President Bush, European Leaders Act to Fight Global Terror
Excerpted Remarks by President Bush, The East Room,  June, 25, 2003 1:20 P.M. EDT

Q Mr. President, thank you. There are reports that there is a cease-fire agreement among Hamas and a few other Palestinian organizations, that they've promised to stop the violence for at least three months. What do you know about that? And what -- if true, what do you expect to happen next from both sides, both Israelis and Palestinians?

PRESIDENT BUSH: As I was walking in, somebody told me about the report. I'll believe it when I see it, knowing the history of the terrorists in the Middle East. But the true test for Hamas and terrorist organizations is the complete dismantlement of their terrorist networks, their capacity to blow up the peace process. That's the true test. It's one thing to make a verbal agreement.

But in order for there to be peace in the Middle East, we must see organizations such as Hamas dismantled, and then we'll have peace. Then we'll have a chance for peace. I like to remind people that there are three parties involved directly in the territories there. There's the Israeli government. I believe the Israeli people want peace, and I believe their government when they say they want a peaceful state, living side by side Israel.

Secondly, there are the people of the Palestinian world who are tired of failed leadership, tired of terrorism destroying their hopes, tired of living in poverty, and they, too, want a peaceful state. And then there are the terrorists, like Hamas, who do not want a peaceful state, and they're willing to use terrorist means to destroy it. In order for there to be peace, Hamas must be dismantled.

U.S. Officials Brief on June 25 U.S.-EU Summit (excerpts) , 23 June 2003, (Background briefing June 23 at Foreign Press Center)

Question: . . . [S]econdly, if I may, the EU is drafting a paper on how to finance -- or stop finance of Hamas. What do the Americans hope out of that? And how could a combined effort on this subject look like?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: . . .  With respect to Hamas, I have noticed increasing strength in the European public statements with respect to Hamas, a terrorist organization, and we hope that our positions -- that the European position will continue to move. Hamas has declared itself to be an enemy of the peace process. It has declared itself inalterably opposed to the roadmap.

A leader of Hamas said publicly, I believe, that the Hamas objective was to kill every Jew in Palestine, a statement which has the benefit of being forthright and very clear. Its meaning cannot be mistaken. Hamas is not a legitimate partner. Hamas is a terrorist organization, as are all of its works.

I know that the EU is having to go through internal processes, including complicated technical processes, to draw conclusions about Hamas. That's something that governments have -- and organizations like the EU have to do, and we understand that, and we hope that process moves ahead.

Click here to return to our home page