*EPF205 06/26/01
White House Report, June 26: Middle East
(Fleischer comments in advance of Bush/Sharon meeting) (270)

BUSH AND POWELL MEET WITH SHARON

In advance of President Bush's June 26 meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush will stress that the cease-fire between the Palestinians and the Israelis be secured allowing both sides "to move beyond that to a cooling off period and to hopefully begin the confidence building steps that are going to be required to move this into a more political realm than a security realm."

"The President's point is that all parties have to continue to make a 100 percent effort to implement the cease-fire," said Fleischer. "The President is pleased with the restraint that Israel has shown in the face of recent events. He's going to urge continued restraint."

When asked if there truly was a cease-fire in place since violence on both sides has continued, Fleischer said: "There's a fragile cease-fire in place ... there is a level of violence that does unfortunately continue.

In his talks with Israel's Prime Minister, Bush will focus on the recommendations contained in the report of an international commission headed by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, said Fleischer.

Secretary of State Colin Powell will also be in the June 26 Oval Office meeting with Bush and Sharon and will depart from Andrews Air Force Base for the Middle East in the evening.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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