And yet, history need not be man's master. I expect that some will say that what I am suggesting is impossible. But think back. And who in the early 1960s would have believed that the Cold War would come to a peaceful end. No, peace in the Middle East need not be a dream.
Peace is possible.
The Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty is striking proof that former adversaries can make and sustain peace. And moreover, parties in the Middle East have respected agreements, not only in the Sinai, but on the Golan Heights as well. The fact that we are all gathered here today for the first time attests to a new potential for peace. Each of us has taken an important step toward real peace by meeting here in Madrid. All the formulas on paper, all the pious declarations in the world won't bring peace if there is no practical mechanism for moving ahead.