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Remarks Following a Meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and an Exchange with Reporters April 21, 2009

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Remarks Following a Meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and an Exchange with Reporters April 21, 2009 Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 / Apr. 21 Remarks Following a Meeting With King Abdullah II of Jordan and an Exchange With Reporters April 21, 2009 President Obama. Hello, everybody. Take cently, and I believe it was a meeting of the your time, guys. We’re going to answer a few minds. We are both committed to bringing questions. peace and stability to our part of the world. The First of all, I just want to welcome His Maj- President again reaffirming the need for a two- esty King Abdullah to the White House. This is state solution and to move both parties to good a first visit by a leader of an Arab state. In part, negotiations as quickly as possible. He has the it’s reciprocity for the extraordinary hospitality full support of my country and the Arab League that the King and Queen showed me when I on this issue. We believe that it is important for visited Jordan prior to the election, in which the all of us to keep our eyes on the prize, and the King personally drove me to the airport. And I prize is peace and stability, finally, for all the won’t tell you how fast he was going. [Laughter] people of our region. But more importantly, it’s representative of I’d also like to extend a warm thanks on be- his excellent leadership internationally as well half of many Arabs and Muslims that have really as a unmatched friendship with the United had an outstanding response to the President’s States on a whole range of issues. I think that outreach to the Muslim Arab world. It has gone King Abdullah represents a modern approach down extremely well and really begins, I be- to foreign policy making in the Middle East, a lieve, a new page of mutual respect and mutual approach that is able to see many different sides understanding between cultures. And I will of an issue, that is, obviously, constantly mindful continue to commit Jordan and myself to work- of Jordanian interests, but also seeks to resolve ing with you, Mr. President. You have given us issues and conflicts in a peaceful and respectful hope for a bright future for all of us. And Amer- fashion. ica can’t be left by itself to do all the heavy lift- We are very pleased to have been able to ing, so a group of countries, including Jordan, work so closely with his Government for many will do all it’s can—we can to support you, Mr. years. It is a great friendship between two great President, in your endeavors. And hopefully, countries and two great peoples. And I am con- under your tremendous leadership we will final- fident that that friendship will only be strength- ly see peace and stability in our region. ened. President Obama. Thank you. Very briefly, we spoke, obviously, about a Middle East peace process, my commitment as Middle East Peace Process well as his to moving that process forward with some sense of urgency. We spoke about the Q. Mr. President—— broader whole range of issues related to Iran President Obama. Yes. and Afghanistan, the issues of terrorism in the Q. Mr. President, you’ve raised a lot of posi- region. We spoke about the impact that the eco- tive signals and interest in your commitment to nomic crisis may be having on both our coun- peace and to a two-state solution. What other tries and the need to promote effective interna- actions will you be taking to bring about peace, tional cooperation around those issues. And I’m and when do you expect that action to happen? confident that in the months and years to come And how does the Arab Peace Initiative feature our partnership and our friendship will contin- in such a plan? ue to grow. So I’m grateful to him for having President Obama. Well, first of all, we have visited and look forward to seeing him back in gone out of our way to complement the efforts his own country sometime soon. of those Arab States that were involved in King Abdullah. Thank you. Mr. President, formulating the Arab Peace Initiative as a very again, thank you very much for this very kind constructive start. And obviously, King welcome. We had a wonderful meeting just re- Abdullah has taken great steps to ensure that 529 Apr. 21 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 that sustains itself, in terms of Arab support, President Obama. Well, sadly, the rhetoric even while we have seen a breakdown in is not new. This is the kind of rhetoric that negotiations. And that’s a significant we’ve come to expect from President Ahmadi- achievement for which King Abdullah and nejad. When I said, during the course of the others deserve credit. So we want to continue campaign and repeated after the election, that to encourage a commitment on the part of the we were serious about engagement with Iran, Arab States to the peace process. it was with no illusions. I was very clear that I I have assigned a special envoy, George found many of the statements that President Mitchell, who is, you know, I think, as good of Ahmadi-nejad made, particularly those direct- a negotiator as there is, and somebody who ed at Israel, to be appalling and objectionable. through assiduous work was able to accom- As I’ve also said before, Iran is a very com- plish or help achieve peace in Northern Ire- plicated country with a lot of different power land. We want that same perseverance and centers. The Supreme Leader, Khamenei, is sustained effort on this issue, and we’re going the person who exercises the most direct con- to be actively engaged. trol over the policies of the Islamic Republic, We have, obviously, seen the Israeli Gov- and we will continue to pursue the possibility ernment just form recently. Prime Minster of improved relations and a resolution to some Netanyahu will be visiting the United States. I of the critical issues in which there have been expect to have meetings with him. I’ve had dis- differences, particularly around the nuclear is- cussions with the Palestinian counterparts as sue. well as other Arab States around this issue. But there’s no doubt that the kind of rheto- My hope would be that over the next several ric you saw from Ahmadi-nejad is not helpful; months, that you start seeing gestures of good in fact, it is harmful, not just with respect to faith on all sides. I don’t want to get into the the possibility of U.S.-Iranian relations, but I details of what those gestures might be, but I think it actually undermines Iranians’ position think that the parties in the region probably in as the world as a whole. We weren’t at the have a pretty good recognition of what inter- conference, and what you saw was a whole mediate steps could be taken as confidence- host of other countries walking out and that building measures. And we will be doing ev- language being condoned by people who may erything we can to encourage those confi- be more sympathetic to the long-term aspira- dence-building measures to take place. tions of the Iranian people. So I think it actual- Q. Can I follow up on this one, please? ly hurts Iran’s position in the world. President Obama. Okay, the—I actually But we are going to continue to take an ap- have a list, guys. I’m sorry. [Laughter] We’ve proach that tough, direct diplomacy has to be got to be fair. Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, Asso- pursued without taking a whole host of other ciated Press], you always get a question, so options off the table. you’re not getting one today. Okay. Look, is there somebody you’d like to Steve Collinson, AFP [Agence France-Pres- call on? Go ahead. se]. Q. Mr. President. Middle East Peace Process President Obama. Go ahead, Steve. Q. I just want to follow on the previous Iran question. You sent Senator Mitchell to the re- gion to listen. Is he done with the listening Q. What are your—what is your comment now and—because all the signals we have on the rhetoric yesterday from the Iranian from the Israeli Government basically that President directed towards Israel? And given they are not in favor of the two-state solution. that kind of talk and the recent imprisonment The opposition is strongly advocating that. of the U.S.-Iranian journalist, do you think So I wanted to ask also His Majesty, Presi- that will make it more difficult for you to push dent Obama said that there is positive ele- forward your diplomatic outreach to Iran? ments within the Arab Peace Initiative, but he 530 Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 / Apr. 21 didn’t say what he disagree about. Can you tell the kind of conflict that we’ve seen for decades us if you have noticed any tangible results, what now, in which generations of Palestinian and Is- the disagreement with that, and can the Arab raeli children are growing up insecure, in an at- Peace Initiative be the base now for a peace mosphere of hate. And my hope is, is that the process in the Middle East? opportunity will be seized. But it’s going to take President Obama. Okay. Well, first of all, I some more work, and we are committed to do- think it is very important to recognize that the ing that work.
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