[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 38 (Monday, September 29, 2008)]
[Pages 1255-1256]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With President Mahmoud Abbas of the 
Palestinian Authority

September 25, 2008

    President Bush. Mr. President, welcome back. You and I have met a 
lot since I have been the President and you have been the President. And 
I appreciate your determination and your desire to have a Palestinian 
state, and I share that desire with you.
    It's not easy. No doubt it must be frustrating at times for you, 
because it's hard work to get a state after all these years. But 
nevertheless, there is a firm determination on your part and on my part 
to give the Palestinians a place where there can be dignity and hope.
    We are working hard with you on security matters. We're working hard 
with you on helping the international community help you get the economy 
going in the West Bank. And I welcome you back.
    As you know, I've got 4 more months left in office, and I'm hopeful 
that the vision that you and I have worked on can come to pass. And my 
only pledge to you is that I'll continue to work hard to see that it can 
come to pass. And so I welcome you back, and I think it's safe for me to 
say, I welcome you back, my friend.
    President Abbas. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am 
delighted, as well as the members of my delegation, to come here again 
to Washington and meet with you. We've met together for numerous times. 
Mr. President, we know very well how important this issue is for you, 
and we will continue to work very hard together in order to realize your 
vision of two states living side by side.
    There is no doubt that you have done a great deal, Mr. President, 
and you have exerted a great deal of efforts aiming at achieving that 
vision that we will work together to achieve. Your efforts, Mr. 
President, as well as your vision, both help us and the Israelis to work 
very hard during the last year and since the convening of the Annapolis 
conference. Hope will remain, Mr. President. We cannot live without 
hope. We will continue to work to achieve and realize that hope.
    And, Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to thank 
you and thank the United States for the help and the support and the aid 
that you have given us, and as well as the efforts that you led to 
mobilize the world to help the Palestinian Authority

[[Page 1256]]

in--on the economic front as well as on the security front.
    Mr. President, we will continue to work with you, and we will 
continue to keep the hope alive in order to reach a political solution 
for our issue and for the Middle East.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.

Note: The President spoke at 1:13 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. President Abbas spoke in Arabic, and his remarks were translated 
by an interpreter.