News Conferences & Interviews on the
Middle East/Israel
(1993)
MARCH 9, 1993
Middle East Peace Talks
Q. Did you discuss with the French President at all
the Middle East peace process? And are you optimistic, for the next
round of talks, that Syria comes to an agreement with Israel?
President Clinton. We have not discussed the Middle
East yet. We will over lunch. Yes, I am hopeful.
Q. President Clinton, concerning the Middle East, you
said that your country intends to play the role of a full partner in
the peace process. How do you intend to translate this? And what would
you tell Israeli Prime Minister Rabin when you receive him next week
so that to resume the talks, especially concerning the Palestinian deportees?
President Clinton. Well, I think that what we mean
by a full partnership was evidenced by the fact that the Secretary of
State's first trip abroad was to the Middle East and that he made aggressive
efforts there to try to get the talks back on track and to involve as
many parties as possible. In terms of what I will tell Prime Minister
Rabin when he comes back, I won't say anything I haven't said in public
about the deportee issue or anything else. We are working together.
I feel comfortable and confident that he very much wants the peace process
back on track, and I will support that.
MARCH 15, 1993
Middle East Peace Talks
Q. Mr. President, what do you think are the chances
of resuming the Middle East peace talks if deportees are not returned
immediately?
The President. I think the Secretary of State's done
a commendable job on his trip, and he's worked with the Prime Minister
on that issue. And I think we've got a good chance to resume the talks.
I certainly hope we will.
Q. Do you think all the parties will come back?
The President. I certainly hope so.
Q. Sir, as you prepare for the first peace talks under
your guidance, what do you think the prospects are for a lasting peace
in the Middle East?
The President. I think there are a lot of reasons to
be hopeful. Obviously, there's difficulty, and there are those who would
prefer that it not be done, but I think we have a real shot.
[At this point, one group of reporters left the room,
and another group entered. ]
Q. Mr. President, do you think the United States could
be helpful in bringing peace between Israel and Syria? Are you optimistic
that peace between these two countries can come during this year?
The President. Well, I hope that the peace process
will resume shortly. And I'm hopeful that it can produce a good result.
I think there's a chance.
Q. What is your reaction to terrorist action in Israel
today and the day before? If you've heard about it, what do you think
about it?
The President. Yes, I've heard about it, and I'm disturbed
about it. I hope it won't deter any of the parties involved from seeking
a genuine long-term peace. But the larger security interests of all
the nations involved still argue for trying to have a good-faith effort
at the peace process.
MAY 7, 1993
Middle East Peace Talks
Q. Mr. President, on the Middle East, you mentioned
the Middle East talks. Do you think the U.S. should now offer proposals
to bridge the gaps? Should the Syrians offer a full peace before Israel
agrees to withdraw from the Golan Heights? And could you accept or see
a Palestinian state eventually emerging from the talks?
President Clinton. If I answer any of those questions
I will undermine the Middle East peace talks. The real answer to that
question is, if those parties can agree among themselves in good faith
to proposals which will bring an end to the hostilities between Egypt
and Syria— I mean, between Israel and Syria, between Israel and
the Palestinians—they can get the multilateral talks going, if
they bring in the Jordanians, the Lebanese, that the United States will
be prepared to be supportive of their agreements. That is the answer
to that. And I hope they can reach them.
JULY 28, 1993
Middle East
Q. [Inaudible]—bombing—near silence of
the United States during this fourth day of bombardment of Lebanon—the
civilians being driven from—is being interpreted in the Middle
East as supportive of these assaults. What are you going to do to stop
the bombing, and would Christopher really be welcome in these outraged
capitals?
The President. The reason I asked well, I didn't ask;
Secretary Christopher and I had a conversation, and we agreed that he
should come home—is because we are so concerned about what is
going on in the Middle East. I think Hezbollah should stop its attacks,
and I think Israel should stop the bombardments. I think that Syria
should go from showing restraint to being an active participant to try
to stop the fighting. And we ought to do whatever we can to stop the
fighting as quickly as possible.
Q. Do I detect correctly, sir, a slight shift in your
attitude towards Syria, which you commended yesterday for its role in
the current trouble in the Middle East? And do you think you might have
been too hasty yesterday and have you changed your mind?
The President. No. I don't think anybody thought that
Syria was exactly behind Hezbollah. I just believe that they could do
more. I think it's now time for all the players to do more to bring
an end to the fighting. I think Syria, and Israel, Jordan, the Palestinians,
and the Lebanese, everybody except these political groups that make
their living from the continued misery of the Palestinians, everybody
else has a vested interest in continuing the Middle East peace process,
and I hope that we can get it going again.
AUGUST 30, 1993
Middle East Peace Talks
Q. Mr. President, changing the subject for a second.
The Palestinians and the Israelis appear to have some historic breakthrough
involving perhaps mutual Israeli-PLO recognition. If the Israelis and
the PLO recognize each other, will that result in the U.S. resuming
its dialog with the PLO?
The President. Well, first, let me say I am very much
encouraged by what is happening there and very hopeful. The administration
has worked hard to facilitate it. But ultimately, whatever happens will
have to be done by the parties themselves. If there is a new and different
landscape in the Middle East, then I might be willing to entertain some
questions. But I can't say now. I can't answer your question now. It's
hypothetical, and it would only interfere with the discussions now going
on. I don't think it's appropriate for the United States even to consider
its own position here until the parties have a chance to work out a
resolution of this.
Q. But the U.S. did have intervention in this, didn't
it? I mean—
The President. Oh, absolutely. I don't know if I would
call it an intervention, but we've certainly worked hard to be a handmaiden
or whatever the appropriate term is—
Q. So you are involved?
The President. We are involved, but our position has
not been at issue here and should not be discussed until the parties
themselves worked out their differences.
SEPTEMBER 9, 1993
The President. I just got off the telephone with Prime
Minister Rabin. I called him to congratulate him on the agreement that
he has reached today.
When we first met, he told me that he was prepared
to take risks for peace, and I told him that it was the responsibility
of the United States to do everything we could to minimize those risks.
And I reaffirmed that today. They have reached a general agreement,
but the process of implementing it will be quite complicated. And we
expect to be closely involved in the process all along the way. I am
extremely happy that it has finally happened. I am very, very hopeful
for the future. And this is a very brave and courageous thing that has
been done.
Q. will there be a signing ceremony Monday—
Q. Will the U.S.—with the PLO as part of this
deal, Mr. President?
The President. Well, let me answer you in this way.
Later today we will see what the statements of the parties are, and
then I will have another formal statement later in the day. If the PLO's
statement today meets the criteria we have repeatedly set down, renouncing
terrorism, acknowledging Israel's right to exist, those things, then
we will resume our dialog with them and then we'll go forward from there.
And we'll have an announcement probably today, perhaps tomorrow, about
what happens next with regard to this agreement.
Q. will that constitute formal recognition of the PLO?
The President. I don't want to say any more today.
Let's wait until their statement comes out. For the moment, for the
next few hours let's savor the fact that they have made this agreement.
As Prime Minister Rabin said, it's the first time in 100 years that
the Israelis and the Palestinians have agreed on something fundamental
and important.
Q. Why do you think the time was right now for such
an agreement, sir?
The President. I think that there are many reasons.
I think, frankly, the major leaders in Middle East, beginning with Prime
Minister Rabin and Mr. Arafat, were at a point in their lives, their
careers, their experiences, where for all kinds of reasons they thought
the time had come. And I also want to compliment Foreign Minister Peres;
I think he deserves a lot of credit.
I think the circumstances were propitious. I think
most people thought they had exhausted their reasonable alternatives,
and they didn't want to go on in this manner anymore. And I hope we
can keep this process going.
But I want to remind you that there are a lot of things
that still have to be done to make this really happen, and the United
States is committed to doing our share.
Q. Was the U.S. cut out of this deal, Mr. President?
The President. No. You know the facts, but let me briefly
reiterate them. We sponsored, along with the Russians, the resumption
of the talks. We put on the table a set of basic principles. About 70
percent of them were in the ultimate agreement that came out of the
secret channel in Oslo. Our job was to keep these talks going in Washington,
and the Secretary of State did a masterful job on two different occasions,
once with the deportations and once with the conflict in the Bekaa Valley,
when they were in danger of being derailed. And he worked hard. He went
to the Middle East. We've worked hard to do that.
We were made aware in the most general terms of what
was happening in Norway, but we didn't know a lot of the details, nor
should we have known. I think this matter was so volatile and so difficult
that it may be that the only way the final agreements could have been
reached on the principles was in a secret and totally unknown channel.
I think it gave both sides the freedom to reach out to one another.
So I think we did everything we could have, and a lot
of our work is still to be done now that the agreement has been made
and is public and has to be implemented. And we're prepared to do our
part. But I'm pleased about this, and I hope that it means more good
things in the future.
Q. will the U.S. find the money, sir, to support this
kind of agreement? Because after all, there's going to be a lot of aid
needed.
The President. [Inaudible]—a lot of work, a lot
of economic reconstruction that has to be done. I believe we'll do our
part. I believe the Congress will be willing, and I think the American
people will be willing. I think that our people will appreciate the
absolutely historic significance of this. This is a huge development
in the
Q. Did you offer to sponsor a signing ceremony or have
some kind of official recognition in Washington?
The President. We've been discussing that for the last
several days, but I think that I should wait until there is a formal
statement by the Israelis and the PLO later today, and then we'll have
more to say about that. Thank you.
SEPTEMBER 10, 1993
Israeli-Palestinian Declaration
Q. Mr. President, are you going to invite Arafat and
Rabin to the ceremonies on Monday?
The President. The parties will decide, as they've
made all the other decisions, who will come to the ceremony. Whatever
their decision is is fine with me.
Q. can you give us an idea of what the United States
is prepared to do to help this agreement work?
The President. I'll be talking a little more about
that later, and I'll have a statement as soon as this meeting is over.
I want to talk to the Members here about it first.
Q. Well, can you give us an idea of what this meeting
is all about?
The President. Well, we're going to brief them on—the
Secretary of State and I are—about, obviously, our strong support
for the agreement, what America's responsibilities will be, what our
allies and friends around the world are interested in doing about it,
and where we go from here.
Q. Mr. President, does the start of the dialog with
the Palestinians also mean that you will recognize the Palestinians
as Israel has?
The President. Well, it means that we're going to
Q. I mean the Palestinian entity.
The President. I understand that. We expect to work
with the Palestinians and the Israelis in implementing the agreement.
And we expect the dialog to produce further and clearer expressions
of our policy on that.
Q. Mr. President, are there any circumstances under
which Yasser Arafat might come to the ceremony? And if not, when would
you expect that he might come to the United States and might meet with
you or your representatives?
The President. Well, let me say in terms of the ceremony,
the people who will be here representing the United States and Israel—I
mean, excuse me, the PLO and Israel—are the people that the PLO
and Israel decide will come. That is entirely up to them. We are a sponsor
of the peace process, and we understand that we must play a major role
in trying to ensure its success. And the Secretary of State worked very
hard to keep it going at difficult moments along the way in the last
few months. But the thing that made it work was: They got together and
agreed; they made decisions for themselves, face to face, on matters
that they could never have taken an intermediary suggestion on because
they were so sweeping. I think that's the system that works.
So what I have said and what I communicated personally
to Prime Minister Rabin is that they should decide who is going to show
up and sign, and whoever they decide will be here is fine with us, and
we will welcome them. The gentleman from Norwegian Television. I think
we ought
Q. Mr. President, could you please elaborate on the
Norwegian mediating role in this process? And then, one more question:
How and when were you informed about the secret process going on in
Oslo?
The President. Well, we had been aware for some time.
I don't remember the exact date, but we've known for quite a while about
the discussions in Norway. But frankly, we didn't want to know much
of the details because the people were talking to each other.
I will say again, I think that's what made this agreement
possible. If they had tried to do some of the things they had done in
public, I think the constituencies of both sides would have made it
virtually impossible for the agreement to be made. And I think that
the world is indebted to Norway for providing a genuine opportunity
for face-to-face and totally private and honest and open consultations.
It was made possible, I think, by the fact that we
were able to keep the formal process going here. Many of the ideas embraced
by the parties directly were ones discussed here, but which could not
be agreed to in a public forum. So I think the world owes Norway a great
debt of gratitude, and I think the people of the Middle East do as well.
Q. Mr. President, you spoke of the need for a strong
philosophy to guide the United States and its friends in this new atmosphere.
Can you give us a sense of what some of the touchstones, some of the
essence of that strong philosophy in your view should be?
The President. Well, first of all, after the end of
the cold war, we know from just a cursory reading of any morning newspaper
that the end of danger and misery and difficulty and oppression has
far from passed from the face of the Earth. The United States still
has interests and values which compel us to support peace, the absence
of oppression, the recognition of human rights both on an individual
and a group basis and, wherever possible, democracy. And I believe that
while we must work with our friends and neighbors and allies through
multilateral organizations as much as possible, the leadership of the
United States is still absolutely essential to bring many of these conflicts
to a successful conclusion.
That does not answer all the specific details about
any particular area, but it is clear to me that for the foreseeable
future, we have a unique role which we must assume, and it is very much
in our interests as well as consistent with our values to do it.
Q. Mr. President, can you tell us what you might do
to discourage radical elements that might try to sabotage this agreement?
The President. Well, I think I should answer that in
more affirmative terms. What we're going to try to do is to generate
as much support for this agreement as possible, not just in the United
States and throughout the world but also in the Middle East, within
the Arab States, within the Palestinian communities, within our friends
in Israel. We believe that to the extent we can show leadership and
work with others who are interested in supporting this—and I want
to emphasize we've gotten clear expressions of interest and support
for implementing this agreement from the Europeans, from the Japanese,
from Norway and the other Scandinavian countries, from the Gulf countries,
from many of the Arab States—to whatever extent we can show that
this can work and can lead from here to a more comprehensive resolution
of the other issues still rending the Middle East, I think that will
tend to undermine the ability of any specific group to derail this process.
Press Secretary Myers. One more question.
Q. Can I follow on that?
The President. Yes.
Q. Will the United States support a U.N. force in the
Gaza Strip if necessary, and specifically, what will the U.S. do to
help ensure the security of Israel and the Palestinian entity?
The President. Well, that has to be worked out by the
parties. There will plainly be some peace guarantees. Through what mechanism
it's not clear. There were some after Camp David, and I would point
out that they worked very, very well. Most people are probably not even
aware of the long-standing presence of American forces in a multilateral
context in the Middle East in the aftermath of Camp David because it
did work so well. But no specific decisions have been made. That has
to be worked out with the parties, and they'll bring a proposal to us,
and we'll be working with them all along the way. And you will know
it as it develops. But we've not made a specific decision, and it would
be inappropriate for me to speculate about it now.
SEPTEMBER 14, 1993
Middle East
Q. Mr. President, a day after the historic signing
ceremony here on the South Lawn yesterday, the Israelis appear to be
establishing a relationship with Morocco, a formal relationship, and
there is this agreement between Israel and Jordan. What specifically
are you doing now, to try to promote the establishment of formal diplomatic
relations between Israel and other Arab nations, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
good friends of the United States? And do you think that is in the cards
in the immediate future?
The President. Well, let me first say that I am very,
very pleased that Prime Minister Rabin and Foreign Minister Peres bare
been received by King Hassan in Morocco. When we learned of this development
yesterday, and we talked about it in some detail—Prime Minister
Rabin and I talked about it—I was very pleased, because I think
that the King may have set an example, which I hope other Arab states
will consider following now, to try to continue now to just establish
dialog.
We are at this moment focusing on three or four aspects
of what we can do to implement this relationship. One is, what about
all the practical problems that are still out there? You know, elections
have to be held. Economic endeavors have to be undertaken in the Gaza,
and there are lots of things that just have to be done practically.
So we have a team now looking at all these practical problems to see
what can the United States do to facilitate this.
The second thing we're doing is looking at what we
can do to try to organize an appropriate level of investment. And in
that regard, we're looking primarily at maybe having a donors meeting
and trying to bring in the interested European countries and Asian countries
and Arab countries to talk about how we can put together the kind of
package we ought to have. Yesterday I met with a couple of hundred American
Jewish and Arab leaders from around the country, and I asked them to
participate front the point of view and private sector and partnerships
and helping to develop these areas so we could really move this relationship
forward.
And then the third thing that we're going to do is
to discuss on a political level what we should do to try to facilitate
further political contacts. The announcement between Israel and Jordan
today is very helpful. And I hope that will give further encouragement
to other Arab countries.
OCTOBER 25, 1993
Palestinian Prisoners
Q. President Mubarak, can we ask about your feelings
about Israel's releasing these Palestinian prisoners today?
President Mubarak. I think it's a very good act. And
we have discussed this before with Prime Minister Rabin. And the man
really-[inaudible]—in doing as far as he could to restore peace
and reach a comprehensive settlement to the problem. It's a very good
step forward.
Q. Mr. President, your feelings?
President Clinton. I agree. I'm very pleased. He should
come every day. I can say I agree- [laughter] —shorten my answer.
Middle East Peace Process
Q. I want to follow up on your answer on Syria for
a second. Do you think the political traffic in Israel right now could
bear a breakthrough on the Syria-Israel front? That is, do you think
Prime Minister Rabin could sell to the Israeli public Asad back on the
Golan and Arafat in the West Bank in the same window of time here?
President Clinton. I don't know what the answer to
that is, but I will say this: At least we can all count, and we know
that if you look at the composition of the Knesset with the Shas minority
party out of the coalition, temporarily at least, but not yet voting
against the peace process, it is important that the Prime Minister know
that there is not only a lot of popular support for what is being done
but that that popular support can be translated at least into a Knesset
that does not attempt to tie his hands in going forward.
Which is why the position of the United States has
been, number one, that I believe Prime Minister Rabin wants a comprehensive
peace. in the Middle East; number two, that in order to do it he has
to have the support of the people of Israel, which means we have to
implement the present agreement between Israel and the PLO, we have
to continue to make progress in opening up other Arab nations' attitudes
toward Israel, we have to continue to make progress on the other tracks.
And there has to be some time in which he can work out whatever his
situation is with this parliamentary body. We don't need to have him
in a position where he can't make peace.
Now, I can't offer you a definitive analysis of Israeli
politics or public opinion, but I think what I'm committed to doing
is to getting this thing on track. Everybody in Israel has got to know
in the end there can't be a total peace in the Middle East unless there
is some peace with Syria. But the timing is very important, and progress
on the things that are now at hand is very important.
NOVEMBER 10, 1993
Israel
Q. Mr. President, there's a growing expectation that
Israel and Jordan are going to sign a peace treaty when Prime Minister
Rabin visits the White House on Friday. Could you tell us what's the
likelihood of that? And also on Mr. Rabin, Israeli radio says that he's
written you a letter asking you to cut the prison sentence of convicted
spy Jonathan Pollard to 10 years.
Are you going to do that?
The President. First of all, I am delighted by the
reports of progress in the relationships between Israel and Jordan.
And as you we are talking with both of them. And we've been involved
with that. But I don't think anything will happen Friday on that. I
would he pleased if it did. But the truth is, we have no reason to believe
that anything will he happening Friday.
On the Pollard case, it is true that the Prince Minister
has written me about Jonathan Pollard. I have asked the Justice Department
to review his case, as I do in every request for executive clemency.
I have not received a report from them yet. And I will not make a decision
on the Pollard case until I get some sort of indication from them.
NOVEMBER 12, 1993
Middle East Peace Process
Q. Mr. President, are you considering a stop in the
Middle East during your Europe trip in January to help the momentum
of the Middle East peace process?
The President. The Prime Minister and I are going to
talk about what we can do to keep this going, but that's not one of
the things that's been raised so far by anyone.
[At this point, one group of reporters left the room,
and another group entered.]
Q. President Clinton, is King Hussein strong enough
to make peace with Israel before President Asad?
The President. I think he's in a good position to proceed
now. And of course, we all have come out for a process that will lead
to comprehensive peace in the Middle East. But I think King Hussein
obviously wants peace, and the recent elections must surely encourage
him.
I think the people of Jordan want peace.
Q. Do you think there's a chance to reach any progress
with the Syrians?
The President. I hope so. We're going to discuss that
today and a number of other issues. Over the long rim, I think we'll
have to make progress with everyone.
PLO Terrorism
Q. Mr. Prime Minister, what's your comment on the involvement
of PLO people in the kidnaping and killing of an Israeli?
Prime Minister Rabin. We consider it as a great and
dangerous violation of the commitment of the PLO. In the letter that
was signed by the Chairman of the PLO to me, he committed himself to
renounce and reject terrorism. Keeping commitments is the basis for
the advancement towards peace. We'll keep our commitments; we demand
them to keep their commitments and to come up openly in renouncing and
taking the disciplined measures to which he is committed, as it is written
in the letter that he signed and sent to me.
NOVEMBER 13, 1993
Middle East Peace Process
Q. Mr. President, PLO Chairman Arafat seems to have
condemned the murder of an Israeli at the end of October. Do you think
this is in response to your request and Mr. Rabin's request?
The President. Well, perhaps, but regardless I think
it's a very positive sign. I've only received limited reports this morning,
but from what I've heard it's a very positive sign. It's the sort of
thing that will enable them to work together and to implement the accord.
Q. Were there any direct contacts between you and Arafat
in order to get him to condemn the murder?
The President. We bail no direct contacts, the White
House did not, but we made it very clear what our position was, and
I think that the Israelis—they have direct contact of course with
the PLO now because of the implementation of the accord. And I think
perhaps again I would say we maybe ought to give most of the credit
to that. I hope the meeting yesterday highlighted it and our position
is clear. But they need to keep their word to each other, that's the
most important thing.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |