Bill Clinton: “Well, first, let me emphasize something. You should never believe that just because you don't see high-level air…”

“Well, first, let me emphasize something. You should never believe that just because you don't see high-level air transport between Washington and the Middle East that nothing is going on from our point of view. We spend--I spend quite a bit of time on this every single week. And I'm very concerned about what's happened. But let me say, in a nutshell, here's what we have to find a way to do: We have to find a way to persuade the Palestinians that there is a basis for returning to the negotiating table and that all the final status issues are not going to be resolved out from under them. But we also have to find a way to persuade the Israelis that the Palestinians are serious about security. In other words, the Palestinians will have to return to security cooperation with the Israelis and will have to manifest an opposition that is clear and unambiguous to terrorism, the unauthorized injury or murder to innocent civilians, and to continuing the peace process. The Israelis, for their part, have got to find specific things that can be done that show that there's a commitment to Oslo in fact, not just in words, and a commitment to getting this process going. Now, there are several different potential scenarios that might achieve that, and we've been working very hard on trying to figure out what the most effective way to do it is. For all of us who are outsiders, including the United States, it is not always self-evident what the most effective way to exercise whatever influence you have is. And I am prepared to do anything I reasonably can to keep this peace process from going awry. I think that it's in a pivotal moment, and I think that all of the friends of Israel and the Arab States and the Palestinians need to bear down and do what we can to persuade these people that they need to get back to the work of the peace process. Gene [Gene Gibbons, Reuters]. China and Hong Kong”