In the Middle East, our determination to consolidate what has already been
achieved in the peace process--and to buttress that accomplishment with
further progress toward a comprehensive peace settlement--must remain a
central goal of our foreign policy. Pursuant to their peace treaty, Egypt
and Israel have made steady progress in the normalization of their
relations in a variety of fields, bringing the benefits of peace directly
to their people. The new relationship between Egypt and Israel stands as an
example of peaceful cooperation in an increasingly fragmented and turbulent
region.
Both President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin remain committed to the
current negotiations to provide full autonomy to the inhabitants of the
West Bank and Gaza. These negotiations have been complex and difficult, but
they have already made significant progress, and it is vital that the two
sides, with our assistance, see the process through to a successful
conclusion. We also recognize the need to broaden the peace process to
include other parties to the conflict and believe that a successful
autonomy agreement is an essential first step toward this objective.
We have also taken a number of steps to strengthen our bilateral relations
with both Israel and Egypt. We share important strategic interests with
both of these countries.
We remain committed to Israel's security and are prepared to take concrete
steps to support Israel whenever that security is threatened.