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Investing in American Leadership

Excerpts on the Middle East from farewell address by Secretary of State Warren Christopher, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, January 15, 1997.

. . . In the Middle East, we are closer to realizing our goal of a comprehensive peace. Our diplomacy was vital in helping Israel reach agreements with the Palestinians and a peace treaty with Jordan. We helped open a new dimension of the peace process by galvanizing the economic summits at Casablanca, Amman and Cairo and encouraging important steps toward normalized relations between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East. While peace has faced many severe tests in recent months, the achievements are enduring and we are determined to move forward.

The agreement on Hebron and other issues reached last night is really an extraordinary achievement. It demonstrates that there is a powerful logic to peace -- an imperative powerful enough to overcome the setbacks and hesitations of recent months.

The protocol on Hebron and the U.S.-drafted Note for the Record are a clear roadmap for the future of the peace negotiations. They set forth commitments and a time frame for both Israel and the Palestinians to implement the agreements they have already reached. The Note also fixes a time for the commencement of the vital negotiations on the final status issues.

Now that the parties have taken this difficult step, they must not relax or step back in fatigue. They must use this new momentum to move ahead to build the peace that is in the common interest of Israelis and Palestinians alike. And we must remember that we were able to help the parties reach their agreement because of our leadership and engagement -- and because we have had the resources to support those who took risks for peace. . . .

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