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PRIME MINISTER PERES: Ladies and gentlemen: I am very glad to welcome the Secretary of State upon his return from Damascus. I do believe that he has had before him one of the most delicate missions in modern diplomacy, and his return with what I would consider a real success. Because clearly, in addition to the official channels between the different parties, there is a flow of information, and it was quite easy for the Syrian side to misread what is happening here, and the misreading that could have caused the interruption of the negotiation. Instead, I believe that the Secretary has carried a balanced and objective picture in a very convincing way. He reassured that the peace negotiations would be continued. Time will not be wasted no matter what will take place in our country or elsewhere concerning the internal situation. I must say that I personally am much relieved because I speak for a government which is sincerely and seriously interested in the peace negotiations -- in its overall concept and its particular effort to bring an end to the war, to bring an end to the conflict, to create a new relationship with Syria and Lebanon.
I want to repeat again that our own experience shows that whenever you negotiate with ups and downs and interruptions and suspicions, it is not a honeymoon. And the heart of the negotiation is to be very careful not to cut them unintentionally or without care. And I think that the Secretary was able to bridge over one of those important crises. And I feel very much encouraged that we can continue the negotiation with full respect to the other side and with a serious mind toward the results of it. We shall continue, I hope, to negotiate on all domains: security, economy, improved relations, comprehensive negotiation. And no time will be wasted. There is still a great deal of work before us. But I think that the greatest hope, both for Syria and Israel, is to go over from a strategic confrontation to economic competition or economic operations, whatever the Syrians may like.
We would like both to thank the Secretary and to welcome him back to Israel.
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very much. We had an opportunity to have a good discussion of my visit to Damascus and my meeting with President Assad. We also discussed my meeting this morning in Gaza with Chairman Arafat. With respect to my meeting yesterday in Syria and the Syrian-Israeli track, let me make three brief points. First, the announcement that I made that the meetings would go forward in the Wye Plantation at the end of this month and the customary framework was, I believe, a commitment on behalf of both of the parties to the continuity of the process. The parties put considerable weight and faith in the process and they want to continue the process. Second, the decision taken by the two parties reflects a commitment on behalf of both of them to the goal of reaching an agreement in 1996. And third, I want to stress that the United States will continue to do everything that it can to assist the parties to achieve that goal. Under our auspices the negotiations will go forward and we are determined to be as helpful as we possibly can be to the parties. That is what President Clinton intends, and, certainly, that is what the people of Israel and the people of Syria deserve.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION: What do you consider the significance of the Americans leaving behind the Deputy Secretary of State to discuss economics with the Syrians today?
PRIME MINISTER PERES: I attach to it a great importance, because, I believe, politi
