STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT


                            THE WHITE HOUSE
                     Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   October 12, 2000
                       STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
                        ON MIDDLE EAST SITUATION
                   AND INCIDENT ON USS COLE IN YEMEN
                            The Rose Garden
1:47 P.M. EDT
          THE PRESIDENT:  I have just been meeting with my national
security team on today's tragic events in the Middle East, and I would
like to make a brief statement.
          First, as you know, an explosion claimed the lives of at least
four sailors on one of our naval vessels, the USS Cole, this morning.
Many were injured; a number are still missing.  They were simply doing
their duty.  The ship was refueling in a port in Yemen while en route to
the Persian Gulf.  We're rushing medical assistance to the scene, and
our prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones or are
still awaiting news.
          If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a
despicable and cowardly act.  We will find out who was responsible and
hold them accountable.  If their intention was to deter us from our
mission of promoting peace and security in the Middle East, they will
fail, utterly.
          I have directed the Department of Defense, the FBI and the
State Department to send officials to Yemen to begin the investigation.
Secretary Albright has spoken with President Salih of Yemen, and we
expect to work closely with his government to that effect.
          Our military forces and our embassies in the region have been
on heightened state of alert for some time now.  I have ordered our
ships in the region to pull out of port, and our land forces to increase
their security.
          Tensions are extremely high today throughout the entire
region, as all of you know.  I strongly condemn the murder of Israeli
soldiers in Ramallah today.  While I understand the anguish Palestinians
feel over the losses they have suffered, there can be no possible
justification for mob violence.  I call on both sides to undertake a
cease-fire immediately, and immediately to condemn all acts of violence.
          Finally, let me say this.  The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is
one of the greatest tragedies and most difficult problems of our time.
But it can be solved.  The progress of the last few years -- progress
that brought Israel to the hope of a final peace with true security, and
Palestinians to the hope of a sovereign state recognized by the entire
world -- was not made through violence.  It happened because both sides
sat down together, negotiated, and slowly built up the trust that
violence destroys.
          Now is the time to stop the bloodshed, to restore calm, to
return to dialogue, and ultimately to the negotiating table.  The
alternative to the peace process is now no longer merely hypothetical.
It is unfolding today before our very eyes.
          Now, I need to go back to work on this, and so I won't take
questions right now.  But the Department of Defense will offer a
briefing today and will be able to answer the questions that are
relevant to today's events.
          Thank you.
                           END 1:52 P.M. EDT
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