Sec Rice Interview With Raed Duzdar Of Pal Medi

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Jerusalem
October 15, 2007

Interview With Raed Duzdar of Pal Medi

QUESTION: Dr. Rice, thank you very much, indeed, for having this short but special interview with Pal Media. Dr. Rice, why does the U.S. Administration insist on creating the Middle East conference at this particular time? What's the justification with this -- such a conference?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, it is always difficult in the Middle East. There's never any perfect time because if there had been a perfect time, I think we would have resolved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a long time ago. But there is a sense in which the parties seem to want to move toward the establishment of a state.

Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas have been having these very important, very frequent discussions and they have now decided that perhaps they can put into a joint document some of the understandings about how they might move forward toward a Palestinian state. But the real answer is that I think the international community and the regional players also understand that this is a time to try to move forward. Afterall, the Palestinian people have waited a long time for the dignity that is going to come with their own state. The Israeli people have waited a long time for the security that is going to come from having a democratic neighbor and so that's why --

QUESTION: Are you optimistic?

SECRETARY RICE: I'm guardedly optimistic that we have a lot of goodwill; that confidence is growing between the parties. But of course, it's a long road ahead and we're just going to have to work very, very hard and everybody's going to have to work from a basis of goodwill.

QUESTION: Dr. Rice, what are the core issues that will be discussed in the summit -- the conference?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, all of the core issues have to be discussed that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. They're all outlined in the roadmap. They're all outlined in every document about the Palestinians, really.

QUESTION: Would it be East Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, certainly, you are going to have to have a discussion of the -- in some fashion, of the so-called big three issues. But there are other issues that also have to be examined. Security -- how will the security concept work between a Palestinian state and the state of Israel? Economic relations need to be discussed. But of course, we believe that this has to be a complete look at all of the issues. It's only fair to say that a joint document or a meeting in a few months here are not going to resolve the big issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but certainly they need to be addressed.

QUESTION: The joint-made statement, is it a must or a condition, U.S. condition, before going to the summit?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, we haven't set any conditions for the meeting, but I certainly think it would be helpful if the parties are able to say how they see a basis for moving forward, because afterall, the international meeting, any conference, cannot substitute for the parties themselves carrying out this work. And so what a joint document would do, a joint statement would do is that it would show that the parties themselves are ready to grab hold of this issue and work toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. It would really show us that we have a foundation for negotiations toward a Palestinian state.

QUESTION: Dr. Rice, do you think both leaderships, Israelis and Palestinians, are ready enough or strong enough at this time to make substantial concessions or to take -- or to make strategical decisions?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, one reason that we are doing this in the measured way that we are is that these discussions between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert have already moved forward. The consensus in both places, I think, that there is something going on. There is possibly some basis. I believe that the international conference could add the voices of the regional actors and of the international community to the belief that something is possible here. Now, it is still going to come down to very tough bargaining because both sides have had long-held positions. We have had over many years movement on those positions. We have had many different attempts to make peace that have perhaps showed that there is a path, a narrow path to be sure, but a path that could lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. So I think we have a chance.

QUESTION: Dr. Rice, would you prefer a united Palestinian government to join or to attend the conference?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, eventually, you want the widest possible Palestinian representation, but that representation ought to be representation that believes that a two-state solution is possible. And in order to believe that a two-state solution is possible, you have to recognize the right of the other party to exist. You have to be willing to renounce violence and say that the state is going to come through negotiation. And so you have in President Abbas who, by the way, represents all of the Palestinian people. He was elected by the Palestinian people. He represents the legitimate institutions of the Palestinian people and he is the chairman of the PLO, which is the negotiating body for the Palestinian people. So in every sense, he is the legitimate representative. But eventually I hope that the concrete nature of the vision of a Palestinian state will lead to unity among all responsible Palestinians to carry out that state.

QUESTION: How far are we today at this moment from reaching the joint statement?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, it's a little difficult to put a timeline on it. There are still obviously differences. There are differences conceptually about how much it can or will say. But the goodwill of these parties and the fact that President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert have done what they've done, it seems to me to say that they have every intention of reaching an agreement.

QUESTION: But what about if they don't agree?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I'm not --

QUESTION: Do you have something if --

SECRETARY RICE: -- I'm not going to speculate on the downside here. I am here to help the parties keep working, keep narrowing their differences. To a certain extent, we need to stand and let them really work through some of this because it is important to understand that, in part, you're trying to build confidence so that when there is a joint statement, it really has the confidence of both parties and that it then becomes a basis for continuing to move forward.

QUESTION: Have you asked the Israeli Government to make a precise or to take precise suggestions toward Palestinians before the summit?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I have asked and will continue to ask that the roadmap obligations, the first phase roadmap obligations, that we start meeting those now. Why not? Why wait until the meeting? We need to build confidence that this is going to move forward. And the roadmap obligations are a good way to build that confidence. I spent a good deal of time talking to the Israeli leadership about not doing anything that would prejudice final status, about taking on some of their roadmap obligations that would show that final status is really possible. And when I go over to talk to President Abbas, I'm going to say the same thing.

QUESTION: What would you like to say to the Palestinian people, any message?

SECRETARY RICE: My message to the Palestinian people would be that we know that it has been a long time and that there is a certain dignity and a certain assuredness, a certain normalcy of life that can only come with a Palestinian state and that we want to see an end to the daily humiliations that come out of occupation. Palestinians have responsibilities, too. They have responsibilities to believe in peace, to fight terror, to believe that there can be a new future with an Israeli neighbor and to promote and push forward their own democracy. But they have a good partner in the United States that wants to see a Palestinian state. President Bush said it many years ago and he and I are devoted to doing everything that we can in the months that we have left in office to try to bring that statehood to reality.

QUESTION: Dr. Rice, thank you very much, indeed.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you.

2007/T17-9

Released on October 15, 2007

ENDS

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