pd09jn03 Remarks at a Multilateral Meeting With Arab Leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh,...

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    We reiterate our support for the Iraqi people as they rebuild their 
country. We affirm our commitment once more, the independence and the 
territorial integrity of Iraq under a Government that represents the 
Iraqi people and emanating from its free will, where Iraqi people living 
in peace and harmony with its neighbors. And in this regard, we consider 
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1483 as a useful means to achieve these 
goals.
    As the countries of this region continue their important endeavors 
to promote political, economic, and social reforms, we welcome the 
initiative by the United States to open new economic opportunities for 
all the people in the Middle East. We shall continue to work for a 
Middle East that is free of strife and violence, living in harmony, 
without the threat of terrorism or dangers of weapons of mass 
destruction.
    Thank you.
    President Bush. Thank you, Hosni. Very good job.
    Mr. President, thank you for your hospitality and for the invitation 
to this spectacular location.
    We meet in Sinai at a moment of promise for the cause of peace in 
the Middle East. We see the potential for unity against terror. We see 
the potential for the birth of a new and Palestinian state. We see the 
potential for broader peace among the peoples of this region.
    Achieving these goals will require courage and moral vision on every 
side, from every leader. America is committed and I am committed to 
helping all the parties to reach the hard and heroic decisions that will 
lead to peace.
    I want to thank Crown Prince Abdullah, King Hamad, King Abdullah, 
Prime Minister Abbas for joining us today. I particularly want to thank 
President Mubarak. The United States values its strong ties with Egypt. 
By hosting this gathering, President Mubarak is acting in Egypt's best 
traditions. His predecessor, Anwar Sadat, was a leader for peace who had 
the vision to see opportunities and the bold heart to seize them. In 
this spirit, we meet today.
    Last year on June 24th, I put forth a proposal for two states, 
Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace. I called on Israel 
to respect the rights of Palestinians, including the right to live in 
dignity in a free and peaceful Palestine. I urged the Palestinian people 
to embrace new leaders who stand for reform, democracy, and for fighting 
terror.
    I also said that progress toward peace would require the active 
commitment and support of neighboring states. And today I'm pleased to 
stand with leaders of the Arab world who are committed to these 
principles.
    All progress towards peace requires the rejection of terror. The 
leaders here today have declared their firm rejection of terror, 
regardless of its justifications or motives. They've also committed to 
practical actions

[[Page 713]]

to use all means to cut off assistance, including arms and financing, to 
any terror group and to aid the Palestinian Authority in their own fight 
against terror.
    Terror threatens my Nation. Terror threatens Arab states. Terror 
threatens the state of Israel. Terror threatens the emergence of a 
Palestinian state. Terror must be opposed, and it must be defeated.
    Tomorrow, I will go to Aqaba for a meeting with Prime Minister 
Sharon, Prime Minister Abbas to discuss the responsibilities of the 
Israelis and the Palestinians. And if all sides fulfill their 
obligations, we can make steady progress on the road toward Palestinian 
statehood, a secure Israel, and a just and comprehensive peace.
    We seek true peace, not just a pause between more wars and intifadas 
but a permanent reconciliation among the peoples of the Middle East.
    In our meeting today we also discussed the future of Iraq. I 
reaffirmed America's commitment to helping the Iraqi people achieve 
freedom and democracy in a unified country, its borders intact, a 
country free of weapons of mass destruction and at peace with its 
neighbors and the world.
    America is fully committed to restoring security to Iraqi cities and 
helping the Iraqi people rebuild their nation after decades of cruel and 
corrupt dictatorship. I welcome the support of all the nations 
represented here for these important goals and hope they will contribute 
to helping the good people of Iraq.
    There's a hopeful direction to recent events in the Middle East. In 
Iraq, a tyrant in support of terror has been removed. Reform is taking 
hold in many societies that are eager to join in the progress and 
prosperity of our times. I urge nations throughout the region open their 
markets, to seek broader trade in the world, and to join us in creating 
a U.S.-Middle East free trade area within a decade.
    The leaders here today recognize the importance of representative, 
democratic institutions to fulfilling the hopes of the Iraqi and 
Palestinian people. And free institutions are critical to the hopes of 
people everywhere. Allowing peaceful avenues for the expression of 
different views and broader political participation will unleash the 
talents of each nation. All Middle East countries that travel this 
challenging path will have the support and the friendship of the United 
States.
    In this meeting we've made progress on a broad agenda, and we're 
determined to keep moving forward. I thank all the leaders here today, 
and may God bless our important work.
    Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Note: President Mubarak spoke at 3:50 p.m. at the Four Seasons Resort. 
In his remarks, President Bush referred to Crown Prince Abdullah of 
Saudi Arabia; King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; King Abdullah II 
of Jordan; Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian 
Authority; and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel.


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 713-717]
 
Monday, June 9, 2003
 
Volume 39--Number 23
Pages 697-735
 
Week Ending Friday, June 6, 2003
 
Remarks at the Red Sea Summit in Aqaba, Jordan

June 4, 2003

    King Abdullah. President Bush, Prime Minister Sharon, Prime Minister 
Abbas, distinguished guests: We gather today in Aqaba, this small city 
that symbolizes the immeasurable potential of bringing different peoples 
together. Not far from here, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 
1994. Nine years later, what brings us here is the same dream, the dream 
of peace, prosperity, coexistence, and reconciliation. But dreams alone 
cannot fulfill hopes. It is thanks to the efforts of President Bush and 
the commitments of Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Abbas that 
we meet here today to transform these dreams into real achievements on 
the ground.
    Mr. President, Prime Ministers, let us have ambitions, ambitions to 
move beyond the violence and occupation, to the day when two states, 
Palestine and Israel, can live together, side by side in peace and 
security.
    And in our hands today, we hold the mechanism that can translate 
these ambitions into realities on the ground. It is a plan, the roadmap, 
that addresses the needs of both Palestinians and Israelis. To the 
Israelis, this plan offers collective security guarantees by

[[Page 714]]

all Arabs, a peace treaty, and normal relations with Arab states, and an 
end to the conflict. To the Palestinians, it offers an end to the 
occupation, a viable state, and the promise to live as a free and 
prosperous people.
    To be sure, the road to realizing this vision will not be 
straightforward or without obstacles. I'm aware that many in our region 
and around the world view our gathering today through a lens marred with 
skepticism and suspicion. The failures and frustrations of the past have 
left many disbelievers in their wake.
    Today we have an opportunity and obligation to reinstate faith in 
the process and to reinvigorate hopes for a better tomorrow. We simply 
cannot afford the alternative. The road to confrontation has shown its 
consequences: loss of innocent lives, destruction, and fear. Most 
costly, however, was the loss of hope. The most precious gift that you 
can present to your peoples over the coming weeks is renewed hope born 
out of tangible progress on the ground. And it's not only your people 
who will be watching and waiting. The eyes of the entire world will be 
upon you.
    The nature of our new borderless world means that we all have a 
stake in what happens here today. Jordanians, Americans, Europeans, and 
many around the world stand ready and willing to lend all their support 
to ensure your success. But at the end of the day, it is you, the 
Palestinians and the Israelis, who have to come together to resolve the 
many outstanding issues that divide you.
    Many will view the compromises that will be made during your 
negotiations as painful concessions. But why not view them as peace 
offerings, ones that will provide in return the priceless gifts of hope, 
security, and freedom for our children and our children's children. It 
is only by putting yourselves in each other's shoes that we can hope to 
achieve real progress.
    Thus, we reaffirm today our strong position against violence in any 
form and from whatever source. Blowing up buses will not induce the 
Israelis to move forward, and neither will the killing of Palestinians 
or the demolition of their homes and their future. All this needs to 
stop. And we pledge that Jordan will do its utmost to help achieve it.
    Mr. President, you have stayed the course. Your presence here today 
to witness the two leaders meeting together, agreeing on common grounds 
to solve this conflict, provides a great impetus to move forward and a 
clear answer to all the skeptics. I thank you, sir, for your leadership 
and your courage.
    Prime Minister Sharon, Prime Minister Abbas, I urge you today to end 
the designs of those who seek destruction, annihilation, and occupation. 
And I urge you to have the will and the courage to begin to realize our 
dreams of peace, prosperity, and coexistence. And remember that in the 
pursuit of these noble goals, Jordan will always remain a true friend.
    Thank you very much. And it is with great pleasure, if I may 
introduce Prime Minister Abbas to say a few words.
    Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. I would like to thank King Abdullah 
for hosting our meeting here today. I would like also to thank President 
Mubarak and King Abdullah, King Hamad, and Crown Prince Abdullah, who 
met in Egypt yesterday. I thank them for their statements supporting our 
efforts. I also would like to thank the Israeli Prime Minister Sharon 
for joining us here in Jordan. And many thanks especially to President 
Bush, who took the longest journey for peace of all of us.
    As we all realize, this is an important moment. A new opportunity 
for peace exists, an opportunity based upon President Bush's vision and 
the Quartet's roadmap, which we have accepted without any reservations.
    Our goal is two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in 
peace and security. The process is the one of direct negotiations to end 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to resolve all the permanent status 
issues and end the occupation that began in 1967, under which 
Palestinians have suffered so much.
    At the same time, we do not ignore the suffering of the Jews 
throughout history. It is time to bring all this suffering to an end.
    Just as Israel must meet its responsibilities, we, the Palestinians, 
will fulfill our obligations for this endeavor to succeed. We are ready 
to do our part.

[[Page 715]]

    Let me be very clear: There will be no military solution to this 
conflict, so we repeat our denunciation and renunciation of terrorism 
against the Israelis, wherever they might be. Such methods are 
inconsistent with our religious and moral traditions and are dangerous 
obstacles to the achievement of an independent sovereign state we seek. 
These methods also conflict with the kinds of state we wish to build, 
based on human rights and the rule of law.
    We will exert all of our efforts, using all our resources, to end 
the militarization of the intifada, and we will succeed. The armed 
intifada must end, and we must use and resort to peaceful means in our 
quest to end the occupation and the suffering of Palestinians and 
Israelis. And to establish the Palestinian state, we emphasize our 
determination to implement our pledges which we have made for our people 
and the international community. And that is a rule of law, single 
political authority, weapons only in the hands of those who are in 
charge of upholding the law and order, and political diversity within 
the framework of democracy.
    Our goal is clear, and we will implement it firmly and without 
compromise: a complete end to violence and terrorism. And we will be 
full partners in the international war against occupation and terrorism. 
And we will call upon our partners in this war to prevent financial and 
military assistance to those who oppose this position. We do this as a 
part of our commitment to the interests of the Palestinian people and as 
members of the large family of humanity.
    We will also act vigorously against incitement and violence and 
hatred, whatever their form or forum may be. We will take measures to 
ensure that there is no incitement--[inaudible]--from Palestinian 
institutions. We must also reactivate and invigorate the U.S.-
Palestinian-Israeli Anti-Incitement Committee. We will continue our work 
to establish the rule of law and to consolidate government authority in 
accountable Palestinian institutions. We seek to build the kind of a 
democratic state that will be a qualitative addition to the 
international community.
    All the PA security forces will be part of these efforts and will 
work together toward the achievement of these goals. Our national future 
is at stake, and no one will be allowed to jeopardize it.
    We are committed to these steps because they are in our national 
interest. In order to succeed, there must be a clear improvement in the 
lives of Palestinians. Palestinians must live in dignity. Palestinians 
must be able to move, go to their jobs and schools, visit their 
families, and conduct a normal life. Palestinians must not be afraid for 
their lives, property, or livelihood.
    We welcome and stress the need for the assistance of the 
international community and, in particular, the Arab states to help us. 
And we also welcome and stress the need for a U.S.-led monitoring 
mechanism.
    Together, we can achieve the goal of an independent Palestinian 
state, sovereign, viable, in the framework of good neighbors with all 
states in the region, including Israel.
    Thank you very much.
    Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Thank you. I would like to thank His 
Majesty King Abdullah for arranging this meeting and express Israel's 
appreciation to President Bush for coming here to be with Prime Minister 
Abbas and me. Thank you.
    As the Prime Minister of Israel, the land which is the cradle of the 
Jewish people, my paramount responsibility is the security of the people 
of Israel and of the state of Israel. There can be no compromise with 
terror. And Israel, together with all free nations, will continue 
fighting terrorism until its final defeat.
    Ultimately, permanent security requires peace, and permanent peace 
can only be obtained through security. And there is now hope of a new 
opportunity for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
    Israel, like others, has lent its strong support for President 
Bush's vision expressed on June 24, 2002, of two states, Israel and a 
Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security. The 
Government and people of Israel welcome the opportunity to renew direct 
negotiations according to the steps of the roadmap, as adopted by the 
Israeli Government, to achieve this vision.
    It is in Israel's interest not to govern the Palestinians but for 
the Palestinians to govern themselves in their own state. A democratic 
Palestinian state fully at peace with Israel will

[[Page 716]]

promote the long-term security and well-being of Israel as the Jewish 
state.
    There can be no peace, however, without the abandonment and 
elimination of terrorism, violence, and incitement. We will work 
alongside the Palestinians and other states to fight terrorism, 
violence, and incitement of all kinds. As all parties perform their 
obligations, we will seek to restore normal Palestinian life, improve 
the humanitarian situation, rebuild trust, and promote progress toward 
the President's vision. We will act in a manner that respects the 
dignity as well as the human rights of all people.
    We can also reassure our Palestinian partners that we understand the 
importance of territorial contiguity in the West Bank for a viable 
Palestinian state. Israeli policy in the territories that are subject to 
direct negotiations with the Palestinians will reflect this fact. We 
accept the principle that no unilateral actions by any party can 
prejudge the outcome of our negotiations.
    In regard to the unauthorized outposts, I want to reiterate that 

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