Joint Press Conference by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and British Prime Minister Tony Blair following their meeting
Jerusalem, November 1, 2001
PM Ariel Sharon: (Hebrew) I welcome British Prime Minister Tony
Blair, a true friend with whom we conduct a close dialog, to
Jerusalem, capital of the Jewish people for over 3000 years, and the
forever united and never to be divided capital of the State of
Israel.
I would like to praise Prime Minister Blair's leadership, together
with US President George Bush, in the struggle against global
terrorism. It is a fight for basic values, freedom, liberty, security
and democracy. It is a fight that every peace loving nation supports
for the sake of the security of future generations. It is a justified
struggle to realize the right of self-defense. We wish Britain, the
United States and everyone who may be taking part in this campaign
the best of success in this righteous struggle because your success
is the success of all those who espouse these values.
Israel is a peace-loving country and our hand has always been
extended in peace towards our neighbors. Today we want to continue
following the path to peace. We want peace with our Palestinian
neighbors, a real peace, a peace for generations, the Israeli
generations as well as the Palestinian generations. As one who took
part in all of Israel's campaigns, and as one who has experienced the
horrors of war and its pains, I understand how important peace is.
I have said on numerous occasions that Israel is prepared to make
painful compromises for true peace, but there will be no compromises
in regard to the security of the residents of Israel and the well
being of its citizens. We will continue to exercise our right to
self-defense. The government of Israel continues to be fully
committed to the Mitchell and Tenet plans. Israel has no interest in
remaining in "A" territories for the long term, and we would like to
withdraw from the "A" territories as quickly as possible. However, we
will only be able to withdraw when Arafat fulfills the commitments
that he took upon himself.
I thank Prime Minister Blair for all his efforts and help, and I hope
that he will clarify to Arafat that the faster he fulfills his
obligations, the faster we will be able to proceed in the right
direction.
I congratulate Prime Minister Blair on his efforts to reach a peace
agreement in Northern Ireland, and I wish Prime Minister Blair
luck.
PM Tony Blair: Can I first of all thank Prime Minister Sharon for his
welcome and say that whatever the difficult circumstances, it is
always a pleasure for me to be back here in Israel. He described me,
kindly, as a true friend of Israel, and I certainly consider myself
such. I also, in addition to having good and detailed discussions
with Prime Minister Sharon and his colleagues, I met with the
families of the missing in action people this morning, which I found
a very moving meeting. I do sympathise deeply with the situation in
which those families find themselves.
And really by way of an introductory statement I would just like to
say three things that I said when I was with King Abdullah in Jordan
earlier today about our present situation in the present crisis. The
first is that the events of 11 September were an atrocity which the
world has rightly regarded as such, and there is an overwhelming view
in all parts of the world, that there can be no place in our world
for those acts of barbarism and terrorism and that we need to
establish the strongest possible international coalition against
terrorism in all its forms.
Secondly, in the visits I have made to Arab countries in these past
couple of days, I have been struck very much by their understanding
that those that commit these acts of terrorism in the name of Islam
do not speak in any way, shape or form for the true spirit and
teachings of Islam. It is a real recognition, I believe, amongst
moderate Moslems, of the need not to allow their faith to be hijacked
by extremists with a political agenda.
And the third thing obviously is not just at this point in time, but
at any point in time, it is important that we do all we can to find
the way back to a viable peace process in the Middle East that can
allow Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side and in peace
with one another. That is what people in Israel want. I am sure it is
what the vast majority of people in the Palestinian territories want,
and I can tell you that the outside world wants it too. We know this
is important, not just for you here, though of course it is most
important for you. It is important for the stability and security and
future of our world. So I hope very much that we can make progress in
all these areas, and I believe that if anything good can come out of
the terrible events of 11 September, it is a recognition of our
collective determination to fight terrorism, to have religious
tolerance, and to make sure that here, in the Middle East, we have a
peace process that allows decent people to live side by side in peace
and stability and prosperity together.
Q: A question for both Prime Ministers. Can I ask whether they think
that so-called targeted killings are compatible with the peace
process. And for those watching who may be confused, what is the
distinction between a targeted killing and an assassination?
PM Blair: First of all, we have made it clear that we want restraint
on all sides here. The only way we are going to get a peace process
back on track again is if there end to violence of all kinds and an
end to bloodshed. I do want to say, however, to you that though we
have made it clear what our position is in relation to those aspects
of Israeli policy, I understand the pressures that Prime Minister
Sharon is under, the pressure that he feels and the position of
Israeli people who have seen their citizens killed by terrorist acts.
When you think of 1 June and what happened in Tel Aviv - 21 people
killed, I think, 130 injured. Or you think of 9 August at the
restaurant - 15 people killed and 120 injured, or you think of a few
days ago, at Hadera where 4 women were killed: This cycle of
bloodshed has to stop.
Now, I believe it is important that any measures that are taken in
relation to security are measured and proper in accordance with
international law, but let us be absolutely clear, we are never going
to get back into a process again unless the violence and killing
everywhere stops, because whilst the violence goes on it is
impossible for people to get the space and the comfort and the sense
of security in which a process can work. So we can all sit here and
cast blame, or take positions. But what is important to me is that we
find the ability to calm this situation. To give ourselves the space
and the time to put a proper initiative back together again and if
anything can help in preparing the ground for that, then that is what
we should do.
PM Sharon: I would like to continue from what Prime Minister Blair
said. Arafat will have to make every effort to be able to come back
to negotiations. Israel is committed to peace. We made it very clear
so many times. I even said today that we are ready for painful
compromises. There is one thing where there is not going to be any
compromises, not now and not in the future, and that is where it
comes to the lives or the security of Israeli citizens and the very
existence of the State of Israel. Here there will be no
compromises.
Now, how can we move forward when terror is going on? So Israel, of
course, has the right for self-defense, and that's exactly what we
are doing. Let's assume for one minute that those terrorists who were
attacked this morning were on the way to commit maybe a most terrible
act of terror. So what is better? What will bring negotiations
earlier? What will bring peace earlier? That they will kill another
20 or 40 or 50 Israeli citizens, or if they will be stopped on the
way there? So believe me, if we stop them on the way there, that
prevented maybe a chain of terror that would have postponed every
negotiations for a long time.
As a matter of fact Arafat could have avoided it. He got the names of
all the terrorists. We made it very clear to him and we asked him
directly and through our friends and we said: arrest them. That is in
your hands. They are coming from the area which is under complete
Palestinian control. If he would have done it, it would have never
have happened. We have the right of self-defense. You must understand
that. And as I said we are ready to go very far. In one thing there
will not be, not now, not in the future, no compromise when it comes
to our security.
Q: Prime Minister during your tour of the Middle East you have found
a support in general terms for the war against terrorism, but there
has been very little or no comment about the military intervention in
Afghanistan. Have you found any Arab leaders supporting the British
and American military involvement.
And if I could ask Mr. Sharon to say in English too, if he might,
what he thinks about those Arab leaders, including President Assad,
who have talked about how they have fought the war against terrorism,
but they regard Israel as being responsible for state terrorism.
PM Blair: First of all in relation to my discussions with the Arab
countries, I think there is an understanding. First of all there is
total condemnation of 11 September. There is an understanding too of
why it is necessary for us to take action. Now some of those
positions came as a surprise to some of the journalists with me, but
actually those positions were set out very clearly at the OIC
Conference a time ago, and I think there is an understanding of why
we need to take action which King Abdullah himself expressed this
morning.
I think however that there is something more important here that is
happening which I thought was the most interesting aspect in the
sense of my conversations with Arab leaders in the past couple of
days and I found this in Saudi Arabia in particular, where some
people told me I would not find this, and that is a real sense on
behalf of the Arab and Moslem world that it is time for moderate
Moslems to take back their religion from the extremists that are
trying to hijack it for political purposes and the fact is that those
people, whether they are trying to exploit the Palestinian cause, or
whether they are trying to exploit other causes in the world, what
they are doing is giving a view of Islam that was completely
repudiated by those Arab leaders and clerical and political leaders
that I spoke to in those Arab countries.
And I think that there is a real recognition that that is one aspect
of this fight, because it is not just ... what is different about
this problem of international terrorism. It is not just about
military action. It is also about hearts and minds. It is also about
the politics and the diplomacy. It is about trying to resolve the
issues that cause grievance and aggression in the world and try to
take away from political extremists who want to abuse any cause there
is for their own ends. Of course, the one thing that is clear is that
this is a very, very difficult and fraught situation, but I think it
is better to be here and to talk to people, to hear first hand what
they have to say, and to try and offer what help and support we can,
whilst frankly not making the situation more complicated or more
difficult.
PM Sharon: First of all I would like to thank you again Mr. Blair for
being busy at the front there and everyone has got his own problems
in his own country, that you find time to dedicate and devote
yourself to make a very important altogether it is important to talk.
By talk you can sort everything out, but I think it is important and
we in any case support the efforts of Prime Minister Blair which we
regard to be very important If your question was specifically about
Bashar Assad.
Syria is a country that supports terror. Bashar Assad is hosting the
eleven most dangerous and radical terrorist organisations. For
instance, acts of terror of the Islamic Jihad, or the Hamas, are
coming from Damascus. Without Syria, the Hizbullah in Lebanon which
is responsible for many, many crimes not only in the Lebanon or on
the Israeli border, but around the world, I don't think that they
would have been able to exist at all. I don't think that Iran could
have built an independent centre of terror in Lebanon. They have
there the Revolutionary Guards. There is an airlift that they brought
and this airlift could not have been done without the support of
Syria because they went from Teheran to Damascus and from Damascus by
convoys to Lebanon. They allowed the Iranians to build there an
independent international centre, and international, regional and
local centre of terror, bringing in thousands of rockets and Cartusa
launchers and Cartusa Missiles and that of course makes Syria a
country of terror - the center of terror.
We are talking about fighting terror. We have been facing terror now
for over 120 years. We are conducting our, let us say, war against
terror. It started still under the Turkish occupation. It was here
during the British Mandate. The hardest years were after the War of
Independence Gaza District stayed under Egyptian occupation as a
result of the war and Samaria and Judea were first under Jordanian
and Iraqi occupation. Then the Iraqis withdrew. Under Jordanian
occupation for 19 years these were the hardest years that we had to
contain terror acts, and we are facing terror now. So of course,
facing this danger of terror, and knowing the danger of terror, we
are fully behind the effort of Great Britain, and the efforts of the
United States. I think it is important, and I think that everyone
that would like to preserve the values that we like to live in:
democracy, liberalism. Everyone that understands that should support.
And I said some words inside. I praised Prime Minister Blair for not
only being one that understands the importance, not only
declarations, but acts in peace.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, can you please tell us what is the main
message that you are carrying from Prime Minister Sharon to Yasser
Arafat. And if I may add to that when you met with Arafat in London I
think a few weeks ago. You asked Arafat to make arrests of terrorist
activists. Are you going to repeat this demand.
PM Blair: Yes, we certainly do believe that the Palestinian Authority
should arrest those people who are responsible. We have said that to
him on many occasions. And as for what I will be saying to Yasser
Arafat. I will be stating once again our clear position on these
issues, which is to say that all violence must stop. That it is
impossible to have a peace process succeeding while people are
engaging in acts of violence, and it is the responsibility of
everyone to do all they can, all that is within their power, to stop
the acts of violence, and I believe myself, as I have said on many
occasions in the past couple of weeks, in the end the fixed points of
principle for this peace process in my view, are clear.
First that Israel has to be able to live, confident about its own
security and that must be accepted by the entire world, including the
Arab world. And secondly that the Palestinians should have a state in
which they can live in peace and prosperity, side by side with their
Israeli neighbours.
Now I believe that in the end we can go on for years with bloodshed,
but we will come back to those two fixed points. Because that is the
reality. Israel is not going to disappear, and the Palestinians are
not going to go away. Now what we need to do is to find the steps
back into a process that allows us to get that negotiation under way,
and I believe that Prime Minister Sharon does want to get back into
serious talks and negotiation, but I believe, obviously, as he has
just said to you, that he has got to protect the security of his
people. I believe too that the Palestinians know that there is no way
out of this other than discussion and negotiation, and they too want
to make sure that their people are secure and able to go about their
business in peace. As I say, we can go through many, many years
further of bloodshed, but in the end I believe people will come back
to those principles.
PM Sharon: I will first perhaps answer the question that was posed to
the British Prime Minister because Mr. Blair has to go to see Arafat
and your question is rather long. But the question was posed again
about the political program, and the answer is as follows: It is only
appropriate that I submit this program, this project, to the Cabinet
first. This is customary. I will be very happy when quiet reigns and
when there is peace, and no incitement, to begin political
negotiations, and I do believe it that this is necessary and
important and that is why I have set up a team for negotiating for
that purpose, together with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and this in
order to promote the cease-fire and then a political agreement. But
first of all there needs to be a complete stop to terrorism. If it
stops, then there is a very good opportunity both for Israel and the
Palestinians to live peacefully one next to the other.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, did you bring with you any new ideas or new
initiative in order to push forward the peace process and, if so, did
you discuss it first hand with the Americans, with President Bush.
PM Blair: First of all, in answer to your question, we are obviously
in constant discussion with our allies and partners the entire time.
I don't think it is very helpful to go into all the details that I
have discussed privately with Prime Minister Sharon, and indeed with
others. But I think it is important that we see how we can prepare
the ground for putting back momentum into the peace process here. And
welcomed what the Prime Minister said a moment or two ago about his
desire and willingness to get back into those negotiations if the
conditions are right to do so.
As for the issue of how successful any such initiative can be. I
think that ultimately, in any of these processes, and they are a
process, they are not an event. When there has been struggle and
division and bitterness and hatred over a long period of time, there
is not suddenly an event that comes along and everything changes
overnight. It is a process. And there are high points and low points.
And in Northern Ireland we know that very, very well, where we have
gone through terrible acts of terrorism, bitterness, hatred across
the communities, and eventually you hope that you can create the
space whereby people can talk and try and resolve their differences,
and drive the extremists out.
There are always people who want to exploit a situation for ill.
Always. There will always be those who will be opposed to any form of
peace process because they will, for example, say that they want
Israel not to exist at all. Now, we have got not to let the
extremists dictate the pace of events. What we have got to say is,
we, the people who have an interest in democracy and peace, in
freedom, we are the people that should determine the pace of events
and whether there are high points and low points, and obviously at
the moment in this process we are at a low point, we have got to
carry on trying.
And one of the things that some of the people who have been
travelling with me have been saying what is the point of you trying
to come into a situation so fraught with difficulty. And my answer to
that is simple. We are in a situation where there are real dangers in
the world situation at the moment and you can either get your hands
dirty and try and sort them out, or you can stand aside and let
events be driven by the people of violence and the extremists. And I
believe that this is the moment when all people of good will have got
to put their shoulder to the wheel to try and drive this process
forward and I know it is difficult. There are really hard choices
that are going to have to be made all round. There will be painful
compromises everywhere. But you come back to one simple fact that
nobody can dispute, that in the end Israelis and Palestinians are
going to have to live together, side by side. Everything else is
going to be negotiation and discussion and talking, but we have got
to get to this position where those basis principles are recognised
and then we can begin trying to resolve exactly what the detail of
that is. And I hope very much that that can happen.
Because what you should know here in Israel, and I will say the same
when I see Yasser Arafat later in the Gaza, what you must understand
is that the world does want this process to succeed. It understands
not just the pain and the grief that you have gone through here, but
it understands the threat to the stability and security of the world
that this problem poses. And all we want to do is help, because in
the end, people are people and they should be free from terror and
violence. They should be allowed to get about their daily lives in
peace and prosperity and get on building the normal lives that
they do. That is what should happen. And it can happen. With the right
will and the right determination, I believe it can happen.
Q: (inaudible)
PM Sharon: (Hebrew) There is no connection between my trip to the
United States and my plan, and desire, to withdraw from "A"
territories as soon as possible. The only thing that may prevent me
from going, despite the fact that a meeting between Prime Minister
Blair and myself has already been scheduled for next week in London
on my way to the United States, is the security situation here in
Israel, the need to manage a consistent and determined struggle
against terrorism on the one hand, and prevent escalation on the
other hand is the policy that I follow. I have no problem going to
the United States while we continue to hold "A" territories, or parts
of them since we have already withdrawn from other parts, for one
reason: Since the beginning I have clearly clarified my policies. I
did not maneuver or play games in any way. I said one thing: there is
one area in which there will be no concession, not now and not in the
future, the security of Israel. As I said, we will not conduct
diplomatic negotiations under fire. I have no problem, my position is
completely clear.
Regarding your question as to Arafat's physical fitness and his
capability of clearing high hurdles, first of all we have to decide
whether it is too tall an order for him or not. If Arafat is unable
to impose calm, then whom do we have to talk with at all? If he is
able to but doesn't want to, then there is certainly no one to talk
with. However, so that you shouldn't think I'm in despair I want to
tell you that apparently he can. Look at Hebron, quiet. In Bethlehem,
quiet. In Beit Jala, quiet. In Jericho, quiet. In other words, when
he puts a strong effort into it, he is capable of clearing high
hurdles. Therefore, in my opinion, the level demanded of Arafat is
not overly high, but he has to make an effort, and in order to make
an effort he has to be under pressure. If Nations of the world that
understand the dangers of terrorism will put Arafat under the
necessary pressure, believe me he will clear even higher hurdles. And
it is worthwhile to test this.