Bush Says He and Crown Prince Abdallah "Share A Vision"

(Says meeting established a "strong personal bond") (1590)





President Bush, following his talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah,


said the two had a "cordial meeting" and had established a "strong


personal bond."





Speaking to reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas April 25, Bush


said the United States was interested in the prince's advice and


counsel. "We share a vision," he said. Bush called the Crown Prince's


recent proposal for a Middle East settlement "a breakthrough moment."





"He's a man with enormous influence in the Middle East. I respect that


a lot. And I'm confident we can work together to achieve a peace,"


said Bush.





In "plain and straightforward terms," Bush said he told the Saudi


leader that Israel must finish its withdrawal from Palestinian areas,


and the Palestinian Authority must "clamp down" on terror.





"He also knows that I will work for peace, I will bring parties


along," said Bush. "But he -- I think he recognizes that America can't


do it alone, that it's going to require a unified effort. And one of


the main things about this visit was to solidify that effort."





Responding to a question, Bush said "Saudi Arabia made it clear, and


has made it clear publicly, that they will not use oil as a weapon" in


the Middle East dispute.





Following is a transcript of President Bush's remarks following his


meeting with Crown Prince Abdallah:





(begin transcript)





THE WHITE HOUSE


Office of the Press Secretary (Crawford, Texas)


April 25, 2002





REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AFTER MEETING WITH CROWN PRINCE OF SAUDI


ARABIA





Bush Ranch Crawford, Texas





THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I was honored to welcome Crown Prince


Abdallah to my ranch, a place that is very special for me, and a place


where I welcome special guests to our country. The Crown Prince and I


had a very cordial meeting that confirmed the strong relationship


between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.





Our partnership is important to both our nations. And it is important


to the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East and the world.


We discussed the critical importance of the war on terror. Much of our


discussion centered on the Middle East, and how to defuse the current


situation so we can get back on the path to peace.





Our two nations share a vision of two states, Israel and Palestine,


living side by side in peace and security. I reiterated that all


parties have responsibilities to help achieve that vision. The


Palestinian Authority must do more to stop terror. Israel must finish


its withdrawal, including resolution of standoff -- standoffs in


Ramallah and Bethelem, in a non-violent way.





We discussed the need for Arab states to condemn terror, to stop


incitement of violence, and as part of a long-term peace, to accept


Israel as a nation and a neighbor. We also agreed the world must join


in offering humanitarian aid to the many innocent Palestinians who are


suffering.





I told the Crown Prince how much I appreciate his vision for a


peaceful and integrated Middle East, and how I appreciated his


leadership in helping rally the Arab world toward that vision. I also


appreciated the Crown Prince's assurance that Saudi Arabia condemns


terror.





The Crown Prince is going to be in America for several more days, and


officials from both our governments will be continuing our discussions


with the hope that our efforts can help return us to the path of peace


-- a lasting peace.





I'll answer a couple of questions.  Sondra.





Q: Mr. President, Saudi officials have taken strong issue with your


characterization of Prime Minister Sharon as a man of peace, and say


that your tolerance of what he's doing risks damage to U.S.-Arab


relations. Were you and the Crown Prince able to bridge differences


over that issue, and find ways to fix the fragile Arab support?





THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, one of the really positive things


out of this meeting was the fact that the Crown Prince and I


established a strong personal bond. We spent a lot of time alone,


discussing our respective visions, talking about our families. I was


most interested in learning about how he thought about things. I'm


convinced that the stronger our personal bond is, the more likely it


is relations between our country will be strong.





I made it clear to him that I expected Israel to withdraw, just like


I've made it clear to Israel. And we expect them to be finished. He


knows my position. He also knows that I will work for peace, I will


bring parties along. But I think he recognizes that America can't do


it alone, that it's going to require a unified effort. And one of the


main things about this visit was to solidify that effort.





He's a man with enormous influence in the Middle East. I respect that


a lot, and I'm confident we can work together to achieve a peace.





Patsy.





Q: Mr. President, the Crown Prince raised the prospect of Saudi


support for Iraq's oil embargo, and are you concerned that Arab


nations might use oil as a -- try to use oil as a bargaining chip in


the Middle East crisis?





THE PRESIDENT: Well, Saudi Arabia made it clear, and has made it clear


publicly, that they will not use oil as a weapon. And I appreciate


that, respect that, and expect that to be the case.





Q: Mr. President, to follow on what Sondra asked you, do you feel like


you made some personal headway in meeting with the Prince today in


reassuring him of the United States belief that all parties in the


region must work harder to --





THE PRESIDENT: I  -- 





Q: -- do you feel like -- do you feel like you need to convey this


message perhaps in a stronger way by sending somebody to the region to


meet with other Arab leaders who are raising concerns along these


lines?





THE PRESIDENT: Well, Stretch, we just sent somebody to the region. And


that somebody has just returned from the region. And his name is Colin


Powell. And we're exploring all options. A lot of our discussion with


the Saudi delegation was how to get back on the path to peace.


Clearly, there's some things that must be done in the short run --


finish the withdrawal by Israel, for the Palestinian Authority to


clamp down on terror. We discussed that in very plain and


straightforward terms.





As to where we head from now, one of the things that I think is


important for the Crown Prince to have heard is we're interested in


his advice, we're interested in his counsel. We share a vision and I


reminded him how much I appreciated his statement toward Israel. I


thought that was a breakthrough moment. And it -- and then he went and


sold that in Beirut, and I appreciated that, as well.





So there's a shared vision. And as to how to achieve that vision is


something we must consult with our friends. And that's what this


meeting was about. It went on quite a while because there was a lot to


discuss, plus, I want you to know, I had the honor of showing him my


ranch. He's a man who's got a farm and he understands the land, and I


really took great delight in being able to drive him around in a


pickup truck and showing him the trees and my favorite spots. And we


saw a wild turkey, which was good. But we had a very good discussion,


and I'm honored he came to visit.





Last question.





Q: Mr. President, do you believe -- you said that the Crown Prince is


against terror. Do you think he will speak out? Did he make any


promises about speaking out? Should he speak out? And secondarily, in


Saudi Arabia, do you believe the leadership is doing enough to deal


with their own problems with terrorism that comes out of their own


country? Fifteen of the 19 hijackers --





THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I -- the Crown Prince has been very strong in


condemning the murder of U.S. citizens. He's been very strong about


condemning those who committed those murders. And I appreciate that a


lot. Right after 9/11, he was one of the strongest voices of


condemnation. He understands how devious Osama bin Laden has been. He


knows that -- that anybody who -- you know, that a strategy by some


would be to split the United States and Saudi Arabia. It's a strong


and important friendship, and he knows that and I know that, and were


not going to let that happen. So he's been very strong in the


condemnation of terror, for which I'm grateful.





And we're constantly working with him and his government on


intelligence-sharing and cutting off money. And we're reminding him on


occasion where we find money flows, and the government has been


acting, and I appreciate that very much. He's got a -- right now we're


working on an issue in the border region with Yemen to make sure that


Yemen doesn't become a haven for al Qaeda killers. And I appreciate


his cooperation on that matter, as well. It's in his interest that we


rout out terror.





Listen, thank you all very much.





(end transcript)