President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Feb. 13, 1997
page 1
CLINTON: 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 nine 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 travelled 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 our 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 most 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 two year, $100 million 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 opportunities.
Finally, I reaffirm to the prime minister America's unshakable determination to continue helping Israel to meet its security needs. The delivery of F-15I fighters, beginning this year, will strengthen 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 Benjamin 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.
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 soul of the people of Israel in our recent tragedy. I think you've shown yourselves 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 unshakeable 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.
CLINTON: Now, we'll start with Terry, and then we'll alternate between American and Israeli journalists, and the prime minister will call on journalists from Israel.
QUESTION: 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 in the Golan Heights. Did you discuss that? What can you tell us about it? Do you think it might work?
CLINTON: I would very much like to see the talks resumed.
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 am going to follow the rule I 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.
QUESTION: 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?
CLINTON: You mean you want me to make the private talk not private?
(LAUGHTER)
No. Yes, 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 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.
QUESTION: Mr. Clinton, assuming that Ambassador Indyk was correctly quoted on our policy in Lebanon and assuming that we still have a tradition of territorial, supporting territorial integrity, why are you against a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon?
CLINTON: Well, I am -- 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 and 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.
QUESTION: Even to the point of occupying someone else's country?
CLINTON: Do you want to make a comment there?
NETANYAHU: I abstain (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: Get me off the hot seat. I'm taking all this heat.
(LAUGHTER)
NETANYAHU: Well, we have no desire, Helen, to be in Lebanon. We're there simply because there is a desire of some people in Lebanon to be in Israel, specifically the launch attacks against Israel and they're been doing that over the years. I'm talking about Hizbollah at this stage, and we have said that we would withdraw from Lebanon if we could secure a northern border.
Our concern is that if we simply walked away to the border, Hizbollah 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 Hizbollah military capacity in the south of the country and take up the slack. Preferably it should be the Lebanese Army.
That is something 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 and it hasn't changed.
QUESTION: Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister Iran, is the developing long range missiles with Russian know how. Is that a clear and present danger to Israel?
On another (OFF-MIKE) friends of the United States the Saudis will get the latest technology from the United States. Will that be a danger to Israel qualitative edge? Thank you.
CLINTON: Let me answer the second question first and then I'll answer them both. First of all with regard to Saudi Arabi, 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-16s, which I take it is the import of your question. So I will get to the specifics.
| back |  page 1 | forward |