Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the President's Meeting With Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir of Israel

The President met today with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who is in the United States on a private visit. Prime Minister Shamir and President Bush discussed the state of the U.S.-Israeli relationship. The President reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the security of Israel.

They also reviewed the importance of moving ahead in the peace process. The President focused on the effort to bring Palestinians and Israelis together in a dialog on elections and a negotiating process. The President reaffirmed his conviction that all parties should demonstrate the necessary flexibility and imagination to take advantage of the historic opportunity for direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis offered by Israel's peace initiative.

The President noted that the U.S. five points offer a framework that will allow Israel and the Palestinians to engage on the substantive issues of elections and the negotiating process, while safeguarding the legitimate interests of all who accept those points. In this regard, the President expressed his pleasure with the Israeli Inner Cabinet's decision of November 5 to accept the five points, while noting that any assurances that might be provided by the United States to any party should not result in a renegotiation of these points. The United States and Israel agreed to continue their close consultations.