Joint Statement by President Clinton and Prime Minister
Ehud Barak
(July 19, 1999)
During several days of close consultations, the President
and the Prime Minister conducted a comprehensive review of the U.S.-Israel
bilateral relations, the peace process, Israeli as well as regional
security, economic and scientific development and cooperation. These
fruitful discussions have produced important agreements and understandings
in all of these areas.
Prime Minister Barak expressed his deep appreciation
of President Clinton's special efforts to enhance the U.S.-Israeli relationship
and advance the cause of peace in the Middle East.
President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak have reached
a broad new understanding that significantly enhances the already unique
bilateral relations between the United States and Israel, and raises
their friendship and cooperation to an even higher level of strategic
partnership. This new partnership is designed to underpin their joint
effort to put an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict and achieve a comprehensive
peace in the Middle East.
The President and the Prime Minister have agreed on
the need to assign a top priority to the pursuit of peace in the Middle
East. They have also reached a meeting of minds on the desirability
of making an intensive effort to move ahead simultaneously on all tracks
of the peace process, bilateral and multilateral, as well as on the
important role that would be played by the United States in support
of the process.
President Clinton assured Prime Minister Barak that
the United States would be ready to assist and contribute in any way
it can to achieving an historical reconciliation that will usher in
a new era of peace, security, prosperity and cooperation in the Middle
East. In this context, he reiterated the U.S. commitment to help Israel
minimize the risks and costs it incurs as it pursues peace and affirmed
the broad U.S. backing that would be accorded to Israel, to facilitate
the pursuit of peace.
Recognizing that the U.S.-Israel relationship serves
as a cornerstone for pursuing peace, they vowed to strengthen and deepen
this unique relationship, which is based on shared democratic values,
bonds of friendship, common interests and joint cooperation in so many
areas of human endeavor. President Clinton reiterated the steadfast
commitment of the United States to Israel's security, to maintain its
qualitative edge, and to strengthen Israel's ability to deter and defend
itself, by itself, against any threat or a possible combination of threats.
The United States and Israel will sign a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) which will express their joint intention to restructure
U.S. bilateral assistance to Israel. The MOU will state the United States'
intention to sustain its annual military assistance to Israel, and incrementally
increase its level by one-third over the next decade to a level of $2.4
billion subject to Congressional consultations and approval. At the
same time, the MOU will provide for a gradual phase-out of U.S. economic
aid to Israel, over a comparable period, as the Israeli economy grows
more robust, less dependent on foreign aid, and more integrated in world
markets.
The two leaders also reviewed the status of the U.S.-Israeli
defense relationship and agreed that existing defense channels of coordination
and cooperation work effectively. These would have to be further consolidated
and strengthened under a Defense Policy Advisory Group (DPAG) to meet
the new challenges of WMD, counter proliferation (CP) and theater missile
defense (TMD). The Group will coordinate and plan the cooperation between
the U.S. Department of Defense and the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
In addition, the two leaders agreed on the components
of the $1.2 billion military aid package for Israel that the Administration
has already requested from Congress. The President assured the Prime
Minister of his intention to work closely with the Congress to seek
expedited action for funding, starting in FY 1999, for this package
to support Israel as it implements the Wye River Memorandum. The package
will have three components:
Assistance to the Israeli Defense Forces as they carry
out further redeployments, including projects which will be managed
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Assistance in meeting Israel's broader strategic requirements,
including Theater Missile Defense (TMD), helicopters, and communications
equipment and munitions.
Assistance in meeting the increased cost of Israeli
counter- terrorism efforts.
The two leaders also agreed on the importance of spreading
the benefits of peace to all those who participate in the process. In
that context, they expressed support for the $400 million in assistance
to the Palestinian people and $300 million for Jordan that is part of
the Administration's request to Congress to support implementation of
the Wye River Memorandum.
President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak agreed that
Israel faces new challenges in the strategic arena, particularly the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles
that threaten to undermine Israel's security. In this context, the two
leaders agreed to step up the overall bilateral cooperation and coordination,
as well as to implement a number of measures designed to help Israel
meet these emerging threats:
The United States will provide funding for Israel's
acquisition of a Third Arrow battery that will enhance the protection
of Israel's citizens from ballistic missile attacks.
The United States and Israel will expand their collaborative
efforts to develop new technologies and systems designed to deal with
ballistic missiles.
The two leaders will establish a Strategic Policy Planning
Group (SPPG), composed of senior representatives of the relevant national
security entities of both countries. It will be tasked to develop and
submit recommendations on measures to bolster Israel's indigenous defense
and deterrent capabilities, as well as the bilateral cooperation to
meet the strategic threats Israel faces. The SPPG will also consider
ways to minimize risks and costs, to enhance Israel's security, and
address its other needs related to national security which arise in
the context of steps Israel might take to achieve a comprehensive peace.
The SPPG will report to the President and the Prime Minister at four
month intervals. The two leaders agreed to meet in joint session at
regular intervals.
Another area of mutual concern that was discussed between
the two leaders was the growing threat of WMD terrorism. This was acknowledged
to be an area in which both countries stood much to gain from each others
knowledge and experience. In order to enhance their capability to deal
effectively with this threat, it was agreed to sign a new MOU between
their respective national security institutions. It would facilitate
broad cooperation between the various government agencies in both countries
in all areas associated with preparing and responding to WMD terrorism.
One specific area of economic cooperation discussed
between the two leaders pertains to water resources. They have noted
the growing scarcity of water in the Middle East, and also recognized
the potential inherent in bilateral, as well as regional, cooperation
to turn water from a potential source of conflict into a force of regional
stability and prosperity in the region. Toward that end, the United
States has pledged to work with Israel, both bilaterally and with other
regional partners and their private sectors, to promote the development
of new and additional sources of water, including desalination, and
to examine ways to transfer water to arid lands, and to manage existing
water resources more efficiently. A joint task force will explore specific
measures that could be carried out in this domain, and will submit its
recommendations to President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak by the
end of 1999.
The President and the Prime Minister have also agreed
that promoting tourism to Israel and the entire region presents a unique
opportunity to promote cooperation and spread economic benefits to the
peoples of the Middle East. Both sides agreed to explore specific steps
to develop this unique potential together, and with other interested
regional partners and their private sectors, beginning the fall of 1999.
Finally, President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak
agreed that scientific cooperation between Israel and the United States
will benefit the peoples of both countries, as they enter the 21st century.
In this context, they agreed to enhance cooperation in the peaceful
uses of space. A joint working group of NASA and the Israel Space Agency
(ISA) will be established to develop new areas of joint cooperation,
including educational activities, scientific research and the development
of practical applications in the peaceful use of space for the benefit
of people around the world. The President also informed the Prime Minister
that an Israeli astronaut and payload of Israeli experiments would fly
on a shuttle mission in the year 2000.
Upon concluding the Prime Minister's visit, the two
leaders expressed their shared conviction that these meetings have laid
the foundations for a vigorous effort to bring an end to the Arab-Israeli
conflict, as well as for even closer American-Israeli ties based on
the U.S. ironclad commitment to Israel's security. The two leaders called
upon the other leaders of the region to lend their support to this effort
to bring comprehensive peace, security, and prosperity to the peoples
of the Middle East.
Sources: Public Papers of the President |