15 June 2003
Bush Says "Agents of Peace Will Prevail" in Middle East
(Mission of free world must be to deny Hamas the ability to destroy) (1030)
President George W. Bush expressed confidence that, despite setbacks,
the nations of the region and the world can help end violence and
achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Bush spoke briefly to
the press following church services in Kennebunkport, Maine, on June
15.
Bush said the U.S. is helping Prime Minister Abbas and the Palestinian
Authority reconstitute a security force that can prevent Hamas and
other terrorist groups from sabotaging the peaceful aspirations of
both Palestinians and Israelis.
"My objective as the President is to move the process forward so a
state is established; it will be a peaceful state, a free state, a
prosperous state, so people have hope," Bush said. "And in the
meantime, before that state is established, it is clear that the free
world, those who love freedom and peace, must deal harshly with Hamas
and the killers."
Bush added, "But we've laid out the way forward, and I intend to keep
the process moving. And I believe we can have a peaceful Palestinian
state living side by side with the Israelis."
Following is a transcript of President Bush's remarks to the press in
Kennebunkport, Maine, on June 15:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Kennebunkport, Maine)
June 15, 2003
Remarks By The President To The Travel Pool
Outside Cape Arundel Church
Kennebunkport, Maine
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.
Q: How are you?
THE PRESIDENT: Good.
Q: Do you want to visit a bit?
THE PRESIDENT: Sure.
Q: What's your assessment of things in the Middle East?
THE PRESIDENT: My assessment is, is that there are people that want
peace to go forward, and there are people that don't. And for those of
us who want peace to go forward, we must combine our efforts to
prevent people like Hamas from sabotaging peace.
I'm confident we can achieve peace. It's going to be a tough road, but
I am determined to continue to lend the weight of this government to
advance peace.
Q: Sir, why haven't you called Prime Minister Sharon and Abbas?
THE PRESIDENT: We're in touch with the governments. We're in contact
with the Israeli government, as well as the Palestinian Authority. The
message is clear: Prime Minister Abbas wants peace; Prime Minister
Sharon wants peace; America wants peace; the European Union wants
peace. But there are clearly killers who don't. And for those of us
who are interested in moving the process forward, we must combine our
efforts to cut off all money, support for anybody who tries to
sabotage the peace process.
Q: Will you send Dr. Rice to the region?
THE PRESIDENT: I'll let you know if we decide to. Of course, we just
got out -- Ambassador Welsh [Wolf] is there now and he's working the
process.
Q: Are you willing to give money or arms to the Palestinian Authority
to help them out with Hamas --
THE PRESIDENT: We would like for the Palestinian Authority to set up a
security force under Mr. Dahlan that will do the job that Prime
Minister Abbas assured me that they're interested in doing, which is
to defeat those terrorists who will do everything they can to deny the
establishment of a peaceful Palestinian state. And a peaceful
Palestinian state is in the interests of the Palestinian people.
Q: -- have enough arms, enough money?
THE PRESIDENT: We are in the process of helping them implement a
strategy which is was described to us in Aqaba as to how the
Palestinian Authority want to reconstitute a security force in order
to make sure the terrorists, the haters of peace, those who can't
stand freedom do not have their way in the Middle East.
I believe peace is possible, and I believe we've got a lot of work to
do to get there.
Q: Do see a break in the violence right not, in the last several days?
THE PRESIDENT: It seems like it, but, you know -- but until these
people are brought to justice, those who are killing people in order
to deny the establishment of a Palestinian state, there will be
violence. And so the mission of the free world, those who care for
peace, is to deny the people like Hamas the ability to destroy and to
kill. And I believe that the agents of peace, the people who love,
those who care about a decent future for the suffering Palestinian
people and those who live in Israel will prevail. But it's going to
take a lot of work.
Listen, have a wonderful Father's Day.
Q: -- think of the unrest in Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: I think that freedom is a powerful incentive. And I am
-- I believe that some day freedom will prevail everywhere, because
freedom is a powerful drive for people to -- and it's the beginnings
of people expressing themselves toward a free Iran, which I think is
positive.
Q: Sir, have the Israelis been justified in going after Hamas --
THE PRESIDENT: Wait for us to succeed peace. Wait for us to have two
states, side by side -- is for everybody coming together to deny the
killers the opportunity to destroy. And that's what they want to do.
There are people in the Middle East who hate the thought of a peaceful
Palestinian state. That's what they can't stand. And the objective of
this government, and my objective as the President, is to move the
process forward so a state is established; it will be a peaceful
state, a free state, a prosperous state, so people have hope. And in
the meantime, before that state is established, it is clear that the
free world, those who love freedom and peace, must deal harshly with
Hamas and the killers. And that's just the way it is in the Middle
East.
But we've laid out the way forward, and I intend to keep the process
moving. And I believe we can have a peaceful Palestinian state living
side by side with the Israelis.
Have a great Father's Day. We'll be out there catching fish.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
