Washington, D.C., 23 October 1998 Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, Mr. Chairman, the Vice President, His Majesty, Your Majesty Queen Noor, Madam Secretary, Sandy Berger, their staff and especially Dennis of the white hair and Olympic endurance, and all the delegations assembled here, and all the distinguished ministers of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the members of the Senate and Congress, and the many friends who are here today. Today is a day when Israel and our entire region are more secure. Now this has required sacrifice from both sides, and reaching into what you can call the better nature of mankind. This is an important moment to give a secure and peaceful future for our children and the children of our neighbors, the Palestinians. We have seen this moment. I'm asking all people of good will, of honesty and candor -- I'm asking all of them to join us in support for this important step for a secure future, a future of peace. We are more secure today because, for the first time since the signing of the Oslo accords, we will see concrete and verifiable commitments carried out. Our Palestinian partners will join us in fighting terrorism. They will follow in detail the systematic plan to fight terrorists and their infrastructure; to jail killers that have so far roamed at large; to stop vitriolic incitement; and above all finally, after 35 years, to cancel the articles in the Palestinian charter which call for the destruction of Israel. This means that our world today will be safer for our children and for our neighbor's children. But it has been said here -- and it's true -- that we are just at the beginning or maybe at the middle of the road to a permanent peace. We will soon embark on negotiations for a permanent peace settlement between our two peoples. And I guarantee you it will not be easy and it will not be simple, and it will be, Mr. President, despite your best wishes, sleepless. I guarantee it. Mr. Chairman, I guarantee that to you, too. But I am today brimming with some confidence, and not overconfidence, simply because we have overcome tremendous challenges and achieved success for both sides, not at the expense of one side and the benefit of the other, but success and advantage and progress for both sides. And that fills me with the confidence that we are able to tackle the larger challenges that still await us and that still await our two peoples. There are so many people that I could thank in the American delegation -- it's a wonderful one. Headed by the secretary of state and Sandy Berger and George Tenet and the team that was there, Dennis and Gemal provider of cigars and good humor. And so many others. But I want to especially thank President Clinton. He is, if I can borrow a cliche, he is a warrior for peace. I mean, he doesn't stop. He has this ability to maintain a tireless pace, and to nudge and prod and suggest and use a nimble and flexible mind to truly explore the possibilities of both sides, and never just of one side. That is a great gift, I think a precious and unique one, and it served us well. So I thank you, Mr. President, for serving us and the cause of peace well. I thank you, too, for your boundless optimism, without which these qualities cannot come into effect. You needed a lot of optimism. I want to thank Chairman Arafat. Mr. Chairman, your cooperation was invaluable. And I want to thank you personally once again for the kind wishes you extended me on a birthday that I shall never forget. Thank you very much. I want to thank Minister Sharansky. Mr. Sharansky is in Israel. He is celebrating now his daughter's bat mitzvah. I'm sure you'll all send him the best and excuse him for not being here. But he and Defense Minister Mordechai and Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon brought to Wye their patriotism and their commitment. They are great patriots. They are people who have put themselves in line for their country and their people. And they've brought all that experience -- all that courage and all that perseverance, all that skill. And they assisted me and the state of Israel in ways that I think should be recounted and probably will repeat themselves, I hope, in the near future in a successful bid for peace. And I want most especially to thank two people at the close. I want to thank King Hussein, who visited us twice. And Your Majesty, you gave us an unforgettable and inspiring example of courage and humanity. And it moved me deeply. It moved every one of our people and our delegates deeply. And I thank you for that. And lastly, I would like to than my wife Sarah, who joined me, who offered me support and a great deal of wisdom in some trying moments, and who constantly reminded me of our two children -- of all the children for whom we've toiled and dreamed and prayed. Thank you very much. |
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