CLINTON WORKS TO MOVE THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS FORWARD
USIA
USIS Washington File
20 January 1998
CLINTON WORKS TO MOVE THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS FORWARD
(Meets with Israel's Netanyahu, later in week with Arafat) (900)
By Wendy S. Ross
USIA White House Correspondent
Washington -- In an effort to move the Middle East peace process
forward, President Clinton held discussions in the White House January
20 with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and plans to meet
at the White House January 22 with Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat.
"The President clearly wants both leaders to rise above some of the
negative aspects of the dialogue that they have had, to overcome any
sense of despair about the future of the process," White House Press
Secretary Mike McCurry told reporters.
"That's precisely why he has them here in Washington this week, to
work with them, to lend encouragement to them, hopefully to restore
some sense of confidence and optimism in them and between them so that
they can make the kind of process necessary if we are to achieve the
type of comprehensive, just, lasting peace in the region that we all
desire."
McCurry said Clinton believes it is important to remain upbeat about
the peace process because he believes "it is entirely possible to make
progress."
Clinton met for 90 minutes with Netanyahu in the Oval Office the
morning of January 20.
As he and the Prime Minister sat down for talks, Clinton said he had
"really looked forward to this week. I've worked hard to get ready for
the meeting. I'm anxious to begin my sixth meeting with the Prime
Minister and then to see Mr. Arafat in a couple of days."
"We're working hard to make progress," Clinton said, "and I want to
reaffirm to the people of Israel the strong support of the United
States for Israel and the strong support of the United States for the
security of Israel and a peace process that proceeds within that
commitment. And I think we can succeed."
Clinton said his expectations from the meeting were that "we're going
to have a good-faith, detailed, frank discussion and do our best to
make some progress. And I think we've got a chance to do that."
Netanyahu said Israel is prepared "for a withdrawal that will ensure
our defenses, that is what we're prepared to do. We're prepared to
move forward but not to jeopardize the security of the state of
Israel."
Clinton and Netanyahu met for just over 90 minutes, McCurry told
reporters following the meeting. Also participating were Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright and Israel Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh.
"They had a clear engagement across a wide spectrum of issues related
to the peace process as well as some discussion of regional security
issues as well," including Iran, Iraq, Turkey, proliferation concerns
and counter-terrorism, McCurry said.
"They had a good substantive detailed discussion of the relevant
issues," McCurry said, adding that "a lot of hard work remains" for
the peace process to succeed.
"It will be important for both the Chairman and the Prime Minister to
face some very difficult questions and make some difficult choices if
there is to be progress. We didn't anticipate the heavens to open
today. We anticipated exactly what happened, good hard substantive
work on all the issues that are fundamental to the dialogue between
Israel and the Palestinians," the Press Secretary said.
Both Clinton and Netanyahu "are very committed" to the peace process,
McCurry said. "Both leaders did serious business in a congenial
atmosphere. The good atmosphere continued," the Press Secretary said,
as Vice President Al Gore met for 45 minutes in his office with the
Prime Minister and then Gore escorted the Prime Minister to lunch in
the Ward Room of the White House.
In the afternoon Netanyahu was to meet with Albright at the Mayflower
Hotel where he is staying. She had held a breakfast meeting with him
there earlier in the day, and was scheduled to brief the press in the
early evening. It was possible, the National Security Council Press
Office said, that Clinton would meet again in the evening with
Netanyahu.
Upon leaving the White House following the morning meeting with the
President and administration officials, Netanyahu said, "we discussed
the key issues in considerable detail. We are going to have additional
discussions. I now go to continue these talks with Secretary of State
Albright, we will have other talks in the course of this short, but
rather packed, visit to Washington. We are going to do everything we
can to move the peace process forward and I think that the United
States and Israel are going to work with each other to achieve that."
Asked if Clinton was pressuring him, Netanyahu said, "It wasn't a
question at all of pressure and it didn't have that atmosphere at all.
It was a wholehearted and serious effort at finding common ground.
There is a lot of common ground because we both want to see the peace
process go forward and I think the United States recognizes Israel's
understandable and overriding concern with security. It was a good
conversation."
"What we have talked about is the attempt to achieve an overall
package which in addition to the specific steps would be a package of
good will. The good will is there, the pieces are there, we are trying
to put them together and we are making a real effort to do so," he
said.