News Conference With Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
(February 13, 1997)
The President. Good afternoon. Please be seated. I'm
pleased to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu back to the White House
for his fourth visit since taking office. He comes at a time of great
sadness in Israel, following the terrible helicopter accident of 9 days
ago. We know that in Israel every death is in the family. And on behalf
of the American people, Mr. Prime Minister, once again I would like
to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of the victims and
to all the people of Israel.
Since our meeting in October, we have traveled a very
long way. Then we met in a time of crisis; now there is a renewed sense
of promise in the Middle East. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister
for concluding the Hebron agreement last month with Chairman Arafat.
They have reached a milestone on the way to a secure and lasting peace.
The agreement solved the immediate issue of redeployment and laid out
a roadmap for the next steps that must be taken to fulfill existing
agreements and to move ahead to the pivotal questions of the future.
Beyond the specific commitments made, the Hebron accord
is important because it renewed the partnership between Israelis and
Palestinians, a partnership that is essential to the success of the
peace process. The United States is proud to have helped in this effort.
Today the Prime Minister and I discussed what Israelis
and Palestinians need to do next to strengthen this relationship that
is so central to all our hopes for the Middle East. We have an opportunity
to build on the new momentum coming out of last month's agreement. It
must not be wasted.
The release of Palestinian prisoners earlier this week
was an important sign of Israel's respect for past agreements and its
willingness to take into account Palestinian needs. Both sides must
show the same kind of determination as they seek to resolve on the basis
of reciprocity the issues that remain. The challenges will be great,
but the Prime Minister and Chairman Arafat have shown that the will
is there. Just as America has been by Israel's side each step of the
way, in the journey that lies ahead we will help Israel and its partners
move forward.
The achievement of Hebron is a call to action, and
it must be heeded. The United States and Israel share a goal of a comprehensive
settlement and a powerful belief that peace and security are indivisible.
The Prime Minister and I exchanged ideas on how to
revive negotiations between Syria and Israel. I believe both nations
want to conclude a peace agreement, and the United States will work
with them to achieve that goal. We also believe it is important that
Israel and Lebanon achieve an agreement to complete the circle of peace.
We agreed on the need for increased contact and better
ties between Arab States and Israel. This will be a priority in my meetings
with other Middle East leaders over the next month. It's time to reinvigorate
talks that bring together Israelis, Arabs, and the international community
to address regional issues such as water resources and environmental
protection and to clear the way to more trade between Israel and Arab
nations.
To make peace meaningful, reconciliation must deepen.
And Arabs and Israelis must both harvest more of the fruits of peace.
The pursuit of peace and the practice of terror are incompatible. For
negotiations to succeed, there must be a climate of stability and tranquility.
For peace to endure, Arabs and Israelis must know the calm of a normal
life.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and I reviewed our shared
efforts to combat terror, including the 2-year, $100 million program
I announced last year. Those funds have allowed Israel to invest in
research and development for new technologies, to procure state-of-the-art
security equipment, to streamline the passage of goods and people from
the West Bank and Gaza. That way Israel has more security, and Palestinians
have more economic opportunity.
Finally, I reaffirmed to the Prime Minister America's
unshakable determination to continue helping Israel to meet its security
needs. The delivery of F-15-I fighters beginning this year will strengthen
Israel's air defenses against any attack. And our cooperation on theater
missile defenses through early warning systems and defensive programs
like the Arrow is reducing the chance that Israelis again will fear
missile attacks from distant enemies.
When Binyamin Netanyahu first visited the White House
as Prime Minister, I pledged that we would preserve and strengthen the
bonds between our two nations. With this meeting we have taken another
step to fulfill that promise, to deepen the partnership that has made
it possible for so many extraordinary changes to occur in the Middle
East since 1993—through the agreements last month and through
other things that will now be done to sustain us as we move forward
toward our common dream of a comprehensive peace.
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. The floor is yours.
Prime Minister Netanyahu. Thank you. Mr. President,
I want to thank you first for the very moving words that you expressed,
your sharing of our grief, the sharing of the American people of the
great sorrow of the people of Israel in our recent tragedy. I think
you've shown yourself to be a great champion of peace and an exceptional
friend of Israel. And I must say that both of these attitudes were in
evidence today in our discussions, discussions between friends who wish
to achieve peace and security.
We discussed the progress and the various tracks of
peace, both with the Palestinians and as we hope with the Syrians. And
I found, as always in my discussions with you, Mr. President, your unshakable
commitment to Israel's security and understanding of how security is
intertwined with peace and a desire to assist us with our Arab partners
to walk on that road of peace and security.
I think that the strength of the American-Israel relationship
is a fundamental factor in the pursuit of peace, of a secure peace in
the Middle East. And I come out of these meetings with renewed confidence
in our ability to progress on that road.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The President. Now, we'll start with Terry [Terence
Hunt, Associated Press], and we'll alternate between American and Israeli
journalists. And the Prime Minister will call on the journalists from
Israel.
Syria
Q. Mr. President, you mentioned Syria. What are the
prospects for restarting peace talks with Syria? And the Prime Minister
was said to be bringing a territorial compromise on the Golan Heights.
Did you discuss that, and what can you tell us about it? Do you think
it might work?
The President, I would very much like to see the talks
resume. And I think it's an important part of continuing the process,
keeping it alive, keeping the momentum going. We had an extensive discussion
about the whole issue of every aspect of the peace process. But I think
the only way the United States has been able to be a constructive force
in this process for the last several years is not to say anything which
will undermine the prospects of its success. So if I—I'm going
to follow the rule I've followed since I first came to this job: Until
we have something to say publicly, anything I comment on will only undermine
the chances of peace.
I do feel encouraged by the discussions we've had,
that there are things worth working on, working through. I'm hopeful
that we can get the Syrian track going again. But I have nothing specific
to say at this time.
Middle East Peace Process
Q. Mr. President, I believe that you had a very lengthy
private talk with Prime Minister Netanyahu. In your private conversation
today, did he outline to you how does he see the future Middle East
or the permanent settlements—peace settlements in the Middle East
between Israel and Syria, between Israel and the Palestinians or the
Palestinian Authority? Privately, did he say anything to you about it?
The President. You mean you want me to make the private
talk not private anymore? [Laughter] No, the answer—yes, the answer
is, I believe he has thought through a way consistent with the security
of the people of Israel that a comprehensive peace might be achieved.
We all know that there are a lot of things out there that still have
to be resolved. But I was impressed that it's obvious that he has been
thinking very hard about this and thinking about it from a security
point of view and from a point of view of peace and long-term harmony
and prosperity of peoples in the region. I was encouraged by that.
Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press International].
Lebanon
Q. Mr. President, assuming that Ambassador Indyk was
correctly quoted on our policy in Lebanon and assuming that we still
have a tradition of supporting territorial integrity, why are you against
the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon at this time?
The President. I believe it is imperative that Israel
maintain the security of its northern border, and therefore, I have
believed that the United States should be somewhat deferential under
these circumstances, which are quite unusual, as we've seen repeatedly
over the last few years, in the decisions that Israel would make. So
it's up to the Prime Minister to announce the policy of his country,
not me, on this issue.
Q. Even to the point of occupying someone else's country?
The President. Do you want to make a comment about
it?
Prime Minister Netanyahu. Thanks. [Laughter]
The President. Get me off the hot seat. [Laughter]
Prime Minister Netanyahu. Well, we have no desire,
Helen, to be in Lebanon. We're there simply because there's a desire
of some people in Lebanon to be in Israel, specifically, to launch attacks
against Israel. They've been doing that over the years. I'm talking
about Hezbollah at this stage. And we have said that we would withdraw
from Lebanon if we could secure our northern border. Our concern is
that if we simply walked away to the border, the Hezbollah and other
terrorists would just come to the fence and attack our towns and villages
and our citizens from that improved position.
My view is that we can achieve an ultimate withdrawal
from Lebanon if we could have somebody dismantle the Hezbollah military
capacity in the south of the country and take up the slack—preferably
it should be the Lebanese army. That is something that we're prepared
to negotiate with the Government of Lebanon, and it's no secret with
Syria, that has more than a minor influence in Lebanon. That is our
position. It hasn't changed.
Iran and Saudi Arabia
Q. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Iran is developing
long-range missiles with Russian know-how. Is that a clear and present
danger to Israel? On another—friends of the United States, the
Saudis, will get the latest technology from United States. Will that
be a danger to Israel's qualitative edge? Thank you.
The President. Let me answer the second question first,
and then I'll answer them both. First of all, with regard to Saudi Arabia,
we have had a long and very important defense partnership which persists
to this day and which has contributed, I believe, to the security of
Israel. We have not been asked by the Saudi Government for F-16's, which
I take it is the import of your question, so I will get to the specifics.
Obviously, any request they would make of us we would have to seriously
consider. But any decision that I make about that has to be made in
a way that is consistent with our first commitment which is to do nothing
that will undermine the qualitative edge of Israeli security forces
in the Middle East.
Now, with regard to the second question, we are obviously
concerned about Iran from many perspectives, not only from the build-up
of its conventional military forces but also from the continued determination
of the government to support terrorists in the region and beyond. And
we are doing what we can to stem the tide of terrorism. And I will say
again, we will do what we can to make sure that no development in any
other country that is beyond our control or influence will be permitted
to erode Israel's qualitative security edge. That is our responsibility,
and we'll do our best to fulfill it.
Bill [Bill Plante, CBS News].
China and Campaign Financing
Q. Mr. President, your Press Secretary said earlier
today that you were surprised and concerned by reports that there may
have been plans made in the Chinese Embassy to funnel foreign contributions
to the Democratic National Committee this year. Does this give you concern
that there could be industrial or economic espionage as a target of
this? And do you think this tips the scales in favor of having an independent
counsel on the campaign finance question?
The President. Well, first of all, the—let me
answer—the second question has and should be answered entirely
by the Justice Department. The statute about that depends not on the
gravity of the subject but on what the targets are. And it's fairly
well covered. The Justice Department has spoken to that and will continue
to speak to that and will make the decisions. I don't want to have any
comment about it.
On the first, let me say that, first of all, this is
a serious set of questions raised here. And the first I knew about any
of it was last evening. They obviously have to be thoroughly investigated.
And I do not want to speculate or accuse anyone of anything. I do not—I
know nothing about it other than what I heard last night, which is reflected
entirely in the article this morning in the Post. But obviously, it
would be a very serious matter for the United States if any country
were to attempt to funnel funds to one of our political parties for
any reason whatever.
So I think we just have to let the investigation proceed,
and we should all support it in every way we can. It has to be vigorous,
and it has to be thorough.
Lebanon and Syria
Q. Mr. President, it is the American view that it's
possible to reach a settlement in Lebanon without first reaching an
overall settlement with Syria? And if so, will the American Government
do something to seek such a solution?
The President. Well, let me say I would support any
reasonable efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement with Lebanon
that the Government of Israel thought was feasible and was willing to
undertake. I think that we all know what the facts are there, and we
all understand. You just heard the Prime Minister talk about the problems
along the border. I think we all understand it would be at least certainly
a lot easier to do if there were also an agreement with Syria.
You know, we have a special feeling in this country
for Lebanon, and we have a lot of the sons and daughters of Lebanon
who are American citizens now. And it is a particularly grievous thing
for us to see the relationships between Israel and Lebanon in the position
they're in. But we have to look at this over the long run. I think that—we
have talked about this frankly; we've had several conversations about
this. We have to do what we think is possible, and Israel has to do
what we think is possible. If it became possible to have a real and
meaningful agreement, would I be for that? You bet I would. Is it now?
I'm not sure.
And you may want to——
Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think you said it very
well.
American Airlines Labor Dispute
Q. Mr. President?
The President. Yes, John [John Palmer, NBC News]?
Q. Mr. President, I wondered if you could give us your
assessment of the impact of a possible American Airlines strike at midnight
tomorrow night? Have you received the Department of Transportation report
on that impact and how serious would it be? And would you plan to invoke
any special powers and keep them on the job through an emergency decree?
The President. Today I want to say no more than I did
yesterday, except to reemphasize that it should be obvious to everyone
looking at this that it cannot be a good thing for American Airlines,
but more importantly, it cannot be a good thing for the people of the
United States and indeed people coming to the United States from other
parts of the world for a significant interruption to occur in the operations
of this airline.
We've had so many problems with our airlines for several
years. And now they've been doing quite well for the last couple of
years. Our administration has worked very hard on that. This is an important
part of America being seen as a vibrant, reliable, successful nation.
And it would be quite disruptive if it occurs.
So I want to say today, I want to reiterate my call
to the parties to use the mediator and think about how they can reach
out to one another in the best interest of the Nation, as well of American
and its employees, all of its employees.
Israel-Syria Peace Talks
Q. Mr. President, do you really think that Israel and
Syria can resume the peace talks in an atmosphere like we have today,
where Hezbollah keeps its terror activity and the Syrian and Iranian
support? And what are you going to do about it, if anything—if
you are going to do anything about it?
The President. Well, actually, we spend quite a lot
of time trying to do something about terrorists everywhere. We invest
a lot of our resources and our efforts in working with our friends in
Israel and throughout the world trying to prevent terrorists from conducting
successful operations and trying to track them down and punish them
and extra dite them and do what needs to be done when they do.
So I think our—I think the United States has
a clearer, more unambiguous position on terrorism, whether it affects
our people directly or not, than virtually any other large industrial
country in the world. And I will continue to do that.
However, it has been obvious for some time to the overwhelming
majority of people in Israel—which is why the Prime Minister has
done what he's done and why his predecessors did what they did—that
in the long run, there had to be a comprehensive peace in the region
to end all the violence. And I applaud him for doing that.
When we seek to make peace, we obviously are dealing
with people with whom we have been angry, angry enough to take up arms,
people with whom we have not had a relationship of trust. And that is
what makes every step along the way so difficult. But I think to renounce
the possibility of peace is not the right course. To stand up to terrorism
in every way we can is the right course.
National Economy
Q. In your economic report of the President, which
was released this week, you said that the economy's health was the strongest
it had been in decades. Today the stock market closed at about 7,000
for the first time. Are you concerned about the speed of that rise?
Do you think it may well be justified, given what you see as a pretty
strong fundamental economy?
The President. I think it was 3,200 when I took office.
[Laughter] And I got a call from a little town in the mountains of north
Arkansas, from a friend of mine who was talking to his Republican stockbroker,
who said, "If it ever hits 4000, even I will vote for him."
[Laughter]
Let me say, my own view is that anything we say about
this is likely to either have no effect or an adverse one. The market
has produced a remarkable growth, but the economy is growing. Obviously,
the concern is, you know, are the returns to stocks, returns to investment
greater than can be justified based on the productivity and profit prospects
of the companies that are being traded. But if you look at the stability
and the growth that we've enjoyed and the prospects we have for stable
growth with no inflation, it's hard to say that it's completely out
of the question.
More and more—keep in mind, one of the reasons
this market has gone up is that just a few years ago only about a third
of the American people owned stocks, either directly or indirectly through
their retirement investments and mutual funds; today over 40 percent
of the American people do.
So, on balance, this has been a positive thing. Obviously,
you know—some people say, "Well, gosh, we don't want another
1987 here." But even after 1987 we had a rather rapid rebound.
So I think what I need to do is to try to work on keeping the economy
healthy. Let's go on and balance the budget. Let's invest in our future,
and let's try to create a better worldwide trading system. Let's follow
our strategy, and then let the market take care of itself, as long as
there is no destructive element in it. That's what I think we should
do.
Want to take one more?
Abu Marzook
Q. Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister, are you considering
once again the question of bringing Mr. Abu Marzook to trial in Israel?
The President. The answer to that question is, we did
not discuss it because it's a matter within the American courts. And
there is nothing I can do about, nothing the Prime Minister can do about
it. It's in our courts, and we can't discuss it until it's resolved
in the courts.
Prime Minister Netanyahu. I can only reaffirm that.
But I can also tell you that, Mr. President, like you, I have a habit
of not dealing—not commenting on our stock market, which has been
going up. [Laughter] But I will say that when the Israeli stock market
reaches 7,000 I will comment on it. [Laughter]
Second Term Cabinet Nominees
The President. Before I go I have to—since I
didn't get a question on it, I have—there is one thing I want
to say something about, just because I've heard it suggested that maybe
I don't have a great interest in this. I've just literally not been
asked about it.
I have been very well-pleased with the treatment that
my nominees for the Cabinet have received who have gotten their hearings
and been taken to a vote. There are still some who have not gotten a
hearing yet, and let me mention in particular Tony Lake. We've now answered
all the questions that we've been asked. We've sent it up to the committee.
And I think he ought to be given a hearing and a vote.
And I'd like to remind everybody involved in this that
it was Tony Lake who came up with the strategy that we implemented to
end the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II. He was a terrific
success as the National Security Adviser to the President. He has worked
in these fields for 30 years. He fully understands the intelligence
operations. He is superbly qualified. If someone has some reason to
oppose him, let them oppose him in a hearing and then in a vote on the
floor. But in view of his service, not to me but to this country, and
the positive consequences of that service, whether it's Bosnia, Haiti,
the agreements with Russia, you name it, he deserves—his service
to this country deserved a hearing and a vote on the floor of the Senate.
And I hope he will get it.
Thank you very much.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |