Bush says time is right to relaunch Mideast peace negotiations
US president tells Annapolis delegates 'battle underway for future of troubled region; we must not cede victory to the extremists'
President George W. Bush declared Tuesday that the time was right to relaunch Mideast peace talks to create a Palestinian state because "a battle is under way for the future" of the troubled region.
After reading the joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration, Bush said peacemaking at this juncture of history is an opportunity that cannot be missed. He said it would not be easy to achieve the goal of creating two states - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace after decades of conflict and bloodshed, but also said the two sides nevertheless must work together for the sake of their people.
"Today, Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is the key to realizing their own, and both require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state," Bush said.
"Such a state will provide Palestinians with the chance to lead lives of freedom, purpose and dignity. And such a state will help provide Israelis with something they have been seeking for generations: to live in peace with their neighbors.
"Achieving this goal is not going to be easy. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago. To achieve freedom and peace, both Israelis and Palestinians will have to make tough choices. Both sides are sober about the work ahead. But having spent time with their leaders, they are ready to take on the tough issues," the American leader said.
"As Prime Minister Olmert recently put it, we will avoid none of the historic questions. We will not run from discussing any of them. As President Abbas has said, I believe that there is an opportunity not only for us, but for the Israelis, too. We have an historic and important opportunity that we must benefit from. It is in that spirit that we concluded -- that they concluded this statement I just read."
Frantic diplomacy
After months of frantic diplomacy, top officials from more than 40 nations were converging on this historic state capital to try to get commitments for the first formal Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years.
The Bush administration has been buffeted by skepticism over prospects that the Annapolis Conference can set the stage for the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of Bush's second term in early 2009. Because of this, administration officials from the president on down have sought to minimize expectations for any major breakthrough here. But they also insist that the exercise is not futile.
Bush, who met separately with Israeli Olmert and Abbas on Monday ahead of the conference, said the purpose of Annapolis is to not only restart talks, but also gain support from the Arab world and the international community for the hard work ahead.
Saudi Arabia and Syria - key players - are among 16 Arab nations attending the conference. "Our purpose here in Annapolis is not to conclude an agreement. Rather, it is to launch negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians," Bush said. "For the rest of us, our job is to encourage the parties in this effort and to give them the support they need to succeed."
Bush laid out the reasons he said now is the right time to pursue a Mideast peace settlement - something he and the Israeli and Palestinians leaders said they would like to achieve before the US president leaves office in January 2009.
"First, the time is right because Palestinians and Israelis have leaders who are determined to achieve peace," Bush said. "Second, the time is right because a battle is under way for the future of the Middle East and we must not cede victory to the extremists. Third, the time is right because the world understands the urgency of supporting these negotiations."
