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Following are the remarks of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US Secretary of
State Dr. Condoleezza Rice at the beginning of their meeting earlier today:
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: “Good evening, I am pleased to host US
Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Dr. Rice knows Israel and its
problems very well and I am sure that her visit here will contribute to
advancing bilateral relations, which have been traditional for many years,
and to advancing the peace process which we all want to advance so much.
Welcome, you are among friends.”
US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice: “Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister; I
know that. I bring greetings to you from President Bush, and I just want to
say that of course the relationship between the US and Israel is based on
such a firm foundation because we share not just interests but values.. I
look forward to working with you to try to advance the cause of peace and to
overcome the scourge of terrorism. I will of course travel tomorrow to meet
also with President Mahmud Abbas, and I look forward to working with him.
And we are very glad that you will meet with him in [Sharm el-Sheikh] on
Tuesday. This is a hopeful time, but it is a time also of great
responsibility for all of us to make certain that we act on the words we
speak. Thank you very much.”
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