Visit of Secretary of State Albright to the Middle East

PRIME MINISTER BARAK: President Mubarak, his Majesty King Abdullah, Chairman Arafat, Secretary Albright, ladies and gentlemen. Today we embark on a new road which will hopefully lead us, within five months, to a major milestone: a framework agreement for permanent status. Today we are paving the way to the end of a century-old conflict between us and the Palestinians.

Reaching within a year a permanent status agreement which resolves all outstanding issues is bound to present us with numerous problems and obstacles and crises. But together, as partners, with trust, goodwill, consultation and, above all, determined leadership, we will prevail and achieve peace, security, and prosperity.

Tonight I wish to pay tribute to the memory of my mentor and friend, the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, whose legacy of peace and security will continue to guide us throughout the peace process. I have said all along that my government is committed to the full implementation of the Wye River Memorandum. (inaudible) for today the call in our desire to implement Wye in such a way that enhances the prospects of arriving at a permanent status talks with a minimum of pitfalls and landmines along the way.

This is the common Palestinian and Israeli interest. We did agree that this accord facilitates the smooth transition from the Wye River Memorandum to permanent status negotiations. I am committed to the security of Israel and will do my utmost to enhance it. I also want every Palestinian to feel secure and prosperous. Thus, we must prevent extremism from derailing our peace efforts and fight it with all our might. The project of peace of peace does not tolerate threats of violence or any kinds of acts of terrorism.

I wish to say to our Palestinian neighbors: the deep conflict between us has brought great suffering to both our peoples. I am not only aware of the suffering of my people but also of that of the Palestinians. There is no sense in settling accounts over past mistakes as we cannot change the past. But we do have an historic opportunity to shape a better future for our children and grandchildren for generations to come.

My desire is to bring an end to violence and suffering and to work with the Palestinian leadership under Chairman Yasser Arafat in partnership, respect, and in a forward-looking manner in order to jointly arrive at a fair settlement for coexistence in peace, prosperity and good neighborliness in this beloved land where our two peoples will always live.

We wish to resume the peace process with Syria and Lebanon as well. From here I call upon President Assad to put aside all past disagreements and together find the appropriate way to resume peace negotiations. Peace between Syria and Israel is an especially important element of the needs of both sides. We intend to pursue the peace process on all tracks. All are equally important and vital in order to arrive at a comprehensive and stable peace in the Middle East.

The accord we signed today is a result of the major common effort of both Israel and the Palestinians. Chairman Arafat has proven to be a leader determined to protect the rights of his people but at the same time committed to the constant search for peace. Both Chairman Arafat and the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin laid the foundation for the peace of the brave.

We would like this evening to thank all those who have contributed and will continue to contribute to the success of the process. Particularly President Clinton, a great leader of the United States of America, and Secretary Albright, our host President Mubarak and King Abdullah. We attach great importance to the support of Egypt, under the leadership of President Mubarak, to the resumption of the peace process.

Mr. President, your Majesty, Mr. Chairman, Madam Secretary, we are at the threshold of the twenty-first century and the new millennium. The people of the Middle East are ready for the dawn of a new era. I believe in a vision of peace and security which ensures the needs of all parties and is achieved through dialogue, mutual respect and good neighborliness.

I believe it is our duty, leaders of all parties, to pave the way and lead our peoples to the common destination of peace, security and prosperity without deviating from these clear goals. We must rise to the occasion, and for the sake of our mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren, turn the vision of a comprehensive peace into a lasting reality. With your permission, I would like to say a few words in Hebrew to the people of Israel:

(In Hebrew, informal translation:) Citizens of Israel, a good week to you. Three days ago, on the first of September, we marked sixty years since the outbreak of World War II, which brought the Holocaust down on us. Since then, we have come a long way and have managed to create the State of Israel, a strong state which is now leading the peace process with its neighbors from a position of self confidence.

We are taking the timetable for the implementation of the Wye Agreement, which was signed by the previous government, and linking it, through this agreement, with the permanent status negotiations. Our goal is to arrive a framework for a permanent status agreement within five months, and to do everything we can to achieve a permanent status agreement by September, 2000.

I am convinced that the agreement we signed today is a continuation of a process begun by my commander, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of blessed memory, and my friend Shimon Peres. This process strengthens, in the long term, the security of Israel, a process which combines a firm struggle against terror by both sides and the commitment of both sides to their obligations.

We stand today before the beginning of the twenty-first century and the third millennium. Peoples of the Middle East expect the dawning of a new day, which brings a new era to the region. I believe in a vision of peace with security, which secures the needs of all sides and will be achieved through negotiations, with mutual respect and good neighborliness.

I believe it is up to us, leaders of both sides, to lead the peace process and bring our peoples to the goal of security and peace. It is our obligation to rise to the occasion on behalf of the mothers and the fathers, the children and grandchildren, and change the vision of a comprehensive peace to a reality. Let us take upon ourselves the prayer of generations: "God will give his people strength, and the Lord will bless his people with peace." May a good week be upon you, and Happy New Year to all the people of Israel.