Speech by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the Signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum
September 4, 1999
President Mubarak, Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat, His Majesty
King Abdullah, and I must say King Hussein in spirit, distinguished
colleagues, excellencies, special guests,
On behalf of President Clinton and the American people I am honored to be
here with you to mark this moment of accomplishment and renewed resolve in
a search for an Arab-Israeli peace. I begin by thanking our hosts,
President Mubarak and Foreign Minister Moussa. For many years Egypt has
merited the world's admiration as an unwavering and courageous champion of
peace. This reputation has only been enhanced by Egypt's strong supporting
role in the negotiations just completed.
I especially want to congratulate Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat
and their respective negotiating teams headed by Gilad Sher and Saeb
Erekat. They have toiled long hours, under great pressure, in a noble
cause, and they have succeeded.
In addition I want to highlight the presence of such leading supporters of
peace such as the King of Jordan, and distinguished representatives of
Russia, the European Union, Norway, and Japan. The peace process could not
survive without their backing, which will be even more crucial as we
strive to build on the current agreement.
The accord Israeli and Palestinian leaders have just signed provides a
long-awaited boost, both to the substance and spirit of the search for
Middle East peace. By agreeing on a plan for implementing the Wye River
Memorandum and other outstanding commitments, the two sides have begun to
rebuild their partnership - a partnership that is central to the Oslo
process and vital to the region's future.
For the first time in several years, Israelis and Palestinians are working
together and solving problems together. Relationships of trust and shared
convictions are being built through this process. The result is beneficial
to both sides.
Under today's agreement further redeployments will be carried out,
security cooperation will deepen, the fight against terror will continue,
and prisoners will be reunited with their families. In addition,
construction of a port for Gaza will begin, and a safe passage between
Gaza and the West Bank will be opened.
These provisions are important in themselves, but there is an even larger
significance to this agreement. First, the fact that Israelis and
Palestinians negotiated this pact directly is a rich source of hope for
the future. As one can see here tonight, the peace process has many
sponsors and many supporters. But that process cannot succeed unless the
parties are engaged with each other, gaining mutual confidence and
building mutual trust. When that happens, agreements are not only more
likely to be signed, they are more likely to be implemented. And if you
ask the average Palestinian or Israeli, he or she will tell you -
implementation is what counts.
Second, through this agreement the parties have cleared the way for the
beginning of serious permanent status negotiations. Here is where the bold
vision encompassed by the Oslo Declaration of Principles will meet its
sternest test. The obstacles that permanent status negotiators will face
are daunting. The issues are tough, laden with emotion and deeply rooted
in the region's troubled past. They involve life and death issues for both
sides. But the road to reconciliation has always been strewn with
obstacles. Over the years, the peace process has been undermined by
extremists, assaulted by terrorists, and shot by assassins. Still, the
desire for peace has not been quenched, and the need for peace has never
lessened.
If a permanent settlement is to be achieved, the friends of peace must be
strong. Those who seek peace must be persistent and the advocates of peace
must make the case over and over again, that negotiations are not just one
option among many, they are the only way for either Israelis or
Palestinians to realize their deepest aspirations. But permanent status
negotiations will prosper only if they are conducted in the spirit of
partnership that was born in Oslo. And that spirit has been absent in
recent years, but is present today and marks a new beginning, and it must
be maintained. It is the spirit of striving not to create obstacles but
rather to overcome them, and seeking not to intimidate, but rather to
persuade; searching not to defeat the other party but rather to find a way
to a shared victory.
If we are to ask, where will the negotiators find the required strength
and confidence, I can only think of the model provided by Anwar Sadat,
Menachem Begin, by Yitzhak Rabin, and King Hussein. These leaders
experienced war and understood therefore the need to prevent war. They
believed that a people brave enough to fight must also be courageous
enough to make peace, and they proved that negotiations can produce gains
that alternatives cannot, such as the removal of security threats, the
restoration of land, and the opening of new economic possibilities.
The legacy of their leadership guides us tonight and must continue to
inspire us tomorrow. That is true with respect to peace between the
Israelis and Palestinians, it is true as well in the search for a
comprehensive settlement. We must help find the right way for Israel to
resume negotiations with Syria and Lebanon, while also restarting the
multilateral track so that what has been a regional conflict can end in a
regional peace.
As President Clinton has affirmed, the United States will do all we can to
facilitate and enhance this effort, and to help negotiations succeed. This
reflects the interests we have, the commitments we have made, and the
values we cherish. Let there be no doubt through the remaining months of
this century and far into the next, America will stand by and with those
who stand for peace. And once again, I want to thank President Mubarak,
Foreign Minister Moussa, for Egypt's indispensable role in the peace
process, and to extend my warmest congratulations to Prime Minister Barak
and Chairman Arafat. A great task has been completed and an even larger
one remains. Thank you.