Press Conference Welcoming PA President Abbas
to the White House
(May 26, 2005)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. Mr. President, it is my honor to
welcome the democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people to
the White House.
We meet at a time when a great achievement of history is within
reach, the creation of a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state.
President Abbas is seeking that goal by rejecting violence and working
for democratic reform. I believe the Palestinian people are fully
capable of justly governing themselves, in peace with their neighbors.
I believe the interests of the Israeli people would be served by a
peaceful Palestinian state. And I believe that now is the time for all
parties of this conflict to move beyond old grievances and act
forcefully in the cause of peace.
President Abbas's election four months ago was a tribute to the
power and appeal of democracy, and an inspiration to the people across
the region. Palestinians voted against violence, and for sovereignty,
because only the defeat of violence will lead to sovereignty.
Mr. President, the United States and the international community
applaud your rejection of terrorism. All who engage in terror are the
enemies of a Palestinian state, and must be held to account. We will
stand with you, Mr. President, as you combat corruption, reform the
Palestinian security services and your justice system, and revive your
economy. Mr. President, you have made a new start on a difficult
journey, requiring courage and leadership each day -- and we will take
that journey together.
As we work for peace, other countries must step up to their
responsibilities. Arab states must take concrete measures to create a
regional environment conducive to peace. They must offer financial
assistance to all -- to support the peaceful efforts of President
Abbas, his government and the Palestinian people. And they must refuse
to assist or harbor terrorists.
Israel must continue to take steps toward a peaceful future, and
work with the Palestinian leadership to improve the daily lives of
Palestinians, especially their humanitarian situation. Israel should
not undertake any activity that contravenes road map obligations or
prejudice final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank
and Jerusalem.
Therefore, Israel must remove unauthorized outposts and stop
settlement expansion. The barrier being erected by Israel as a part of
its security effort must be a security, rather than political,
barrier. And its route should take into account, consistent with
security needs, its impact on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist
activities. As we make progress toward security, and in accordance
with the road map, Israeli forces should withdraw to their positions on
September the 28th, 2000.
Any final status agreement must be reached between the two parties,
and changes to the 1949 Armistice lines must be mutually agreed to. A
viable two-state solution must ensure contiguity of the West Bank, and
a state of scattered territories will not work. There must also be
meaningful linkages between the West Bank and Gaza. This is the
position of the United States today, it will be the position of the
United States at the time of final status negotiations.
The imminent Israeli disengagement from Gaza, parts of the West
Bank, presents an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a return to the
road map. All parties have a responsibility to make this hopeful
moment in the region a new and peaceful beginning. That is why I
assigned General Kip Ward, who is with us today, to support your
efforts, Mr. President, to reform the Palestinian security services and
to coordinate the efforts of the international community to make that
crucial task a success. The United States also strongly supports the
mission of the Quartet's special envoy, Jim Wolfensohn, to make sure
that the Gaza disengagement brings Palestinians a better life.
To help ensure that the Gaza disengagement is a success, the United
States will provide to the Palestinian Authority $50 million to be used
for new housing and infrastructure projects in the Gaza. These funds
will be used to improve the quality of life of the Palestinians living
in Gaza, where poverty and unemployment are very high. I've also asked
Secretary Rice to travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah before the beginning
of the Israeli withdrawal. Secretary Rice will consult with Israelis
and Palestinians on the disengagement, their shared commitments and the
way back on the road map.
As we work to make the disengagement succeed, we must not lose
sight of the path ahead. The United States remains committed to the
road map as the only way to realize the vision of two democratic states
living side-by-side in peace and security. It is through the road map
that the parties can achieve a final permanent status agreement through
direct negotiations.
The people of the Middle East have endured a long period of
challenge, and now, we have reached a moment of hope. Leaders from
around the world have made a moral commitment: We will not stand by as
another generation in the Holy Land grows up in an atmosphere of
violence and hopelessness. With concrete actions by the United States,
the Palestinians, Israel, and other nations, we can transform this
opportunity into real momentum.
Mr. President, we will work with you to help realize the dream of a
free and democratic Palestine, to bring greater freedom, security and
prosperity to all peoples in the region, and to achieve the lasting
peace we all seek.
Welcome back to the White House.
PRESIDENT ABBAS: (As translated.) Thank you, very much, Mr.
President. I'd like to thank you for this warm welcome and express my
view in order to strengthen the relationship between Palestine and the
United States. The Palestinian people share with the American people
the same values of peace, freedom and democracy. We are confident that
the two peoples will benefit from continuing and developing this
relationship.
Today, we have conducted very intensive and constructive
discussions with you, Mr. President, and with your senior
administration officials. We discussed ways to support the
opportunities to revive and resume the peace process in the Middle
East. These discussions afford us with the opportunity to emphasize
the central and essential role played by you, Mr. President, and by
your administration, in supporting and advancing the peace process
toward the realization of your vision of ending the Israeli occupation
that started in 1967 and the establishment of a democratic, free and
independent Palestine to live side-by-side with the state of Israel in
order to create a better future for the peoples of the region. We have
reiterated again to you, Mr. President, our strong commitment to the
peace option, and through negotiations, we can achieve, the two sides
can achieve their objectives.
We also discussed the efforts that have been undertaken by the
Palestinian Authority throughout the past few months to bring about
calm. These efforts have brought about the reduction of violence to
the lowest level in four years, and once again reopened the window of
hope for progress toward peace.
We emphasized our determination to maintain and preserve this
calm. The Palestinian Authority exerts a great deal of efforts in
reforming our security organizations, and the truth is, our efforts are
fully supported by our own people who repeatedly reaffirmed their
commitment to peace and negotiations.
In our talks we also discussed the ongoing democratic process in
Palestine. This process has successfully presented, through the
presidential elections and the local municipal elections, that the
Palestinians have succeeded in carrying out transparent and fair
elections under very difficult circumstances, another example of the
capability of our people and their ability to build an independent
democratic state once we achieve our freedom and our independence.
We expect that our people will be helped and supported to make
their democratic experiment a successful one. We look forward to the
free movement and the freedom of movement and the removal of Israeli
roadblock and check points, and the Israeli withdrawal to positions
prior to September 28th, 2000, and as well as implementing the various
understanding that we have reached with the Israeli government in Sharm
el-Sheikh. We stress that democracy cannot flourish under occupation
and in the absence of freedom.
In this regard, we expressed our deep concern over the continuous
Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the wall on our
land, particularly in the area of Jerusalem. These settlement
activities, in addition to undermining President Bush's vision in
establishing a Palestinian and contiguous state, that it is a viable
state that can live side-by-side by the state of Israel, it also
contributes to the feeling of frustration and despair and the loss of
hope. Stopping this is one of the requirements of the road map. Time
is becoming our greatest enemy. We should end this conflict before it
is too late.
We are extending our hands to the Israeli people in good
intention. We are saying that peace and dialogue and the recognition
of the other side's rights is what will create a good neighborhood and
achieve security and prosperity for our people and the peoples of the
region.
We have assured the President that the Palestinian Authority is
ready to coordinate with the Israeli side in order to ensure the
success of its withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank upon the Israeli
evacuation. We see this evacuation as a part of ending the occupation,
and it should not be at the expense of the West Bank. We must then
immediately move to permanent status negotiations to deal with the
issues of Al-Quds, East Jerusalem as a capital of the future state of
Palestine, the issues of refugees, settlements, borders, security, and
water, on the basis of President Bush's vision, and on the basis of
U.N. resolutions, and the basis of the Arab Initiative.
It is time for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to end, right now.
It is time for our people, after many decades of suffering and
dispossessions, to enjoy living in freedom and independence on their
own land. And we should accelerate the freedom of our prisoners in
order to be a part of peace-making.
Mr. President, we end our discussions in Washington and we are more
determined to move forward in the path of freedom, reform, and
democracy. We depart Washington, we are more confident about the role
that you will play and the role that your administration will play in
order to move the process forward and achieve lasting peace.
Mr. President, at the end I would like to thank you very much for
your hospitality and expressing the American -- and demonstrating the
American support to the Palestinian administration and the Palestinian
people. We continue to look forward to work with you ahead in order to
achieve our common objectives of peace, security and democracy and
freedom.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Good job, good job. Two questions a side, starting
with Terry.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, you just spoke about
the rejection of terror. Are you satisfied that President Abbas is
moving aggressively enough, doing everything he can to shut down terror
groups? And do you think that he should, for example, close Hamas or
remove from positions of power associates of Yasser Arafat?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I believe that -- and I know the President is
committed to democracy. After all, he ran on a platform that said,
vote for me, I'm for peace, and I believe in democracy. That's what he
told the Palestinian people when he ran. And he won with 62 percent of
the vote, I think it was. So in other words, he's committed; that's
what he said he was going to do and he's now fulfilling it.
Our position on Hamas is very clear, it's a well-known position and
it hasn't changed about Hamas: Hamas is a terrorist group, it's on a
terrorist list for a reason. As the elections go forward, of course,
we want everybody to participate in the vote. There is something
healthy about people campaigning, saying, this is what I'm for. The
President ran on a peace platform; you know, maybe somebody will run on
a war platform -- you know, vote for me, I promise violence. I don't
think they're going to get elected, because I think Palestinian moms
want their children to grow up in peace just like American moms want
their children to grow up in peace. As a matter of fact, I think the
people that campaign for peace will win.
The goal of a -- is, of course, a Palestinian state based upon rule
of law, and you cannot have a democracy based upon rule of law if you
have armed bands of people who will use their weapons to try to achieve
a political outcome. We discussed this with the President. He can
give you his own views. I will just tell you, he is -- he believes
strongly in democracy and understands that aspect of democracy.
And so I'm -- I think there's something healing about asking people
to vote. And hopefully, as more people participate and more people see
progress on the ground, in terms of real tangible benefits when it
comes to democracy -- like being able to make a living, or being able
to send your child to a school that works, or being able to get good
quality health care -- that more and more people will reject the notion
that the only state based upon violence is a positive state.
Q President Abbas, regarding settlements and the erection of the
wall, your positions before that you gave to your voters among the
Palestinian public? And the question to President Bush, we heard your
remarks. You talked about clear American position about the issue of
settlements. But Israel continues to build settlements and continues
to seize Palestinian territories. What is your position, Mr.
President?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, I told you what my position was. And it's
exactly what I said when I was in Crawford, by the way, when Prime
Minister Sharon was there, as well. I mean, when you say you're going
to accept the road map, you accept the road map. And part of the
obligations of the road map is not the expansion of settlements. And
we continue to remind our friends, the Israelis, about their
obligations under the road map, just like we remind President Abbas
about the obligations under the road map that the Palestinians have
accepted. So nothing has changed.
Adam, yes.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, I'm sorry. I beg your pardon.
PRESIDENT ABBAS: The first one.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I beg your -- sorry, yes. Just trying to cut you
off. (Laughter.) It's an old Rose Garden trick.
PRESIDENT ABBAS: Regarding the issue of settlements and the wall,
our position is very clear from the beginning. When we talk about two
states, we are talking about a Palestinian state within the boundaries
of 1967. That means that those boundaries, in our views, should go
back to the Palestinian people. This is what the road map states, and
this is what is in various U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Also President Bush talked about ending the occupation that started
in 1967. In our views, the wall -- there is no justification for the
wall, and it is illegitimate, as well as settlements, it is
illegitimate and should not allow. We heard from the President that
these activities should stop. I believe this is an important step in
order to get to the permanent status negotiations. During the
permanent status negotiations, we will put all these issues on the
table. And we express our views that does not contradict international
legitimacy.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Now Adam.
Q Mr. President, President Bush, the First Lady under the
Egyptian pyramids this week enthusiastically endorsed Mubarak's first
steps towards direct presidential elections. Two days later, Mubarak
supporters attacked the opposition in the streets. Was it premature to
back Mubarak? What's your message to Mubarak now?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I also embraced President Mubarak's first steps
and said that those first steps must include people's ability to have
access to TV, and candidates ought to be allowed to run freely in an
election and that there ought to be international monitors. That's --
and the idea of people expressing themselves in opposition in
government, then getting a beating, is not our view of how a democracy
ought to work. It's not the way that you have free elections. People
ought to be allowed to express themselves, and I'm hopeful that the
President will have open elections that everybody can have trust in.
Final question here. Oh, sorry. That's what happens when you
don't get called on.
Q To President Bush, Mr. President, Israel insists on
controlling the Gaza airspace, as well as the port, after its
unilateral withdrawal. What practical steps are you prepared to take,
sir, to deter Israel from doing so and ensuring that the Gaza
disengagement remains an integral part of the road map?
And to President Abbas, in the article that was published in the
Wall Street Journal today, you emphasized the link between democracy
and freedom. Do you feel concerned that the new Palestinian democracy
could go back under the occupation and under the lack of freedom?
Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Actually, my answer kind of ties into the question
you asked the President. You know, one of the things when you are in
the position I'm in, I'm able to observe attitudes and opinions, and
clearly there's a lot of mistrust, and you can understand why. There's
been war, violence, bloodshed. The only way to achieve all the
objectives is for there to be a democracy living side-by-side with a
democracy. And the best way to see -- to solve problems that seem
insoluble now is for there to be a society which evolves based upon
democratic principles.
And so there's going to be a lot of issues that come up as this
process evolves that are going to be difficult issues. But as -- as
more people trust each other, then those issues become easier to
solve. And so one of my cautions to both sides in this very important
problem is to make sure that we stay focused on getting things right
initially, and what needs to happen is that Palestinians, with the
world's help, fill the void created by the withdraw from Gaza with a
society which is hopeful. And that means people can find work, and
people can send their kids to school, the health care system functions
well.
I told the -- I told the President, there's a lot of international
help that will be available, particularly as his government earns the
trust of the donors. And the best way to earn the trust of the donors
is to work to develop this -- to take advantage of this opportunity and
develop a state. Israel has obligations to help. You noticed in my
statement, I said, help improve the humanitarian situation on the
ground. And America wants to help.
Now as a democracy evolves and people see that this is a government
fully capable of sustaining democratic institutions and adhering to
rule of law and transparency and puts strong anti-corruption devices in
place, answers to the will of the people, that it becomes easier to
deal with issues such as airspace. The West Bank will become an easier
issue for everybody to meet obligations. We've got a fantastic
opportunity now.
When I -- I told the President, there's no doubt in my mind we can
succeed. President Abbas is a man of courage. Part of the success is
going to require courageous decision by the President. And I take
great faith in not only his personal character, but the fact that he
campaigned on a platform of peace -- he said, vote for me, I am for
peace. And the Palestinians voted overwhelmingly to support him.
And so there will be a series of issues that come up -- you know,
how do we deal with this issue, or, how do you deal with that issue,
all of which will become easier to deal with as the government succeeds
in Gaza. And the United States stands with the government to help them
succeed.
PRESIDENT ABBAS: Thank you. Regarding the democracy and freedom,
I am saying that when we have chosen democracy as a way of life. This
was not an adventure; this was a determination and a strategy that
democracy is the only way to move forward and for life among different
nations. But democracy is like a coin; it has two sides. On one side
is democracy; on the other side of the coin is freedom.
It's true, now we lack freedom and we are in dire need to have
freedom. We do not live in freedom in our homeland. This will weaken
the hope to continue this democracy, and will weaken the democratic
march. But we will not go back. Our strategy is clear and we are
determined to achieve our freedom in order to complete and achieve both
sides of the coin, and we can live a normal life.
Sources: The White House |