Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel and an Exchange With Reporters

President Bush. I want to welcome Prime Minister Ariel Sharon back to the Oval Office. We've just had a really good conversation about how to get on the path to peace. I want peace; our Government wants peace; the Prime Minister is interested in peace, of course. And we had a good discussion about how to move forward.

One of the things that I think is important—the Prime Minister has discussed this as well—is for us to immediately begin to help rebuild a security force in Palestine that will fight terror, that will bring some stability to the region. I think it's very important that there be a unified security force. But at the same time, we need to work for other institutions—a constitution, for example, a framework for development of a state that can help bring security and hope to the Palestinian people and the Israelis. And one of the things we've got to make sure that we do is—anything, any vision understands that there are people in Israel who long for security and peace, people in the Palestinian world who long for security, peace, and economic hope.

To this end, I've told the Prime Minister that George Tenet will be going back to the region to help construct the—design the construction of a security force, a unified security force, that will be transparent and held accountable.

And so I really am pleased with our conversation. As I've said, there are responsibilities to be had by all the parties. We discussed those responsibilities. I told the Prime Minister there's nothing more that I want than to be peace in the region and that I look forward to working with him and his government to achieve that peace.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. I'm glad you're here.

Prime Minister Sharon. Thanks so much. I'm very glad to have this opportunity to come again here to visit you, Mr. President. I would like to thank you for all your efforts. And we need to act against terror worldwide. We appreciated that. And we appreciate your leadership and courageous decisions. And of course, I would like to thank you for your friendship.

Israel is a peace-seeking country, and we are—after many, many years being involved in many wars, heavy battles, and now after the last operation that we carried out against the infrastructure of terror in Samaria and Judea—or as you call it, the West Bank—I believe that there is a chance now to start and move forward.

We discussed these issues, how to move forward. We emphasized about the need for reform in the Palestinian Authority, and I think that's very important. And we discussed the original peace conference that I advocated, and I believe it's very important. We hope that it will take place.

All together, all of us understand the importance of peace, the need for peace. And I think that we are committed to take every effort and every step to make peace.

And I would like to thank you again for everything and for your friendship.

President Bush. Thank you, sir.

Fournier, AP [Ron Fournier, Associated Press].

Situation in the Middle East

Q. If you could, first of all, further define what you mean by "unified"——

President Bush. Pardon me?

Q. If you could, first of all, identify what you mean by "unified structure." And secondly, more broadly to both of you: Your administration is on record as supporting accelerated peace talks, dealing with Yasser Arafat, and making Saudi Arabia a key partner. Prime Minister Sharon favors incremental steps, taking Arafat out of the process, and he's provided you evidence suggesting that the Saudis encouraged Palestinian attacks. Have you bridged any of those gaps, the two of you?

President Bush. Well, "unified" means that, as opposed to six, seven, or eight different security forces under six, seven, or eight different commands, there's one command structure. That's what that means.

Q. Palestinian?

President Bush. Yes, Palestinian, exactly. In terms of the other issues, we discussed a wide range of issues. One of the things that should be coming apparent to people is that we're in consultation with not only the Israelis but other governments. I talked to Crown Prince Abdullah today, as well as President Mubarak—about how best to proceed toward a common vision. You just heard the Prime Minister talk about the desire for peace. We had the Saudi Crown Prince stand up and talk about peace and the need for a peaceful solution. And it's very important for us to seize this moment, as the Prime Minister mentioned, and lead and get on that path. And that's exactly what we've talked about.

And I want to reiterate what I've said and will continue to say: There are responsibilities. If people truly want there to be peace, people have to assume their responsibilities for peace. And the Saudis must do that, and they're willing to do that. The Crown Prince, again, and I talked, and I made it clear to him that we've got to fight terror in the region for there to be peace and that he and the other leaders must work and must convince the Palestinian Authority that they have got to do everything in their power to lead toward a solution.

At the same time, I emphasized what Ariel has just mentioned, that we must provide a framework for growth of a potential Palestinian state. There's got to be the framework for education and health and economic development, as well as security. And all parties have got responsibilities in the region to see—to do their part.

Q. [Inaudible]—Radio One.

Q. Mr. President?

President Bush. Yes.

Q. Sorry.

President Bush. I can't see you. Trudy [Trudy Feldman, Trans Features], you're blocking her vision.

Response to Terrorism

Q. You've said many times that one should not compromise with terrorism. You said many times that you are disappointed from Yasser Arafat on the issue of terrorism. Do you think that Israel should compromise and negotiate with Chairman Arafat?

President Bush. I'm never going to tell my friend the Prime Minister what to do on how to handle his business. That's his choice to make. He's a democratically elected official.

And I'll reiterate: I have been disappointed in Chairman Arafat. I think he's let the Palestinian people down. I think he's had an opportunity to lead to peace, and he hasn't done so. And that's why it's important for all of us to work out a way to develop the institutions necessary for there to be a Palestinian Authority that's got the capacity to keep security, but as well as a Palestinian Authority that's got the ability to help promote hope for the future of her people—that there's an education system that works, a health system that's vibrant.

And by the way, there's plenty of nations that are willing to participate, so long as those—the framework for a stable part of the world is in place. And those are the reforms that the Prime Minister has talked about, and those are the reforms that we must press.

I will give you one example. The Palestinians need to develop a constitution, rule of law, transparency. They've got to have a treasury that is able to battle corruption, so that not only does the—do the Israeli people have confidence in the Authority but so do the Palestinian people have confidence in the Authority. And those are the reforms we've discussed.

Q. Mr. President——

President Bush. We've got the Prime Minister here. This guy can answer questions. [Laughter]

Prime Minister Sharon. I'm happy to wait. [Laughter]

Palestinian State

Q. Mr. Prime Minister, the last time——

President Bush. Thank you, Randy [Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters]. [Laughter]

Q. The last time you met President Bush, you accepted the idea of a Palestinian state at the end of the peace process. Do you still support the establishment of a state?

And Mr. President, do you believe that a state should be a stated goal of a peace process?

President Bush. Yes. I haven't changed my position.

Prime Minister Sharon. Thank you. I think that it's still premature to discuss this issue. I think that what we have to concentrate now is making every effort that real reform will take place. And we discussed, I would say, how really to reach these reform, what should be there. And we discussed some other developments, like the original peace conference and other issues.

Q. Do you believe reforms must take place before you would consider a Palestinian state?

Prime Minister Sharon. I think that it's, as I said, it's premature now. I think, first of all, steps should be taken in order to establish—or to have real reform in the Palestinian Authority.

Q. [Inaudible]—Radio Number One.

President Bush. How many Radio Number Ones are there? [Laughter]

Q. Every one of them is number one. [Laughter]

Reform of the Palestinian Authority

Q. Mr. President, I wonder if you could tell us—you've probably been studying these ideas of reforms in the Palestinian society. How long do you think—how long do you estimate it will take the Palestinians to carry out these reforms? And do you have any reason to believe or any information that Mr. Arafat will agree to such reforms? And will Arafat agree actually to lose his power and give it to somebody else in the Palestinian leadership?

President Bush. Well, you know, it's interesting. I think the operative question is, how soon will you start working on reforms? That's the—if I could put a question in your own mouth. The answer is, as soon as possible. That's what we discussed about—how quickly can we begin the reform process? That's also—is what we'll discuss with the Arab leaders who have got an interest in the area, about how to get reforms going.

And I think it's going to be—and the answer as to whether or not people will accept the reforms—look, our job is to convince the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Egyptians that these reforms are absolutely necessary. And when I say people have got responsibilities, I'm not just saying the Israelis and the Palestinians have responsibilities; I'm saying these leaders. And these were—this is a subject I discussed with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He's the man who laid out the vision for peace. He's also a man who understands that by reforming the Palestinians, we have a chance to achieve peace.

And so I would hope that all the responsible Palestinian leaders understand that reform is in their interest. It's in the people's interest. Listen, I deeply hurt when there is a lack of hope for moms and dads of anybody—Palestinian moms and dads—it bothers me. It bothers me to think there are some whose children are so hopeless they're willing to commit suicide. And so one of the things we've got to work for and one of the things our Nation will work for is reforms coupled with humanitarian help, reforms with the chance for there to be economic development, so people can realize a normal life.

And as to who's going to accept what, we'll find out. But one of the things that's going to be clear is that the world is rallying toward these reforms. And that's what our job is to do, is to lead them to those reforms. It makes a lot of sense. And this is a good first step toward the path to peace.

Listen, thank you all for coming.