Interview with Al-Ahram international - Week Ending Friday, May 14, 2004

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, May 17, 2004

May 6, 2004

U.S. Goals in the Middle East

Q. I have learned that President Mubarak sent you, recently, two important messages. I don't know, I mean, the contents of these messages, but I assume that of course it be linked by the situation in Iraq and Palestine. I would like to ask, in the beginning, one general question about how do you look at this vision of the Middle East.

The President. Well, first of all, I communicate with President Mubarak a lot, because I value his judgment, and we've got a frank relationship where if he thinks things are going badly, he'll tell me. In other words, he doesn't gloss over.

I think that things in the Middle East for the United States are difficult right now. I think they're difficult because people don't really understand our intentions. I think they're difficult because some people ascribe bad values and bad motives to the American people and the American Government.

Our intentions are to work for free societies and peaceful societies. Our intentions are to protect our own security, on the one hand, but also enable people to live in peace. Obviously, our reputation has been damaged severely by the terrible and horrible acts, inhumane acts that were conducted on Iraqi prisoners. Today, I can't tell you how sorry I am to them and their families for the humiliation.

I'm also sorry because people are then able to say, "Look how terrible America is." But this isn't America. That's not--Americans are appalled at what happened. We're a generous people. I don't think a lot of people understand that, so I've got to do a better job of explaining to people that we're for a lot of things that most people who live in the Middle East want. We want there to be peace. We want people to have a living. We want people to send their kids to schools that work. We want there to be health care. We want there to be a Palestinian state at peace with its neighbors. We want there to be reform. We want people to have a chance to participate in the process.

But I'd say right now times are tough for the United States and the Middle East.

Q. I have four topics, Mr. President: Iraq, the Israeli-Arab issue, the so--called greater Middle East, and bilateral--which one do you choose of them, Mr. President?

The President. Whatever you want to do, sir. You're the distinguished journalist.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

Q. Thank you very much, indeed. Okay, I will shoot for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The President. Okay.

Q. Many Arabs feel that after the letter of assurances you gave to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, any future Palestinian state would exist on less than half what the partition plan offered them in '47. How do you reconcile this with a moral concept of justice?

The President. First of all, I made it very clear in my letter that I recognized circumstances had changed, but I made it very clear of a couple of very important points. One, that any final status would be negotiated by the parties, that would be the Israelis and the Palestinians, not the United States. We won't prejudge final status.

Secondly, I made it clear that I supported what the Prime Minister had done, because I think it's a great opportunity for the establishment of a Palestinian state. I'm the first President ever to have articulated the vision of a Palestinian state.

Q. I'm writing here, and I wanted to appreciate that very highly.

The President. Well, I'll tell you, and I'm somewhat amazed, sir, that the debate has already started about what the end results are going to look like when we haven't even really begun yet to establish a state. I think the focus ought to be on putting the institutions in place for a Palestinian state that is peaceful and prosperous to emerge.

I think it's very important for reform-minded Palestinians to step up and ask the world for help, in order to build the security apparatus needed for a state to grow: Ask for education help; ask for help to stimulate the entrepreneurial class so businesses will grow. I believe it'll happen. And when it does happen, the final status issues will be much easier to solve.

In other words, when there is a state that's up and running and prosperous and has the confidence of Egypt and Israel and America and the EU and the rest of the world, it'll be much easier for these final--these tricky issues to be solved between the two parties. And so now is the time not to be arguing over what the world will look like down the road. We ought to be arguing about what the world can look like this year. And that's why the roadmap is so important.

The United States is firmly committed to the roadmap. I'm sending a letter to the--I announced today I'm going to send a letter to the Palestinian Prime Minister explaining that I'm committed to the roadmap, committed to two states living side by side in peace, but also reminding him it's now time to step up and show leadership, show leadership against the terrorists and show leadership in putting the institutions in place for a state to emerge.

Palestinian Right of Return