For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 20, 2002
President Welcomes Quartet Principals to White House
Remarks by President Bush, Secretary General Kofi Annan, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Photo Opportunity with the Quartet Principals
The Oval Office
2:31 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: The Vice President and I are honored to welcome the
Quartet Principals to the Oval Office. I want to thank you all for
coming. I appreciate so very much your working with us to move the
Israeli-Palestinian issue forward to a peaceful resolution of what has
been a longstanding conflict.
I am strongly committed to the vision that I outlined on June the
24th. I believe it is in everybody's best interests that there be two
states living side by side in peace. And this government will work
hard to achieve that. And I want thank you all for joining us in
working toward that important vision.
There are some keys to moving forward. All of us must work hard to
fight against terror so that a few cannot deny the dreams of the many;
that we must encourage the development of Palestinian institutions
which are transparent, which promote freedom and democracy; that we
must work together to ease the humanitarian situation. There's --
too many Palestinian moms and dads grieve over the future for their
children because of hunger and poverty, lack of health care.
I appreciate the fact that the Quartet is working on what we call a
road map. I view the road map as a part of the vision that I
described. It is a way forward. It sets conditions. It's a
results-oriented document. It is a way to bring people together so
that they share their responsibilities.
We're assuming our responsibilities. The people in the
neighborhood must assume their responsibilities. All nations must be
committed to peace in order for us to achieve peace; must be committed
to the vision of two states side by side in order to achieve the vision
of living side by side.
The road map is not complete yet, but the United States is
committed to its completion. We are committed to its implementation in
the name of peace.
I want to thank you, all, for coming. We're on our holiday
season. It is the season of peace on Earth. We confirmed that today
in this meeting.
Kofi.
SECRETARY GENERAL ANNAN: Thank you, very much, Mr. President.
We've had a very good meeting this morning, and we are very close to
finalizing the road map. And we believe that this is a road map that
can help bring about the vision of two states, Israel and Palestinian,
living side by side. It will require sacrifices from both sides. And
it will demand parallel steps by both states for us to be able to move
forward.
The Quartet has indicated that this road map and the approach of
the parties has to be performance-driven, they have to perform. But it
also has to be hope-driven. And I believe that this vision of two
states, living in peace and security, will be the dream that will keep
that hope alive. And all of us, working with our friends in the
region, will work hard to ensure that we achieve this day within the
three-year period that we have set ourselves.
And, Mr. President, we want to thank you for your support. And I
think working together we can all be able to achieve this objective.
Our intention is to release the road map and give it to the parties as
soon as possible. And I think the communique we'll be putting out will
say clearly what we intend to do next. So I will pause here. Thank
you very much.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. Good to see you,
sir.
Q Mr. President --
THE PRESIDENT: Hold on a second, please. Some of our guests will
be speaking.
FOREIGN MINISTER MOELLER: Thank you very much, Mr. President. I'm
very glad that you're so dedicated to the peace process in the Middle
East. Your vision of the two states is very important. It's very
important for European Union that the people in the area know they will
get two states which have to live quietly, peacefully, side by side.
What we are trying to do is to pave the way to the two states. And
that's why we have endorsed this road map and worked with this road
map, because it's good thing with a vision, but you must know how to go
there. And that is what we have in working it. And it has been a very
good cooperation -- the United States, Russia, the United Nations,
and the European Union.
And I think it's very important that Israel knows it will live
there forever in security. But they can only have that security if
they give a political solution to the Palestinians, that the
Palestinians know that their day will come where they get the state,
which make them sure of their future. They both have a future, and we
have to help them with a future.
Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Igor. In Ingles? (Laughter.)
FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV: Thank you for receiving us, first thing.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir.
FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV: The second thing, before we had a lot of
interest, good documents, but we couldn't implement. Now we have good
document, and the most important thing is to implement. This is our
main objective now.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir. Very good.
Sandra, quick question.
Q Mr. President, your administration concluded yesterday that
Saddam Hussein pretty much blew his last chance to come clean on his
weapons of mass destruction. Are we now on a path to war?
THE PRESIDENT: One thing is for certain; we will fulfill the terms
and conditions of 1441.
The world spoke clearly that we expect Mr. Saddam Hussein to
disarm. Yesterday's document was not encouraging. We expected him to
show that he would disarm. And as the Secretary of State said, it's
-- it's a long way from there. And we're serious about keeping the
peace. We're serious about working with our friends in the United
Nations so that this body, ably led by Kofi Annan, has got relevance as
we go into the 21st century. And yesterday was a disappointing day for
those who have longed for peace.
Listen I want to thank you all for coming.
Q Trent Lott question?
THE PRESIDENT: I would have -- but we ran out of time.
(Laughter.) We ran out of time. They eat up your time. We had only
so much time available. They ate up your time. I'm sorry. (Laughter.)
Q You can drop by later.
THE PRESIDENT: We could do that, you're right. But we're due at
Christmas parties.
END 2:39 P.M. EST
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