Visit of President Sadat of Egypt Remarks on the Departure of the Egyptian President.

PRESIDENT CARTER. It has been a great personal pleasure for me and Rosalynn to have President Sadat and his beautiful wife, Jihan, and all their fine family with us in our country for the last few days.

My talks with President Sadat for many hours has given me a clear concept of his own concerns at this important moment in the peace process. We both share a determination to reach peace in the Middle East. And we've agreed to work closely and personally together to realize this goal.

I explained to President Sadat and he well understands the deep commitment of the United States to the security of Israel. And he shares this commitment that Israel will be secure. We also discussed at length the need to continue the negotiating process, even with temporary disappointments and delays, to achieve a just and a lasting and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

In helping the parties to find solutions to the problems that separate them, the United States will be guided by the need to base a settlement on the full implementation of the principles of United Nations Resolution 242 on all the fronts. We also believe that a just solution to the Palestinian question is essential.

President Sadat and I have agreed to stay in close contact with one another in the weeks ahead, as we continue the search for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East. As we continue down that path, we recognize that the way is difficult. But we take inspiration from a vision of what can be, of the goal that we both seek, and we understand clearly the importance of the stakes that we see involved in this search for peace.

If we can succeed in this endeavor, there will be a peace for an area that has long known only war or the threat of war; prosperity for a people whose wealth has been too long allocated to weapons; water and fertilizer and hard, productive labor in lands and fields that have been made barren by war or the threat of war, by man and by nature; a new life for children whose future can be dominated by hope and life, rather than by conflict and fear of death.

This is a vision that we share. There is no nobler calling on this Earth than the seeking for peace. For it is that reason which caused the Bible to say that peacemakers shall be called the sons of God.

I'm honored to be with the world's foremost peacemaker, President Sadat, and to share with him a partnership in this worthy endeavor.

President Sadat, Jihan, and your family, you have been welcomed here by me and all the people of our country. We admire you deeply, and we know that with your help and with your persistent cooperation, you, we, the Israelis, and others in the Middle East can find what we all search for so deeply, and that is permanent peace in that troubled part of the world.

PRESIDENT SADAT. My dear friend, president Carter, Mrs. Carter, we have spent really a very charming weekend together in Camp David—President Carter, Rosalynn, me, and Jihan. And to be frank, I must tell you this: I was elated when I received the invitation from President Carter to visit with him here in such a precise moment like we were in. And I came disheartened, discouraged.

We had long talks in Camp David, and then after that, we have completed it in Washington, here in the house with Secretary Vance. And I must tell you this before I leave: I shall return today back to my country with much more perseverance for reaching peace through the efforts that we have started together, the United States and Egypt since November '73, and which by God's will, we shall attain all our targets in the establishment of peace, permanent peace in the area.

We have agreed together, President Carter and me, to keep in close contact like we have been before; and let me tell you this again: I must express my deep gratitude to President Carter, Rosalynn, and to all the American people for the very warm welcome and hospitality and generosity that was accorded to us.

And I promise you, the American people whom I was always and shall be proud of the sentiments that they have shown towards me, let me say this to them, I shall never fail you. Like I told my friend, President Carter, I shall never fail you.

May God protect you. May God protect my dear friend, .President Carter, Rosalynn, and his family.

Thank you very much.