*EPF204 02/26/2002
Excerpt: Bush Calls to Praise Saudi Peace Proposal
(U.S.-Saudi relationship affirmed) (1720)

President Bush called Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah February 26 to praise the Crown Prince's ideas regarding full Arab-Israeli normalization once a comprehensive peace agreement can be achieved, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said in Washington February 26.

During the conversation, both leaders reiterated their commitment to the U.S.-Saudi relationship, Fleischer said.

While the president welcomed the Saudi ideas as a "note of hope," the spokesman said the Saudi statements had not changed anything on the ground in the Middle East.

"The situation remains a very complicated situation and a very violent one. And nothing has changed the president's fundamental belief that the Mitchell accords are the best path, the best process to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement that is agreed to by the two parties in the Middle East," Fleischer said.

"To have Arab nations weighing in now with additional thoughts that are reflective of the will of the region to create peace is a helpful part of the process," Fleischer added.

Asked by reporters if the administration would encourage direct Saudi-Israel contacts to pursue Mideast peace, the spokesman said, "The president believes that any contacts between the parties in the Middle East that are mutually agreed upon would be beneficial...that's a step that would be needed to be taken by the parties themselves, of course."

The spokesman told reporters that President Bush would not meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to drive this peace process forward, indicating that the President sees a need that Chairman Arafat has to do more to stop the violence.

Following is an excerpt related to the Middle East from the February 26 White House briefing.

(begin excerpt)

MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. The president this morning began his day by calling Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The president praised the Crown Prince's ideas regarding full Arab-Israeli normalization, once a comprehensive peace agreement can be achieved. The president also conveyed the United States desire to continue to work closely with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the pursuit of Middle East peace. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to the important U.S.-Saudi relationship...

Q: Ari, does the president believe that the time is near that he should sit down with Yasser Arafat one on one and try to drive this peace process forward himself?

MR. FLEISCHER: No.

Helen?

Q: Was there any decision to follow up on Crown Prince Abdullah's proposal after their conversation? And the president initiated the call, didn't he?

MR. FLEISCHER: The president initiated the call. Well, there is always follow-up, I think it's fair to say, through the State Department and through their contacts in the region, the State Department. Secretary Powell is often on the phone looking for openings, looking for ways that the process can move forward.

There have not been many of late, although in the last week or so there have been the beginnings of security meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials. So --

Q: But does the president consider this proposal valid as a starter?

MR. FLEISCHER: The president believes it just as I described it. I'll refer you exactly back to what I said, and that he praised the crown prince for his ideas.

Here's, I think, what you may want to just take a look at with this. You know, there's just been so many negative notes coming out of the Middle East recently and, at least in this statement by the crown prince, it was a note of hope. Now, it doesn't in and of itself change anything on the ground in the Middle East. The situation remains a very complicated situation and a very violent one. And nothing has changed the president's fundamental belief that the Mitchell accords are the best path, the best process to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement that is agreed to by the two parties in the Middle East. And the president continues to believe --

Q: (Off mike) -- the two parties --

MR. FLEISCHER: -- that Chairman Arafat has to do more to stop the violence. That is the president's view.

Terry.

Q: Okay. But the involvement of the leader of Saudi Arabia willing to engage with Israel on a resolution of this conflict doesn't change the facts of what's happening in the Middle East? This is -- is this a breakthrough? Does the president see this --

MR. FLEISCHER: I think that -- no. No, I've not heard the president use that word. And you said "to deal with Israel". That's not quite what the statement is. It's that they would recognize Israel after a comprehensive peace is achieved. The president has called this -- has praised the idea that had come from the crown prince.

Q: And praising the idea, once again, is not endorsing it?

MR. FLEISCHER: He's praised the idea. That's a hopeful note.

Major?

Q: Ari, where is the administration on its deliberations on sending General Zinni back to the region? There are some security talks going on between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Does it now appear to be a good time to put him back on the ground --

MR. FLEISCHER: I have not heard any new developments involving General Zinni returning to the region. You may want to check with the State Department to see any additional updates. Nothing has crossed my radar screen in the last 24 hours on that.

Jacobo?

Q: Ari, just getting back to Helen's question and Terry's question, this is probably the first major initiative that Saudi Arabia has ever launched with a definite proposal. Doesn't this mean a breakthrough?

MR. FLEISCHER: No. I can only characterize it as the president has. You asked me what the president's reaction is. I can only tell you what the president said. He said it directly on the phone to the crown prince. That's the president's reaction...

MR. FLEISCHER: David.

Q: Can I just go back -- just try to close a loop on the conversation with Crown Prince Abdullah. Two quick points: Did the president and the crown prince discuss at any point the crown prince traveling to Israel to begin to put his idea forward?

MR. FLEISCHER: No.

Q: And secondly, did the two of them in the course of their conversation return to this question of what Saudi Arabia may be doing to deal with the extremists in their own midsts, that 15 of the hijackers --

MR. FLEISCHER: No, that was not a topic of their conversation.

Q: Did they talk -- but -- the terrorism subject never came up?

MR. FLEISCHER: What you just asked was not a part of their conversation...

Q: Ari, while you said in response to an earlier question that the idea of Abdullah traveling to Israel did not come up in the conversation, does the administration think it would be helpful for face-to-face talks for Israelis to travel to Saudi Arabia, if that's conceivable, or it's conceivable for Saudis to travel to Israel to further this process?

MR. FLEISCHER: The president believes that any contacts between the parties in the Middle East that are mutually agreed upon would be beneficial. And that's a step that would be needed to be taken by the parties themselves, of course. Then the United States would support that, if that was something that the parties themselves agreed to.

Q: Is directly -- is the administration directly encouraging either side to take that step at this --

MR. FLEISCHER: Throughout the process, the United States has made it clear to all parties concerned the importance of finding solutions to the vexing problems of violence in the Middle East that have been present for decades. I think it's not a surprise to either the -- Israel or her Arab neighbors that the United States hopes the parties are able to get together and talk. That's a common approach.

Q: What beyond the statement you've given today is the administration doing to encourage this Saudi track?

MR. FLEISCHER: Again, I'd refer you to the State Department. I said that they're always in contact at the State Department with the various governments in the region and conveying the messages from the president and from the State Department. Secretary Powell himself is often on the phone with the parties.

Q: But did the crown prince ask the president to get more involved, to do something else?

MR. FLEISCHER: No, the crown prince -- I won't speak for him, but I think he appreciated very much the president's Message...

Q: Yeah, Ari, my sense is that you see the Saudi plan as sort of phase two, after you get through some of the initial confidence- building measures and so forth.

Is that an accurate description? I mean, you can't really get to the peace agreement until you've ended the hostilities, or at least reduced them to some extent.

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, what I've indicated previously is the Saudi statement, which the president welcomes, is a statement about the final result, that Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel at the end of the day, when there is a comprehensive police -- peace process or peaceful solution agreed to. That is a result.

To get to that result it requires a process. What the president has said is the best process to arrive at that result is the Mitchell agreement, the Mitchell accords, which begins with security talks between Israel and the Palestinians, that would then proceed into talks of a more political nature about negotiations in the region to achieve a more meaningful, lasting peace; discussions ultimately about the settlement policy; and then, hopefully, a comprehensive peace. That's the outline of what the Mitchell process agrees to.

To have Arab nations weighing in now with additional thoughts that are reflective of the will of the region to create peace is a helpful part of the process.

Q: And do the Saudis embrace essentially the same sequence?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think that there's no question that the Mitchell accords were welcomed by all parties at the time that they were announced last year. So again, there is an agreement on what the process should be it's just proved to be very difficult, given the violence. And when it comes to the violence, the president's message remains the same, that Chairman Arafat still needs to do more to stop the violence.

(end excerpt)

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