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U.S. Remarks With Israeli Foreign Minister

Published: Wed 1 Oct 2008 09:45 PM
Remarks With Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Inbal Hotel
Jerusalem
August 26, 2008
FOREIGN MINISTER LIVNI: Good morning, everybody. I would like to welcome Secretary Rice to the region, to Jerusalem. We are going to discuss today, of course, things that the press are interested in, in the region, but especially the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks. We are going to have a trilateral meeting today with my co-partner, with Abu Alaa and the Palestinian team, in order to continue in -- according to Annapolis, to continue and to find the way to reach an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Even in these hectic days, we continue to negotiate. There are meetings between Abu Alaa and myself, there are meetings between different teams on different issues, and we are going to continue to do so. So, thank you.
SECRETARY RICE: Thank you very much. And I have very little to add to that. I look forward to our discussions. The trilaterals are always helpful, to give me a better sense of how the parties are proceeding, and to see if there is anything more that the United States, or in fact, the international community can do to help the parties reach their objective. And so, I look forward to our discussions.
FOREIGN MINISTER LIVNI: Okay, thank you.
MODERATOR: One -- Viola, why don't you start us off?
QUESTION: The organization Peace Now reported today that Israeli settlement activity has nearly doubled in the past year, Foreign Minister Livni, how do you reconcile that with your stated goal of trying to reach a peace agreement?
And, Secretary Rice, how -- what affect does this have? Does this harm or undermine the process?
FOREIGN MINISTER LIVNI: Well, in a way it's one question, but I would like to refer to it in two different (inaudible). One is the peace process, and the peace process is not and should not be affected by any kind of settlement activities.
I mean, at the end of the day, we are talking about the future borders of the Palestinian state, considering more than 40 years we are talking, plus minus, about the same blocks of settlements, and this is part of the negotiations. And as I suggested also to my co-partners on the Palestinian side, to try -- and I understand that sometimes (inaudible) and sometimes how does it affect on different parts of Palestinian society. But at the end of the day, the role of leaders is to try and find a way to live in peace in the future, and to avoid any kind of -- not to let any kind of noises that relate to the situation on the ground these days to enter the negotiations room.
I mean, it could have been easier also for me to use some excuses, and to say that this affects my ability to negotiate. But I decided not to do so, even in harder days of terror. So I would like to suggest my co-partners not to use it as an excuse. And I know that they are not using it as an excuse, but I understand the frustration sometimes.
But at the end of the day, the Israeli government policy is not to expand settlements, it's not to build new settlements, not to confiscate land from Palestinians. And, according to my knowledge, settlement activities reduced in the most dramatic way, especially in parts which are on the other side of the fence. There were some small activities that are not going to influence (inaudible) nor the future borders of the Palestinian state. Thank you.
SECRETARY RICE: Well, let me start there, which is that it's the position of the United States that the parties should not take steps that somehow would prejudice the final status outcome. And, in fact, the borders of the Palestinian state and Israel will be determined by agreement.
I think it's no secret, and I've said it to my Israeli counterparts, that I don't think the settlement activity is helpful to the process, that in fact, what we need now are steps that enhance confidence between the parties. And anything that undermines confidence between the parties ought to be avoided.
So, we will continue to press ahead to get agreement, so that we know what is in Israel and what is in Palestine. That is ultimately the goal. But certainly the activity is not helpful.
MODERATOR: And last question to Ilil Shahar.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, we are hearing that the gaps between the two sides, Israeli and Palestinian, are still wide. Do you see that, by the end of the year, some kind of agreement can be reached?
And Minister of Foreign Affairs, it’s about Kadima so I will ask in Hebrew. (Speaks in Hebrew.)
SECRETARY RICE: Well, I will start on the question of the gaps between the sides. First of all, I am very heartened by the fact that the negotiations are serious, and they are intensive. And, in fact, I believe that the parties have succeeded in moving their understandings of what needs to be achieved. And, indeed, they’re positioned somewhat closer together over this period of time. We are certainly not anywhere near the point that we were a year ago, when we didn't even have an active process for the addressing of gaps.
It's not surprising to anybody that there are still difficult issues to come to agreement on, that there are still gaps. After all, this is a conflict that goes back at least 40 years, if not much longer than that. And so, the ability to resolve this and to get it done, there have been many attempts. But I have to say that I think they are making a very serious attempt. And part of the reason that I am here is to help to point out places where those -- not from an American point of view, but from listening to the parties – on where I hear points of convergence. And I think it has been useful for the parties to hear that.
FOREIGN MINISTER LIVNI: I would like to add something on this, if I might, we need to remember, Secretary Rice referred to the conflict, which is more than 40 years. But we need to also remind ourselves where we stood only a year ago, when we faced terror attacks, when the situation in Gaza Strip led to a kind of an understanding that there was no hope for peace.
We launched Annapolis process. We are now -- there is a dialogue between Israel and diplomatic leaders on the Palestinian side. There is hope for peace, which can represent the interest of both sides. And this is not less important. And I think that sometimes there is a need to remind ourselves that we changed the situation, the atmosphere, the situation on the ground. And there is some importance (inaudible), as you can imagine, as well.
SECRETARY RICE: Yes. If I could say -
FOREIGN MINISTER LIVNI: Yes.
SECRETARY RICE: And, of course, the goals of Annapolis remain. And we are working on a process, and that is the important point, (inaudible).
FOREIGN MINISTER LIVNI: Okay, thank you. (Speaks in Hebrew.)
MODERATOR: Thank you.
SECRETARY RICE: Thank you.
ENDS

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