(White House) During an address in Brussels Monday to discuss the American and European alliance, President Bush said: "Our greatest opportunity and immediate goal is peace in the Middle East. After many false starts, and dashed hopes, and stolen lives, a settlement of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is now within reach....By helping to build a lasting peace, we will remove an unsettled grievance that is used to stir hatred and violence across the Middle East." "Arab states must end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, stop their support for extremist education, and establish normal relations with Israel. Palestinian leaders must confront and dismantle terrorist groups, fight corruption, encourage free enterprise, and rest true authority with the people. Only a democracy can serve the hopes of Palestinians, and make Israel secure....Israel must freeze settlement activity, help Palestinians build a thriving economy, and ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West Bank."
2005-02-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive