Statement by Secy of State Albright - Sept 29- 1997

I just concluded a productive meeting with Foreign Minister Levy and PLO Executive Committee Secretary General Abu Mazen. Clearly we've come together with a common purpose and aim -- to continue our efforts to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace based on the principles agreed to at Madrid and in the Oslo Accords, which will lead to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. That road has not been an easy one, but today's session was productive and I believe we are headed in the right direction.

We all agreed that it is essential to re-energize the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and to create the kind of environment necessary for those negotiations to succeed. Both Foreign Minister Levy and Abu Mazen recognized that this would require fulfilling their mutual responsibilities on the basis of reciprocity.

We all recognized that security is a critical foundation for moving the peace process forward. The Israeli and Palestinian sides agreed to enhance their bilateral security cooperation in the fight against terror. Chairman Arafat reassured me during my recent trip to the region that the Palestinian Authority would undertake concrete actions to combat systematically and effectively terrorist infrastructure. In this regard, we have seen some encouraging steps taken in the last several days. The Palestinians reaffirmed their commitment to continue these actions in a sustained and comprehensive manner. We all agreed that there is no place for terror and violence in this process. Both sides agreed that they must take the necessary measures to prevent such acts.

At the same time, it is clear that real security depends ultimately on real peace, and that this requires a serious and sustained political process. With this in mind, the two sides agreed to resume negotiations in the interim committees established to implement the Interim Agreement. Each side pledged to work quickly and in good faith to conclude these negotiations and implement their results as soon as possible with the objective of achieving a mutually agreed target date. These negotiations will begin the week of October 6 with a meeting of the Joint Liaison Committee, chaired by Foreign Minister Levy and Secretary General Abu Mazen.

We also agreed that only through sustained negotiations can Israelis and Palestinians reach a comprehensive agreement that addresses the needs of both sides. In order to create a sound basis which will allow those negotiations to produce results, the following elements would be addressed:

• Continued security cooperation and efforts to fight terror and its infrastructure;

• Further redeployments in accordance with Secretary Christopher's letter of January 17, 1997 and the U.S. Note for the Record which are based on the Interim Agreement;

• The definition and content of a time-out regarding unilateral steps so that each side can ensure the right environment for the duration of the permanent status negotiations;

• Acceleration of permanent status negotiations with a mutually agreed target date.

The United States is prepared to do everything possible to assist the parties in these efforts. Indeed, the parties have asked us to play a role. With this in mind, I am sending Dennis Ross and our team to the region to help launch the negotiations of the interim committees. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will return to Washington for the week of October 13 to work together with our assistance on the elements for getting the overall process back on track.

I want to thank Foreign Minister Levy and Secretary General Abu Mazen again for their efforts. The road ahead is not an easy one. But with the courage, determination and creativity of my colleagues here today, and their leaders, we can make progress toward our goal of a real and lasting peace.