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Remarks
Following Discussions with Crown
Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
April
25, 2002
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Remarks
Following Discussions With Crown Prince
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and an Exchange With
Reporters in Crawford, Texas
April 25,
2002
The
President: Good afternoon. I was honored
to welcome Crown Prince Abdullah to my ranch,
a place that is very special for me and a
place where I welcome special guests to our
country. The Crown Prince and I had a very
cordial meeting that confirmed the strong
relationship between Saudi Arabia and the
United States of America.
Our
partnership is important to both our nations.
And it is important to the cause of peace and
stability in the Middle East and the world. We
discussed the critical importance of the war
on terror. Much of our discussion centered on
the Middle East and how to defuse the current
situation so we can get back on the path to
peace.
Our two
nations share a vision of two states, Israel
and Palestine, living side by side in peace
and security. I reiterated that all parties
have responsibilities to help achieve that
vision. The Palestinian Authority must do more
to stop terror. Israel must finish its
withdrawal, including resolution of
standoff--standoffs in Ramallah and Bethlehem,
in a nonviolent way.
We discussed
the need for Arab states to condemn terror, to
stop incitement of violence, and as part of a
long-term peace, to accept Israel as a nation
and a neighbor. We also agreed the world must
join in offering humanitarian aid to the many
innocent Palestinians who are suffering.
I told the
Crown Prince how much I appreciate his vision
for a peaceful and integrated Middle East and
how I appreciated his leadership in helping
rally the Arab world toward that vision. I
also appreciated the Crown Prince's assurance
that Saudi Arabia condemns terror. The Crown
Prince is going to be in America for several
more days, and officials from both our
Governments will be continuing our discussions
with the hope that our efforts can help return
us to the path of peace--a lasting peace.
I'll answer a
couple of questions. Sandra [Sandra Sobieraj,
Associated Press].
Situation
in the Middle East
Q: Mr. President, Saudi officials have
taken strong issue with your characterization
of Prime Minister Sharon as a man of peace and
say that your tolerance of what he's doing
risks damage to U.S.-Arab relations. Were you
and the Crown Prince able to bridge
differences over that issue and find ways to
fix the fragile Arab support?
The
President: Well, first of all, one of the
really positive things out of this meeting was
the fact that the Crown Prince and I
established a strong personal bond. We spent a
lot of time alone discussing our respective
visions, talking about our families. I was
most interested in learning about how he
thought about things. I'm convinced that the
stronger our personal bond is, the more likely
it is relations between our countries will be
strong.
I made it
clear to him that I expected Israel to
withdraw, just like I've made it clear to
Israel. And we expect them to be finished. He
knows my position. He also knows that I will
work for peace; I will bring parties along.
But I think he recognizes that America can't
do it alone, that it's going to require a
unified effort, and one of the main things
about this visit was to solidify that effort.
He's a man
with enormous influence in the Middle East. I
respect that a lot, and I'm confident we can
work together to achieve a peace.
Patsy
[Patricia Wilson, Reuters].
Oil
Q: Mr. President, the Crown Prince raised
the prospect of Saudi support for Iraq's oil
embargo, and are you concerned that Arab
nations might use oil as a--try to use oil as
a bargaining chip in the Middle East crisis?
The
President: Well, Saudi Arabia made it
clear and has made it clear publicly that they
will not use oil as a weapon. And I appreciate
that, respect that, and expect that to be the
case.
Situation
in the Middle East
Q: Mr. President, to follow on what Sandra
asked you, do you feel like you made some
personal headway in meeting with the Prince
today, in reassuring him of the United States
belief that all parties in the region must
work harder to----
The
President: I---
Q: ----do
you feel like--do you feel like you need to
convey this message, perhaps in a stronger
way, by sending somebody to the region to meet
with other Arab leaders who are raising
concerns along these lines?
The
President: Well, Stretch [Richard Keil,
Bloomberg News], we just sent somebody to the
region. And that somebody has just returned
from the region, and his name is Colin Powell.
And we're exploring all options. A lot of our
discussion with the Saudi delegation was how
to get back on the path to peace. Clearly,
there are some things that must be done in the
short run--finish the withdrawal by Israel,
for the Palestinian Authority to clamp down on
terror. We discussed that in very plain and
straightforward terms.
As to where we
head from now, one of the things that I think
is important for the Crown Prince to have
heard is we're interested in his advice; we're
interested in his counsel. We share a vision,
and I reminded him how much I appreciated his
statement toward Israel. I thought that was a
breakthrough moment. And it--and then he went
and sold that in Beirut, and I appreciated
that as well.
So there's a
shared vision. And as to how to achieve that
vision is something we must consult with our
friends. And that's what this meeting was
about. It went on quite a while because there
was a lot to discuss, plus, I want you to
know, I had the honor of showing him my ranch.
He's a man, who's got a farm, and he
understands the land, and I really took great
delight in being able to drive him around in a
pickup truck and showing him the trees and my
favorite spots. And we saw a wild turkey,
which was good. But we had a very good
discussion, and I'm honored he came to visit.
Last question.
Saudi
Arabia and Terrorism
Q: Mr. President, do you believe--you said
that the Crown Prince is against terror. Do
you think he will speak out? Did he make any
promises about speaking out? Should he speak
out? And secondarily, in Saudi Arabia, do you
believe the leadership is doing enough to deal
with their own problems with terrorism that
comes out of their own country? Fifteen of the
19 hijackers----
The
President: Yes, I--the Crown Prince has
been very strong in condemning the murder of
U.S. citizens. He's been very strong about
condemning those who committed those murders.
And I appreciate that a lot. Right after 9/11,
he was one of the strongest voices of
condemnation. He understands how devious Usama
bin Laden has been. He knows that--that
anybody who--you know, that a strategy by some
would be to split the United States and Saudi
Arabia. It's a strong and important
friendship, and he knows that, and I know
that, and we're not going to let that happen.
So he's been very strong in the condemnation
of terror, for which I'm grateful.
And we're
constantly working with him and his Government
on intelligence sharing and cutting off money.
And we're reminding him, on occasion, where we
find money flows, and the Government has been
acting, and I appreciate that very much. He's
got a--right now we're working on an issue in
the border region with Yemen to make sure that
Yemen doesn't become a haven for Al Qaida
killers. And I appreciate his cooperation on
that matter as well. It's in his interest that
we rout out terror.
Listen, thank
you all very much.
Note:
The President spoke at 4:06 p.m. at the Bush
Ranch. In his remarks, he referred to Usama
bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist
organization. A reporter referred to Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel.
Source: U.S.
Government Printing Office
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