we will stand by our commitments. And we will fulfill 
all our commitments as part of the roadmap because this is an essential 
part for any progress that will have to take place in the future.

    But there are some aspects only just realized which one can't 
ignore, and everyone knows that certain things in Jerusalem are not in 
the same tactical level as they are in other parts of the Territories 
which are outside the city of Jerusalem. And so it's true about some 
population centers. So there was nothing that happened that was not 
known in advance to all our partners in this process. We made clear our 
positions. We made clear exactly what we can do; what we can't do; what 
we want to do; and what we will not be able to do. And I think that they 
all know it, and they, at least even when sometimes they disagree with 
us, they at least respect our sincerity and openness about these issues.

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Obligations of Middle East Peace Process Participants

    Q. Mr. President, regarding the issues of rockets and settlements 
that you mentioned before, what should--what could Israel do regarding 
the ever-growing threat from Gaza? And regarding the settlements, did 
you get any new assurances from the Prime Minister regarding the removal 
of illegal outposts? Do you believe that this time it will be 
implemented? Do you care about it?
    President Bush. Yes.

[At this point, the reporter asked a question in Hebrew, and his remarks 
were translated by an interpreter as follows.]

    Q. Mr. Prime Minister, are you concerned that the core issues are 
going to be affected? Because as soon as Mr.--member of Knesset, Mr. 
Liberman, is going to withdraw from the coalition.
    President Bush. As to the rockets, my first question is going to be 
to President Abbas: What do you intend to do about them? Because 
ultimately, in order for there to be the existence of a state, there has 
to be a firm commitment by a Palestinian Government to deal with 
extremists and terrorists who might be willing to use Palestinian 
Territory as a launching pad into Israel. So I'll be asking that 
question tomorrow. And what can we do to help you?
    I believe that he knows it's not in his interests to have people 
launching rockets from a part of the Territory into Israel. A matter of 
fact, maybe the Prime Minister can comment on this in a while, in a 
second, but at least he's told me that he fully recognizes, in order for 
there to be a state, he cannot be a safe haven for terrorists that want 
to destroy Israel. You can't expect the Israelis, and I certainly don't, 
to accept a state on their border which would become a launching pad for 
terrorist activities. And that's why the vision of a democracy is an 
important vision.
    How Israel deals with the rocket attacks, I would hope is done in a 
way that not only protects herself but worries about innocent life. And 
I'm convinced the Prime Minister does. He understands he has an 
obligation to protect Israel. He also understands that he's got to be 
circumspect and reasonable about how he does it so that innocent people 
don't suffer. He just gave you the answer on the settlements.
    In terms of outposts, yes, they ought to go. Look, I mean, we've 
been talking about it for 4 years. The agreement was, get rid of 
outposts, illegal outposts, and they ought to go. And----

[Prime Minister Olmert spoke in Hebrew, and his remarks were translated 
by an interpreter as follows.]

    Prime Minister Olmert. [Inaudible]--earlier, and I say once again--I 
think it's important to repeat this--Israel has commitments, and the 
Palestinians have commitments. We must abide by our commitments, and we 
shall do so. I do not want to use this as an excuse, as a pretext, and 
therefore, I say, we demand of the Palestinians that they uphold all of 
their commitments.
    And some have not been upheld, not a single one, particularly the 
most important things that have to do with terrorism, that have to do 
with the security of the State of Israel--not only in Gaza. The fact 
that we, over the past year, have had fewer casualties from terrorism 
than in any year of the recent years previously is not because the 
Palestinians have made fewer attempts, but because we have been more 
successful, in a very sophisticated and courageous way, of our general 
security service and our IDF in preventing these terrorist acts.
    I'm not using this as a pretext. I'm saying, we must uphold our 
commitment. I believe that the President has said this fairly and 
appropriately. We have made commitments; we should uphold them; and we 
shall. But let us present a balanced picture. By the same token, we will 
not refrain from demanding and insisting that the Palestinians abide by 
all of their commitments. And their commitments when it comes to 
terrorism are the central key, the pivot to bringing this negotiation 
process to a successful conclusion. And I hope it will happen this year, 
as all of us hope.
    I very much sincerely hope that all of those in the coalition will 
remain in the coalition as full partners, and I would certainly not like 
to have a political crisis. I don't think

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that anyone who is responsible--has a responsibility such as I have 
would like to see any kind of an undermining of the stability of this 
Government. It is a stable Government, a Government that has been 
operating in many different directions, with very impressive 
achievements, which the party of Avigdor Liberman, Yisrael Beitenu, is 
part of this effort, part of these achievements; whether it's in the 
economic field or the political one or when it comes to security or the 
deterrence ability of the State of Israel.
    And everyone knows that this Government has had some very impressive 
achievements on its record over the past year. And Liberman's party was 
certainly a partner in this process, and I'd like them to stay part of 
the process. I think that the gap between us is smaller than it appears, 
and I will do everything within my power to ensure that the coalition 
remains stable. The State of Israel must be part of a serious peace 
process. We cannot forego this; we cannot obscure it; we must not delay 
it. It would be wrong to delay it.
    Let me say something in Hebrew--since I know that the President does 
not speak Hebrew, I'll say it in Hebrew because, after all, you know, 
you're not supposed to praise people in their presence, so I'll say it 
in Hebrew. Well, then, what I'd like to say is, thank God I can conduct 
political negotiations with George Bush at my side as one of my 
partners. Thank God we can conduct political negotiations when the 
largest and most important power in the world, and the most important 
for us, is headed by such an important friend of Israel.
    We have no interest in delaying matters. We don't want to 
procrastinate with the negotiations, lest changes for the worse take 
place on the Palestinian front. And we certainly don't want to delay the 
negotiation process when we have such political assistance, assistance 
with respect to our security too, when it comes to the most important 
power in the world, being led by a person who is so deeply committed to 
the security of the State of Israel and to realizing the vision of two 
states; a person who is fair, who does not hide his viewpoints, who 
speaks openly about his will to establish a Palestinian state alongside 
Israel, a state that will be secure not at the expense of the interests 
of the State of Israel.
    I believe that any responsible political leader in the State of 
Israel will understand that this is a moment that must not be missed. 
This is an opportunity that must not be passed up. We must do everything 
we can--okay, we can have occasional internal arguments. The President 
has said that some very difficult decisions must be made. He is right, 
but I am not afraid of difficult decisions. I am willing to contend with 
difficult decisions. I am willing to make decisions that will entail 
painful compromises, so long as they enable us to reach the goal that we 
have dreamt of for so long, to secure ourselves--to ensure ourselves of 
security and to give the Palestinians the state of their own that will 
be vibrant, democratic, open, and living in peace alongside Israel.
    At the head of our negotiating team is the Deputy Prime Minister and 
Foreign Minister. She bears a very heavy responsibility. We work in full 
cooperation, and I am convinced that she will wisely succeed, together 
with Abu Ala, head of the Palestinian team, in navigating through these 
negotiations in such a manner that the vital interests of the State of 
Israel are served well on the basis of a deep understanding.
    President Bush. The interpreter got it right. [Laughter] Thank you.
    Prime Minister Olmert. Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Bush. Yes, Toby [Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters].

Strait of Hormuz Naval Incident

    Q. Mr. President, what is the United States prepared--what action is 
the United States prepared to take if there is another confrontation 
with Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz? Your National Security 
Adviser this morning spoke about consequences if there was a repeat.
    And Mr. Prime Minister, why is there no three-way meeting scheduled 
on this trip?
    President Bush. The National Security Adviser was making it 
abundantly clear that all options are on the table to protect our 
assets.
    She's referring to, Mr. Prime Minister, the fact that our ships were 
moving along very

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peacefully off the Iranian border in territorial water--in international 
waters, and Iranian boats came out and were very provocative. And it was 
a dangerous gesture on their part. We have made it clear publicly, and 
they know our position, and that is, there will be serious consequences 
if they attack our ships, pure and simple. And my advice to them is, 
don't do it.

United States-Israel-Palestinian Authority Meeting

    Q. Why is there no three-way meeting on this trip?
    Prime Minister Olmert. We had a three-way meeting in the United 
States just a month ago. We are starting now a serious process directly 
with the Palestinians. The President met with the Israeli delegation and 
with me today. He will meet tomorrow with President Mahmoud Abbas, and 
I'm sure that all the necessary information will be provided and all the 
curiosity of the President will be satisfied. And ideally, this is a 
very good and comfortable--[inaudible].
    I don't rule out, by the way, trilateral meetings. Maybe in the 
future we'll have trilateral meetings. We are not against it. We just 
found out at this time in life, considering what we have achieved 
already and what we are about to start now in a serious manner, that it 
was not essential in order to fulfill the desires that we all share, 
which is to move forward on this process between us and the 
Palestinians.
    I can reassure you, and perhaps through you, many of your people in 
America, that we think, and I'm sure that the Palestinians think, that 
the visit of the President is very, very helpful to the process that we 
are engaged in and that it contributes--and it will contribute a lot to 
the stability and the very comfortable environment within which we will 
conduct our negotiations.
    And therefore, I again want to take this opportunity, Mr. 
President--now you don't even get--[laughter]--to thank you very much, 
really to thank you for your friendship and your support and the courage 
that you inspire in all of us to carry on with our obligations. It's not 
easy. You know, sometimes it's not easy, but when I look at you--and I 
know what you have to take upon your shoulders and how you do it, the 
manner in which you do it, the courage that you have, the determination 
that you have, and your loyalty to the principles that you believe in--
it makes all of us feel that we can also--in trying to match you, which 
we can, we can move forward. Thank you very much.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.

Note: The President's news conference began at 6:36 p.m. at the Prime 
Minister's Residence. In his remarks, he referred to President Mahmoud 
Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority; Lt. Gen. Keith W. 
Dayton, USA, U.S. Security Coordinator to Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority; and Quartet Representative in the Middle East Tony Blair. 
Prime Minister Olmert referred to Knesset member and Yisrael Beitenu 
Party leader Avigdor Liberman and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Tzipora ``Tzipi'' Livni of Israel; and former Prime 
Minister Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) of the Palestinian Authority.