Military

DATE=4/01/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= BUSH/MIDEAST (L)

NUMBER=2-288225

BYLINE=PAULA WOLFSON

DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: President Bush says suicide bombings are acts of terror, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat must stop them. V-O-A's Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush says, despite the upsurge in violence, Israel and the Palestinians must clear a path toward peace.

TEXT: President Bush is calling on Yasser Arafat to order a halt to suicide bombings against Israelis.

///BUSH ACT///

Suicide bombing in the name of religion is simple terror. And the free world, the civilized world, must band together to stop this kind of activity, if we expect there to be peace and resolution in the Middle East.

///END ACT///

During a brief session with reporters, Mr. Bush was asked if Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority should be treated as entities that harbor terrorists. The president drew a distinction, noting the Palestinian leadership has worked in the past for peace, on the basis of plans put forward by U-S officials.

///BUSH ACT TWO///

Well, Chairman Arafat has agreed to a peace process. He has agreed to the Tenet plan. He has agreed to the Mitchell plan. He has negotiated with the parties as to how to achieve peace.

///END ACT///

President Bush did not directly refer to Israeli retaliation against Yasser Arafat. But he appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to keep an eye on the big picture.

///BUSH ACT THREE///

I think it is very important for the prime minister to keep a pathway to peace open, to understand, on one hand, Israel should protect herself, and on the other hand, there ought to be a pathway, the capacity, to achieve a peaceful resolution to this issue.

///END ACT///

The president spoke amidst growing pressure from members of the U-S Congress to get more directly involved in the peace process. White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer says the president is deeply involved in the search for peace.

///FLEISCHER ACT///

This president will never walk away. This president will always remain committed to finding peace in the Middle East, no matter how difficult it gets.

///END ACT///

But Mr. Fleischer goes on to stress that no one can force peace on the region. He says nothing will happen, unless the Israelis and the Palestinians want peace, seek peace, and work to create peace. (signed)

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