Beirut, Lebanon -- "Any lasting settlement between Lebanon and Israel must include true security for Israel, full sovereignty for Lebanon over all its territory and real peace with normal relations," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said here September 15 on the last stop of her visit to the Middle East.

Albright recently lifted restrictions on travel to Lebanon by individuals holding American passports, a move appreciated by Lebanon's leaders. In her speech in Beirut, she told officials and about 70 invited citizens: "What happens in Lebanon matters a great deal to the American people."

She promised that "Unless and until ... peace is achieved, the United States will continue to support strongly the efforts of the Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group to protect civilian lives and reduce the incidence of violence."

Albright made it clear that the Palestinian Authority "must do absolutely all it can to root out terror and create a climate of security within which peace may be pursued." The Administration, she reported, has "also called upon the Government of Israel to refrain from unilateral actions that undermine confidence and erode trust." She added: "we will also persist in trying to reenergize the process of negotiating agreements between Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon."

"In the end, she concluded, "Israelis and Palestinians must recognize that the only way to create a future of dignity, security and peace for either side is to do so for both."

Following is the text of Albright's remarks, as prepared for delivery, provided by the State Department's Office of the Spokesman:

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Thank you, Ambassador Jones, and good afternoon. I want to thank all of you very much for your welcome and for coming out to be with me at such short notice.

I am truly delighted to be here in Lebanon. I have just had some very good meetings with President Hrawi, Prime Minister Hariri, and Foreign Minister Bouez. I would have liked very much to have met with the Speaker of your parliament, Mr. Berri, as well, but unfortunately he -- like me~~ -- is traveling.

Before I begin, I also want to thank Ambassador Dick Jones for doing what I hope you agree is an outstanding job representing American interests by reaching out to all segments of your society.

According to the proverb, ~as cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." And in the United States, we consider the direction that Lebanon is heading to be good news, indeed.

The construction under way all around this city reflects the energy and optimism that I understand is increasingly the mood here. And since I am by nature both energetic and an optimist, I think Lebanon is a very appropriate place for me to conclude my first visit to the Middle East as Secretary of State.

I am also here because what happens in Lebanon matters a great deal to the American people. We share a past rich in friendship and deeply rooted in shared democratic ideals. And while the American University in Beirut has long been a Lebanese national treasure, so the great tapestry of American culture is enriched by the contributions of Lebanese immigrants, customs and cuisine.

For example, I know you had a visit recently from a Lebanese basketball player. With me today is one of the stars of my own team, my deputy chief of staff, Suzy George, whose grandparents were born here in Lebanon.

Today, in the aftermath of a long and terrible civil war, you are working hard to restore Lebanon to its rightful place among nations. We look ahead with anticipation to the promise and potential of expanding U.S.-Lebanese ties. As President Clinton said last Tuesday when he accepted the credentials of Mohamad Chatah, your new Ambassador to Washington: ~a stable, independent and economically vibrant Lebanon is an important national interest of the United States."

Historically, Lebanon has been honored for its cohesiveness despite its cornucopia of cultures and traditions. It was especially renowned for religious tolerance. Today, your recovery from a period of disintegration should be instructive for other strife-torn regions, such as Bosnia and the Caucasus. It should also remind us that religious faith, which calls upon adherents in every major tradition to treat all humans with respect and dignity, should always be what it has not always been, a profoundly unifying force within and among nations around the world.

This past week, as I have journeyed through the ancient lands of the Middle East, my mind and heart have been focused on the future. That is one of the reasons I felt it was so important to come to Lebanon. Here, you are striving with every new school, building, investment, and effort at healing the wounds of war to establish a new Lebanon for the 21st century.

We want you to succeed in that effort.

We, too, look forward to a Lebanon re-born, with beautiful neighborhoods, secure airports, thriving markets and tourists drawn from all over the world by your lovely beaches, majestic mountains, fabled cedars and storied heritage.

We respect your vision of a Lebanon re-built, not according to any other model, not beholden to any foreign power, but rather a Lebanon by and for you -- the Lebanese people.

And we share your support for a Lebanon that is fully independent, unified and sovereign, free from all foreign forces, whose citizens are able to go about their daily business consistent with the Lebanese traditions of free speech, religious tolerance and respect for the rule of law.

Accordingly, the United States is pleased that our assistance has helped the Lebanese Armed Forces evolve into a disciplined, unified and nationally respected force.

We are gratified that last year's Friends of Lebanon conference in Washington focused favorable international attention on Lebanon and generated substantial pledges to aid your country's reconstruction.

We encourage Lebanon's continued effort to translate its support for the principles of democracy into reality. The parliamentary elections held a year ago were a beginning. We look forward, we hope soon, to seeing free and fair elections at all levels of government.

We urge you to continue your efforts at social reconstruction and economic reform, and to eliminate unnecessary restrictions on freedom of the press.

Finally, we are asking your government to do absolutely everything it can to bring to justice those whose brutal acts of terrorism against Americans and other foreigners during the 1970's and 1980's tarnished Lebanon's international reputation and persist in hampering your recovery.

Given the obstacles you have already surmounted, the world looks with respect upon the efforts you have made, and urges you not to be daunted by the many barriers still to be overcome.

Much rebuilding remains. Poverty and unemployment are still too high. The threat posed by the violent extremes is still all too real. And the failure of parties in the region to negotiate a comprehensive peace continues to limit your rightful sovereignty and keep alive the dark echoes of the past.

For even as we join with you in looking to the future, we join you, as well, in mourning still for those who died, or whose lives were shattered, during your nation's bitter civil war.

We mourn especially for the civilians killed in the crossfire, and for the victims of terrorist kidnappings and other acts of terrorist violence --including the American marines and diplomats, and French soldiers whose goal here was to help bring about peace and to create a climate in which a unified Lebanon might re-emerge.

Each of those killed, whether American, French or Lebanese, Moslem, Christian or Druze, deserved a full chance at life; each left behind families and friends who still grieve; each must remain in our hearts; and each must serve as a reminder of the costs of conflict and the imperative of peace.

Sadly, as recent tragedies attest, even in the absence of declared war, new victims are claimed because on your southern border, there is still no peace.

These tragedies are part of a seemingly endless and certainly senseless cycle of violence. And they are a major source of the message that I have tried to convey in all my meetings this week, which is that for the Middle East, peace is the only option.

As Lebanon bears witness, the path of conflict is fertile only in the production of sorrow. It is a dead end. It offers a future only of more violence, victims, suffering and hate. That is a future the people of this region do not deserve and I am convinced will not accept.

The road to peace is very difficult; nobody would deny that. But the nature of the destination makes the hazards along the way worthwhile. Peace can open the door to prosperity. It allows children to be children, families to come together at the dinner table, not the cemetery, and grandparents to live out their years in contentment.

It allows individuals to concentrate on fulfilling their economic and intellectual potential and to exercise their faith in a climate free from contention and harassment. It offers everyone what President Clinton has referred to as ~the quiet miracle of a normal life."

That is why it matters so much that the current crisis in confidence be ended, that leaders break through the paralyzing circle of recrimination and begin again to make the tough decisions and to take the hard steps required to move the peace process forward.

During my meetings this past week, I urged Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman Arafat to proceed on the basis of mutual respect and mutual responsibility.

The Palestinian Authority must do absolutely all it can to root out terror and create a climate of security within which peace may be pursued. That is paramount, but in order that a credible environment for negotiations may be established, we have also called upon the Government of Israel to refrain from unilateral actions that undermine confidence and erode trust.

In the end, Israelis and Palestinians must recognize that the only way to create a future of dignity, security and peace for either side is to do so for both.

I came away from my meetings in Israel and the Palestinian Authority convinced that a solid majority of people on both sides want their leaders to get back on the path towards peace. Given all that has been said and all that has happened these past few months, that is not likely to occur overnight. But given the stakes, we will persist in our efforts and have scheduled further meetings for New York and Washington later this month.

We will also persist in trying to reenergize the process of negotiating agreements between Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon.

During the past week, I have explored this prospect for a comprehensive peace with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Assad and today, with your leadership. The recent tragic violence in the south of your country has underlined for all concerned that the status quo is not acceptable. I have found within each of the three governments a willingness, indeed a desire, to resume negotiations. Unfortunately, there is no agreement yet about the basis for such negotiations.

Here, too, we have at least agreed to talk further about further talks. In the absence of a peace elevator, we are methodically taking the stairs. When we meet with Lebanese, Israeli and Syrian representatives in New York next week, we will see whether the mutual interest in progress is matched by a mutual willingness to consider seriously each other's views.

As I said earlier, I am an optimist, but I cannot make any predictions of success based on my discussions this week. What I can tell you is that it is the view of the United States that any lasting settlement between Lebanon and Israel must include true security for Israel, full sovereignty for Lebanon over all its territory and real peace with normal relations.

Unless and until such a peace is achieved, the United States will continue to support strongly the efforts of the Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group to protect civilian lives and reduce the incidence of violence.

As I have said, there were a number of reasons why I felt it was important to visit your country on this trip. A final one is that it was my responsibility this past July to decide whether or not to renew U.S. passport restrictions on travel to Lebanon. Although Lebanon remains a dangerous place, I decided not to renew them. Further, I look forward to the day we will be able to lift completely the travel advisories and other restrictions we still believe are necessary.

How soon that day arrives will depend on how successful you are as you continue to heal the wounds of civil strife and as you struggle to reduce the threat of extremist violence -- a threat from which no nation, including my own, is entirely free.

In recent history, few nations have paid a higher price than yours as a consequence of division leading to conflict. Looking ahead, few countries have as much to gain as a consequence of diversity leading to strength.

Some argue that people of different backgrounds cannot live together in peace. America at its best is living testimony to the contrary proposition.

Our citizens include virtually every race, creed, culture and ethnicity on earth. At its best, Lebanon, too, has been a model for other nations. With its wondrous mosaic of peoples and faiths, yours is a land whose influence can extend far beyond its three million people and four thousand square miles.

Fifty years ago, President Harry Truman said about Americans that we ~are a diverse people and in this diversity we have great strength. We have room for differences and room for disagreement. Part of our respect for the dignity of the human being is the respect for his right to be different. That means different in background, different in his beliefs, different in his customs, different in his name and different in his religion. That is true ... democracy. It is the source of our strength. It is the basis of our faith in the future. And it is the hope of the world."

I leave you, then, with these enduring words of hope. And a message, too, of encouragement and support from President Clinton and the American people.

In the months ahead, I hope that we will continue working together in support of democracy, in pursuit of peace, in defense of law, and in anticipation of the day Lebanon's wounds are fully healed, its economy fully revived and its rightful place in the Middle East fully restored.

Thank you once again for your hospitality. May God bless you all and keep you and your families safe.

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