Both sides require a dialogue that will lead to mutually acceptable political, economic and security arrangements. In the current situation, the continuing cycle of violence stands as the single greatest obstacle to the search for peace. Violence saps the psychological well being of every child, every parent and grandparent. Violence makes every life insecure. Violence provokes armed reaction, not compromises.
Leaders have the responsibility to denounce violence, strip it of legitimacy, stop it.
At the Sharm el-Sheikh summit last October, both Palestinians and Israelis agreed on the creation of a special Fact Finding Committee. The Committee has just completed its second visit to the region. The report, which is due shortly, will be forwarded by President Bush to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. We are hopeful, given the character and integrity of the Committee's members, and the seriousness with which they have approached their work, that the report will contribute to the efforts of the parties themselves to bring the violence to an end. Mr. Chairman, in the final analysis, hopes for a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East can only be fulfilled by the actions and the efforts of the parties themselves.