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Excerpts from PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's speech:By The Jerusalem Post Staff and News Agencies(October 25) - Mr. William Clinton, the president; Mr. Al Gore; Mrs. Madeleine Albright; members of the US delegation; friends; my co-partner; my main co-partner in the peace process, Mr. Netanyahu- and here I will mention my late co-partner, Yitzhak Rabin, and my co-partner, Shimon Peres - members of the Israeli delegation, with whom we worked together until we reached whatever we achieved; my brothers, members of the Palestinian delegation; ladies and gentlemen, here in this regard I would like to give special tribute from my heart to His Majesty King Hussein and Her Majesty the queen for everything they presented us.
And that - we will never go back. We will never leave the peace process, and we will never go back to violence and confrontation... Please allow me to mention in this connection, first and foremost...Mr. Bill Clinton for the long hours, which he exerted during the past 10 days, particularly those 24 hours that he spent continuously where he was always alert and understanding, creative in order to bring back history between the cousins... This reconciliation between the two peoples, the Palestinian and the Israeli people, will not divert its path and will go through negotiations on the table, and ... through tanks, grenades and barbed wires. We have achieved today a large step. But it is important - my co-partner, Mr. Netanyahu - it is important in establishing the peace process because this is the peace of the brave. The implementation of the Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and the principle of land for peace, achievement of political rights of the Palestinian people and putting every effort possible in the service of achieving security for all, particularly for the Israeli people... Once again, I'm saying that it is a big step that came late. But it is indeed an important one, because it will allow the return of 13 percent of the Palestinian land on the West Bank to the Palestinian people, to their sovereignty, and will allow to double the area where the Palestinian Authority will enjoy full-fledged authority and sovereignty. Yes indeed, it is a start that will allow the Palestinian airplanes to fly to and from the Gaza International Airport, carrying visitors and merchandise, carrying to the whole world the Palestinian flowers and fresh fruit. It will also open the door to build the Gaza seaport and the realization of the Palestinian dream of geographic unification between the regions of the Palestinian land, the [West] Bank and Gaza through a secured area. It will also allow the achievement of real happiness for hundreds of the Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails... I led those children during their struggle for freedom, and they gave their freedom and their lives for the sake of the land. However, they adopted the peace process, adopted peace, and stood by peace while they were in the jails. And now, they are joining us in our peace process for the sake of peace... With this agreement, we begin the negotiations for the final solution, which we will take very seriously ... in order to achieve at its stipulated times in all the agreements we signed together, which is the fourth of May 1999... I would like to assert in honesty and sincerity that we are fully committed to whatever is required from us in order to achieve real security and constant peace for every Israeli person and for the Israeli people. We will not forget our duties as we underline our rights. I am quite confident that I'm talking in the name of all Palestinians when I assure you that we are all committed to the security of every child, woman and man in Israel... I will do everything I can so that no Israeli mother will be worried if her son or daughter is late coming home or any Israeli would be afraid when they heard an explosion. It is true that nobody can secure 100 percent results of security for all Palestinians and all Israelis... [W]e want to achieve the peace of the brave to end this long suffering in order to build an independent nation having a lot of democracy and caring for its children... And even though our agreement has the difficulties that we face and my full knowledge of whatever we sign today will only trickle down to worthless ink on paper unless it is implemented accurately and quickly. So I call upon President Clinton to remain with us, alert and supportive in order to make sure that we implement everything we've agreed upon... And at last, I would like to direct my talk to Mr. Netanyahu and his colleagues to say today we have achieved a great positive agreement. We have to continue...together very soon and to implement it quite sincerely in reality. Your security is our security. Your security is our security and peace for your children and our children... We will not retreat. We will not go back to violence or confrontation. And we, together, will be the leaders in order that peace will prevail in our land and the land of our neighbors. And peace be with you all."
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The Document
Speeches
Analysis
The Pollard Issue
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This is an important and a happy day, a day of achievement that we will always remember with optimism and hope. It is true that whatever we achieved is only temporary... but our agreement at Wye River underscores that the peace process is going ahead and that whatever we agreed upon in Madrid/Oslo and in Washington and Cairo is being implemented on the same basis that have been agreed to.