King Abdullah of Jordan
President Bush, Prime Minister
Sharon, Prime Minister Abbas, distinguished guests. We gather
today in Aqaba. It's a small city that symbolizes the potential of
bringing different peoples signed a peace treaty in 1994. Nine
years later, what brings us here is the same dream: a dream of
peace, prosperity, coexistence and reconciliation.
But dreams alone cannot fulfill
hopes. It is thanks to the efforts of President Bush, and the
commitments of Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Abbas that
we meet here today to transform these dreams into real
achievements on the ground.
Mr. President, Prime Ministers,
let us have ambitions: ambitions to move beyond the violence and
occupation, to the day when two states, Palestine and Israel, can
live together side by side in peace and security.
And in our hands today we hold the
mechanism that can translate these ambitions into realities on the
ground. There is a plan, the road map, that addresses the needs of
both Palestinians and Israelis. To the Israelis, this plan offers
collective security guarantees by all Arabs, a peace treaty, and
normal relations with Arab states and an end to the conflict. To
the Palestinians, it offers an end to the occupation, a viable
state and the promise to live as a free and prosperous people.
To be sure the road to realizing
this vision will not be straightforward or without obstacles. I'm
aware that many in our region and around the world, you are
gathering today through a lens marred with skepticism and
suspicion. The failures and frustrations of the past have left
many disbelievers in their wake.
Today, we have an opportunity and
obligation to reinstate faith in the process and to reinvigorate
hopes for a better tomorrow. We simply cannot afford the
alternative.
Over the past few years, the road
to confrontation has shown its consequences: loss of innocent
lives, destruction and fear. Most costly, however, was the loss of
hope. The most precious gift that you can present to your peoples
over the coming weeks is renewed hope born out of tangible
progress on the ground.
And it's not only your people who
will be watching and waiting. The eyes of the entire world will be
upon you. The nature of our new borderless world means that we all
have a stake in what happens here today. Jordanians, Americans,
Europeans and many around the world stand ready and willing to
lend all their support to ensure your success.
But at the end of the day, it is
you, the Palestinians and the Israelis, who have to come together
to resolve the many outstanding issues that divide you.
Many will view the compromises
that will be made during your negotiations as painful concessions.
But why not view them as peace offerings, ones that will provide
in return the priceless gifts of hope, security and freedom for
our children and our children's children.
It is only by putting yourselves
in each other's shoes that we can hope to achieve real progress.
Thus we reaffirm today our strong position against violence in any
form and from whatever source. Blowing up buses will not induce
the Israelis to move forward, and neither will the killing of
Palestinians or the demolition of their homes and their future.
All this needs to stop. And we pledge that Jordan will do its
utmost to help achieve it.
Mr. President, you have stayed the
course. Your presence here today to witness the two leaders
meeting together, agreeing on common grounds to solve this
conflict, provides a great impetus to move forward and a clear
answer to all the skeptics.
I thank you, sir, for your
leadership and your courage.
Prime Minister Sharon, Prime
Minister Abbas, I urge you today to end the designs of those who
seek destruction, annihilation and occupation, and I urge you to
have the will and the courage to begin to realize our dreams of
peace, prosperity and coexistence. And remember that in the
pursuit of these noble goals Jordan will always remain a true
friend.
Thank you very much.
And it is with great pleasure if I
may introduce Prime Minister Abbas to say a few words.
Mahmoud Abbas
(through
translator)
I would like to thank King
Abdullah for hosting our meeting here today. I would like also to
thank President Mubarak and King Abdullah, King Hamad and Crown
Prince Abdullah, who met in Egypt yesterday. I thank them for
their statements supporting our efforts.
I also would like to thank the
Israeli prime minister, Sharon, for joining us here in Jordan. And
many thanks especially to President Bush who took the longest
journey for peace of all of us.
As we all realize, this is an
important moment. A new opportunity for peace exists, an
opportunity based upon President Bush's vision and the quartet's
road map which we have accepted without any reservations. Our goal
is two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace
and security. The process is the one of direct negotiations to end
the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and to resolve all the permanent
status issues and end the occupation that began in 1967 under
which Palestinians have suffered so much.
At the same time, we do not ignore
the suffering of the Jews throughout history. It is time to bring
all this suffering to an end.
Just as Israel must meet its
responsibilities, we, the Palestinians, will fulfill our
obligations for this endeavor to succeed.
We are ready to do our part. Let
me be very clear: There will be no military solution for this
conflict, so we repeat our renunciation and the renunciation of
terrorism against the Israelis wherever they might be. Such
methods are inconsistent with our religious and moral traditions
and are a dangerous obstacle to the achievement of an independent
sovereign state we seek. These methods also conflict with the
kinds of state we wish to build based on human rights and the rule
of law.
We will exert all of our efforts
using all our resources to end the militarization of the intefadeh
and we will succeed. The armed intefadeh must end, and we must use
and resort to peaceful means in our quest to end the occupation
and the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis. And to establish
the Palestinian state, we emphasize our determination to implement
our pledges which we have made for our people and the
international community, and that is the rule of law, single
political authority, weapons only in the hands of those who are in
charge of upholding the law and order, and political diversity
within the framework of democracy.
Our goal is clear and we will
implement it firmly and without compromise: a complete end to
violence and terrorism. And we will be full partners in the
international war against terrorism. And we will call upon our
partners in this war to prevent financial and military assistance
to those who oppose this position. We do this as a part of our
commitment to the interests of the Palestinian people and as
members of the large family of humanity.
We will also act vigorously
against incitement and violence and hatred, whatever their form or
forum may be. We will take measures to ensure that there is not
incitement emanating from Palestinian institutions. We must also
reactivate and invigorate the U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli
Anti-Incitement Committee.
We will continue our work to
establish the rule of law and to consolidate government authority
in accountable Palestinian institutions. We seek to build the kind
of a democratic state that will be a qualitative addition to the
international community. All the PA security forces will be part
of these efforts and will work together toward the achievement of
these goals.
Our national future is at stake
and no one will be allowed to jeopardize it. We are committed to
these steps because they are in our national interests. In order
to succeed, there must be a clear improvement in the lives of
Palestinians. Palestinians must live in dignity. Palestinians must
be able to move, go to their jobs and schools, visit their
families and conduct a normal life. Palestinians must not be
afraid for their lives, property or livelihood.
We welcome and stress the need for
the assistance of the international community, and in particular
the Arab states, to help us, and we also welcome and stress the
need for a U.S.-led monitoring mechanism.
Together, we can achieve the goal
of an independent Palestinian state, sovereign, viable, in the
framework of good neighbors with all states in the region,
including Israel.
Thank you very much.
Ariel Sharon
Thank you.
I would like to thank His Majesty
King Abdullah for arranging this meeting, and express Israel's
appreciation to President Bush for coming here to be with Prime
Minister Abbas and me. Thank you.
As the prime minister of Israel,
the land which is the cradle of the Jewish people, my paramount
responsibility is the security of the people of Israel and of the
state of Israel.
There can be no compromise with
terror, and Israel, together with all free nations, will continue
fighting terrorism until its final defeat.
Ultimately, permanent security
requires peace. And permanent peace can only be obtained through
security. And there is now hope of a new opportunity for peace
between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel, like others, has lent its
strong support for President Bush's vision expressed on June 24,
2002, of two states, Israel and the Palestinian state, living side
by side in peace and security.
The government and people of
Israel welcome the opportunity to renew direct negotiations
according to the steps of the road map as adopted by the Israeli
government to achieve this vision.
It is in Israel's interest not to
govern the Palestinians, but for the Palestinians to govern
themselves in their own state. A democratic Palestinian state
fully at peace with Israel will promote the long-term security and
well-being of Israel as a Jewish state.
There can be no peace, however,
without the abandonment and elimination of terrorism, violence and
incitement. We will work alongside the Palestinians and other
states to fight terrorism, violence and incitement of all kinds.
As all parties perform their
obligations, we will seek to restore normal Palestinian life,
improve the humanitarian situation, rebuild trust and promote
progress toward the president's vision. We will act in a manner
that respects the dignity as well as the human rights of all
people.
We can also reassure our
Palestinian partners that we understand the importance of
territorial contiguity in the West Bank for a viable Palestinian
state. Israeli policy in the territories that are subject to
various negotiations with the Palestinians will reflect this fact.
We accept the principle that no
unilateral actions by any party can prejudge the outcome of our
negotiations.
In regard to the unauthorized
outposts, I want to reiterate that Israel is a society governed by
the rule of law. Thus, we will immediately begin to remove
unauthorized outposts.
Israel seeks peace with all its
Arab neighbors. Israel is prepared to negotiate in good faith
wherever there are partners. As normal relations are established,
I am confident that they will find in Israel a neighbor and a
people committed to comprehensive peace and prosperity for all the
peoples of the region.
Thank you all.
George Bush
King Abdullah, thank you for
hosting this event.
Her Majesty, thank you for your
hospitality.
It is fitting that we gather today
in Jordan. King Abdullah is a leader on behalf of peace, and is
carrying forward the tradition of his father, King Hussein.
I'm pleased to be here with Prime
Minister Sharon. The friendship between our countries began at the
time of Israel's creation. Today, America is strongly committed
and I am strongly committed to Israel's security as a vibrant
Jewish state.
I'm also pleased to be with Prime
Minister Abbas. He represents the cause of freedom and statehood
for the Palestinian people. I strongly support that cause as well.
Each of us is here because we
understand that all people have the right to live in peace. We
believe that with hard work and good faith and courage it is
possible to bring peace to the Middle East. And today we mark
important progress toward that goal.
Great and hopeful change is coming
to the Middle East.
In Iraq, a dictator who funded
terror and sowed conflict has been removed, and a more just and
democratic society is emerging.
Prime Minister Abbas now leads the
Palestinian cabinet. By his strong leadership, by building the
institutions of Palestinian democracy and by rejecting terror, he
is serving the deepest hopes of his people.
All here today now share a goal:
The Holy Land must be shared between the state of Palestine and
the state of Israel, living at peace with each other and with
every nation of the Middle East.
All sides will benefit from this
achievement and all sides have responsibilities to meet. As the
road map accepted by the parties makes clear, both must make
tangible immediate steps toward this two-state vision.
I welcome Prime Minister Sharon's
pledge to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian
areas and to begin removing unauthorized outposts immediately. I
appreciate his gestures of reconciliation on behalf of prisoners
and their families, and his frank statements about the need for
territorial contiguity.
As I said yesterday, the issue of
settlements must be addressed for peace to be achieved. In
addition, Prime Minister Sharon has stated that no unilateral
actions by either side can or should prejudge the outcome of
future negotiations. The prime minister also recognizes that it is
in Israel's own interest for Palestinians to govern themselves in
their own state.
These are meaningful signs of
respect for the rights of the Palestinians and their hopes for a
viable, democratic, peaceful Palestinian state.
Prime Minister Abbas recognizes
that terrorist crimes are a dangerous obstacle to the independent
state his people seek.
He agrees that the process for
achieving that state is through peaceful negotiations. He has
pledged to consolidate Palestinian institutions, including the
security forces, and to make them more accountable and more
democratic.
He has promised his full efforts
and resources to end the armed intefadeh. He has promised to work
without compromise for a complete end of violence and terror.
In all these efforts, the prime
minister is demonstrating his leadership and commitment to
building a better future for the Palestinian people.
Both prime ministers here agree
that progress toward peace also requires an end to violence and
the elimination of all forms of hatred, and prejudice and official
incitement, in schoolbooks, in broadcasts and in the words used by
political leaders. Both leaders understand that a future of peace
cannot be founded on hatred and falsehood and bitterness.
Yet these two leaders cannot bring
about peace if they must act alone. True peace requires the
support of other nations in the region.
Yesterday in Sharm el-Sheik we
made a strong beginning. Arab leaders stated that they share our
goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in
peace and in security. And they have promised to cut off
assistance and the flow of money and weapons to terrorist groups
and to help Prime Minister Abbas rid Palestinian areas of
terrorism.
All sides have made important
commitments, and the United States will strive to see these
commitments fulfilled.
My government will provide
training and support for a new, restructured Palestinian security
service. And we'll place a mission on the ground, led by
Ambassador John Wolf. This mission will be charged with helping
the parties to move toward peace, monitoring their progress and
stating clearly who is fulfilling their responsibilities.
And we expect both parties to keep
their promises.
I've also asked Secretary of State
Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to
make this cause a matter of the highest priority. Secretary Powell
and Dr. Rice, as my personal representative, will work closely
with the parties, helping them move toward true peace as quickly
as possible.
The journey we're taking is
difficult, but there is no other choice. No leader of conscience
can accept more months and years of humiliation, killing and
mourning. And these leaders of conscience have made their
declarations today in the cause of peace. The United States is
committed to that cause. If all sides fulfill their obligation, I
know that peace can finally come.
Thank you very much and may God
bless our work. |