For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 6, 2002
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, Laura and I are
hosting the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his family, at our
ranch in Crawford, Texas. America has no better ally in our war
against terrorism than Great Britain.
Six months ago, when the United States launched military strikes
against al Qaeda training camps and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan,
British forces were right by our side. And the success of Operation
Enduring Freedom owes much to the strong support from allies like Great
Britain. Yet, the war against terrorism is far from over. It will
continue in Afghanistan and beyond.
The world has been brutally reminded these past two weeks of the
price exacted by terror. Prime Minister Blair and I will spend much of
our time this weekend discussing the tragic outbreak of violence in the
Middle East. Across the world, people are grieving for Israelis and
Palestinians who have lost their lives.
When an 18 year old Palestinian girl is induced to blow herself up,
and in the process kills a 17 year old Israeli girl, the future,
itself, is dying -- the future of the Palestinian people and the future
of the Israeli people. The United States is strongly committed to
finding a just settlement in the Middle East. That settlement must
lead to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace
and security.
This goal can never be realized through terrorism. It can only be
realized through a political process. Arab governments, the
Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people must recognize that
suicide bombings are jeopardizing the very possibility of an
independent Palestinian state.
This week, I called upon the Palestinian leadership to order an
immediate and effective cease-fire, and a crackdown on terrorist
networks. Israel, too, faces hard choices. America will always be a
committed friend of Israel, and we recognize Israel's right to defend
itself against terror. Yet, to lay the foundations of future peace,
I've asked Israel to halt incursions into Palestinian controlled areas
and begin withdrawing from those cities it has recently occupied.
Next week, Secretary of State Powell will travel to the Middle East
to seek broad international support for these principles, and to work
toward a cease-fire that will lead to a political settlement.
I have no illusions about the difficulty of this mission. Yet, our
determination is strong. We'll work closely with nations in the region
and with close allies, such as Great Britain, to end this conflict and
to begin an era of peace.
This could be a hopeful moment in the Middle East. A number of
Arab leaders have endorsed a proposal that brings them closer than ever
to recognizing Israel's right to exist. The United States is on record
supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a
Palestinian state. And Israel has recognized the goal of a Palestinian
state.
I believe the region could write a new story of democracy and
development and trade, and join the progress of our times. Yet,
progress requires an atmosphere of peace, and peace requires acts of
leadership, not acts of terror.
Thank you for listening.
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