President Clinton Jordan Israel Peace

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 26, 1994

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT CLINTON, KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN AND
PRIME MINISTER RABIN OF ISRAEL AT SIGNING OF TREATY OF PEACE
BETWEEN THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN AND ISRAEL

Wadi Araba Crossing
Jordan-Israel Border

KING HUSSEIN: Peace be upon you. God's peace. The greeting with
which Muslims and Arabs receive their guests, exchange amongst each
other; the greeting that has been taken to every part of the world over
a long and cherished history and past.

It is with a sense of enormous pride, a sense of fulfillment, that I
stand here before you today, together with President Clinton, Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin, President Weizman and all our distinguished
colleagues and friends -- an unusual day, a day like no other in terms
of the hopes, in terms of the promise and in terms of the determination.

God willing and with God's blessing of us all to remember this day as
long as we live and for future generations -- Jordanians, Israelis,
Arabs, Palestinians -- all children of Abraham, to remember it as the
dawning of the new era of peace, mutual respect between us all,
tolerance and the coming together of people of generations to come, we
understand, to build and achieve what is worthy of them.

We will always cherish the memory and honor all those who have fallen
over the years. And amongst all of our peoples I believe they are with
us on this occasion and at this time, as we come together to ensure, God
willing, that there will be no more death, no more misery, nor more
suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day might
bring, as has been the case in the past. (Applause).

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and I had the honor of signing the
Washington Declaration with President Clinton, our partner and our
friend. (Applause.) And we took it upon us, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
and myself, to shepherd the process of negotiations to a successful
conclusion. I believe that both of us share in this moment of
achievement and pride and relief, and hopefully, we have contributed
towards a better future of our peoples for all times to come.
(Applause.)

The Prime Minister of Israel and the Prime Minister of Jordan will
shortly ratify the peace treaty between our two countries. This will be
witnessed by President Clinton. In a matter of days, we will have
completed in Jordan the passage of this peace treaty through the
legislature. I, who have accompanied my colleagues throughout this
process -- Prime Minister Majali since Madrid, my brother Crown Prince
Hassan and every Jordanian who has been involved -- and honored to be
involved -- in this peace process fully support every word and every
letter in this peace process between Jordan and Israel. (Applause.)

I know it is supported by the overwhelming majority of our people,
who have learned today of its passage to the Knesset by an overwhelming
majority. These are the moments in which we live -- the past and the
future. This great valley in which we stand will become the valley of
peace. (Applause.)

And when we come together to build it and to make it bloom as never
before, and we come to live next to each other as never before, we will
be doing so, Israelis and Jordanians together -- (applause) -- without
the need for any to observe our actions or supervise our endeavors.
This is peace with dignity. This is peace with commitment. This is our
gift to our peoples and the generations to come. (Applause.)

It will herald the change in the quality of life in people. It will
not be essentially a piece of paper ratified by those responsible,
blessed by the world. It will be real, as we open our hearts and minds
to each other; as we discover a human face to everything that has
happened, and to each other, for all of us have suffered for far too
long.

President Clinton, you have been our partner. You have been our
friend. You have given us your support, together with the
administration of the United States of America. You are at the helm
during this historic moment. I will always remember the warmth of your
welcome to us both in Washington, and the warmth of the welcome of the
people of the United States of America with which they received our news
and lauded our achievements.

No one will ever forget this day. And in particular, they will
always remember the fact that you personally came to be with us here on
this most happy of occasions, at the end of a chapter of darkness and
the opening of a book of light. (Applause.)

I am proud of our friendship. God bless you and give you every future
success. And maybe the world needs some good examples of what should
happen between people. (Applause.) And hopefully, this might herald
similar progress not only on all the tracks here in this region, because
we are all committed to a comprehensive peace -- we wish it, and
hopefully, it will be -- but throughout the world. The world that is
the home of all of us, that in itself is so small, where so much needs
to be addressed and met for humanity and for the future.

Behind us here you see Eliat and Aqaba, the way we have lived over
the years, in such close proximity, unable to meet, to visit each other,
to develop this beautiful part of the world. No more, as we look into
the future beyond this point with determination, with hope, with
commitment. We survived the hard times. Let our people beyond this
point in time enjoy the good times.

I would like to thank all our friends, all our distinguished guests
who join us here today -- representatives of President Yeltsin, Foreign
Minister of Russia; distinguished foreign ministers; our Arab presidents
of our Arab homeland; our guests from throughout the world, our friends.
And a very happy welcome to all of your Jordanians and Israelis, alike,
at this very precious moment. God bless you all. (Applause.)

PRIME MINISTER RABIN: Your Majesty, King Hussein the First; President
Clinton; President Weizman; the foreign ministers of our countries;
distinguished guests from all over the world; the peoples of Jordan and
Israel. From this podium, I look around and I see the Araba. Along the
horizon, from the Jordanian side and the Israeli side, I see only a
desert. There is almost no life here, there is no water, no wells and
not a spring -- only mine fields.

Such were the relations between Israel and Jordan during the last 47
years, a desert -- not one green leaf, no trees, not even a single
flower. There comes a time when there is a need to be strong and to
make courageous decisions to overcome the mine fields, the drought, the
bareness between our two peoples.

We have known many days of sorrow; you have known many days of grief.
But bereavement unites us as does bravery. And we honor those who
sacrificed their lives. We both must draw on the springs of our great
spiritual resources to forgive the anguish we caused each other, to
clear the mine fields that divided us for so many years, and to supplant
it with fields of plenty.

For nearly two generations, desolation pervaded the heart of our two
peoples. The time has now come not merely to dream of a better future,
but to realize it. Leaders should clear the path, should show the way.
But the road itself must be paved by both peoples; I don't believe that
we would have reached this great moment without the desire for peace in
the hearts of both peoples; in the hearts of the soldiers and the
intellectuals; in the hearts of the farmers and of the lorry drivers who
drive through the Araba highways in Jordan and Israel; in the hearts of
teachers and of the little children. Both nations were determined that
the great revolution in the Middle East would take place in their
generation.

From this podium, I look around and I see the Araba, and I see you,
our generation and the next. We are the ones who will transform this
barren place into a fertile oasis, that the red-browns and the dark grey
will burst forth in vibrant greens.

Your Majesty, peace between states is peace between peoples. It is
an expression of trust and esteem. I have learned to know and admire
the quiet and the smiling power with which you guard your nation, and
the courage with which you lead your people. (Applause.)

It is not only our states that are making peace with each other
today; not only our nations that are shaking hands in peace here in the
Araba. You and I, your Majesty, are making peace here -- our own peace,
the peace of soldiers and the peace of friends. (Applause.)

President Clinton, thank you for your tremendous support throughout
the entire process which was vital for the achievement of this final
result. I would like to thank many (GARBLED WORD) on the Israeli side,
on the Jordanian side that worked very hard, day and night, that we will
be allowed to reach this great moment -- the Foreign Minister of Israel
-- and many others that no doubt contributed a lot to this great
achievement.

A dawn broke this morning and a new day began. New life came into
the world. Babies were born in Jerusalem; babies were born in Amman.
But this morning is different. To the peace that was born today gives
us all the hope that the children born today will never know war between
us and their mothers will know no sorrow. (Applause.)

Allow me to end by the simple words, Shalom, Salaam (GARBLED WORD).
(Applause.)

PRESIDENT CLINTON: King Hussein, President Weizman, Prime Minister
Rabin, Prime Minister Majali, Crown Prince Hassan, Foreign Minister
Peres, Foreign Minister Kozyrev, Mr. Secretary of State; to the people
of Jordan and Israel -- with a special thanks to those who are our
cheering section up there -- (laughter) -- we thank you all.
(Applause.)

At the dawn of this peace of a generation, in this ancient place we
celebrate the history and the faith of Jordanians and Israelis. But we
break the chains of the past that for too long have kept you shackled in
the shadows of strife and suffering. We thank those who have worked for
peace before. We celebrate the efforts of brace leaders who saw the
bright horizon of this dawn, even while the darkness lingered.

This vast bleached desert hides great signs of life. Today we see
the proof of it, for peace between Jordan and Israel is no longer a
mirage. It is real. It will take root in this soil. It will grow to
great heights and shelter generations to come.

Today we honor the constant and devoted work of two courageous
leaders, two who have risked everything so that their children and their
children's children need fight nor fear no more.

King Hussein, today in this arid place, you bring to full flower the
memory of the man who taught you to seek peace, your grandfather, King
Abudllah. (Applause.) When he was martyred four decades ago, he left
you with a great burden and a great dream. He believed that one day, on
both sides of the River Jordan, Arab and Jew would live in peace. How
bravely you have shouldered that burden and carried that dream. Now
after so much danger and so much hardship, Your Majesty, your day has
come. Truly, you have fulfilled your grandfather's legacy.

Prime Minster Rabin, you have spent a lifetime as a soldier, fighting
first to establish your country and then for so long, to defend it. For
a lifetime, you have fought with skill and tenacity and courage, simply
to achieve a secure and lasting peace for your people. Now you have
given them the hope of life after the siege. In your own words, you
have now given them the challenge to furnish the house of Israel and
make it a home. As a general, you have won many battles through
strength and courage. But now, through strength and courage, you
command the army of peace, and you have won the greatest victory of all.
We salute you. (Applause.)

As has been said before, this treaty is the product of many hands.
Crown Prince Hassan and Foreign Minister Peres know better than any of
us that spring -- that peace does not spring full-grown. It requires
cultivation; it requires patience and care. We salute their devotion
and persistence, and the wise and determined counsel of Secretary
Christopher. We are in all their debt, and we thank them. (Applause.)

I say to the people of Israel and Jordan, now you must make this
peace real; to turn no-man's land into every man's home; to take down
the barbed wire; to remove the deadly mines; to help the wounds of war
to heal. Open your borders, open your hearts -- peace is more than an
agreement on paper. It is feeling; it is activity; it is devotion.

The forces of terror will try to hold you back. Already they take
deadly aim at the future of peace. In their zeal to kill hope and keep
hatred alive, they would deny all that peace can bring to your children.
We cannot, we must not, we will not let them succeed. (Applause.)

The United States stands with you. Since President Truman first
recognized Israel, we have wished for and worked for comprehensive peace
between Israel and all her neighbors. On behalf of all Americans,
including million of Jewish and Arab Americans for whom this day means
so much, I thank you for trusting America to help you arrive at this
moment. The American people are very proud of the opportunity we have
had. (Applause.)

And now let the work of progress bear fruit. Here at the first of
many crossing points to be open, people from every corner of the earth
will soon come to share in the wonders of your lands. There are
resources to be found in the desert; minerals to be drawn from the sea;
water to be separated from salt and used to fertilize the fields. Here
where slaves in ancient times were forced to take their chisels to the
stone, the earth, as the Koran says, will stir and swell and bring forth
life. The desert, as Isiah prophesied, shall rejoice and blossom.

Here your people will drink water from the same well and savor
together the fruit of the vine. As you seize this moment, be assured
that you will redeem every life sacrificed along the long road that
brought us to this day. You will take the hatred out of hearts and you
will pass along to your children a peace for the generations.

Your Majesty; Mr. Prime Minister, here in the Rift Valley you have
bridged the tragic rift that separated your people for too long. Here
in this region, which is the home of not only both of your faiths, but
mine, I say, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the
Earth.

END
2:06 P.M. (L)