Statement on Meeting with Syrian
President Assad
(March 29, 2000)
Question: Mr. President, you said that Assad's
- that the ball is in Assad's court. Is that because you think that
his insistence on the return of all Syrian land under occupation in
exchange for peace lacks logic, or possibility?
President Clinton: It's because he now knows in great detail
what the Israeli proposals were. And I believe, since they have made
an effort to be specific and comprehensive, if we're going to make progress,
they should now be able to know what his specific and comprehensive
response is on all the issues.
There is more than one issue here. And if we're going to have a negotiation,
I don't think it's enough to say, I don't like your position, come back
and see me when I like your position. And I understand how strongly
he feels about it, but if he disagrees with their territorial proposal,
which is quite significant, then there should be some other proposal
I think, coming from the Syrians about how their concerns could be handled.
And that's what I meant by that. I did my best to try to just present
what I thought the options were and if we're going to have a negotiation,
it takes two people coming up with ideas - or three sides, in this case,
if we are being asked to mediate it.
He, obviously, has the perfect right to take whatever position he believes
is in Syria's interests and whatever he thinks is right, but if there
is a genuine desire for peace here on both sides, and I believe there
is, and if both sides face certain significant political constraints
within their countries, and I believe they do, then they both need to
come up with some ideas and start talking. I mean, the one thing there
should be no doubt about is that there is a real effort being made here
to resolve this. And I think it is clear that Prime Minister [Ehud] Barak would like to resolve
it, and I think President Assad would like to resolve it. So once you
know what the other side wants and you don't think you can do it, then
you ought to come up with some alternative way of trying to respond
to the underlying concerns that are behind the position. That's what
I've suggested, and I hope that will happen. And meanwhile, the rest
of us will keep working. I had a good talk with President [Hosni] Mubarak [of Egypt] yesterday about
that, and I hope we can continue to more forward.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |