From Secretary of State Powell's remarks at the World Economic
Forum, Dead Sea, Jordan, 6/22/03
The Middle East can be a region of peace, in which the
Palestinian and Israeli people see a path to the end of bitter
conflict. As President Bush has said, it can be a region in which two
democratic states live side-by-side in peace.
The United States, working with partners in the Middle East
Quartet - the Russian Federation, the European Union, and the United
Nations - developed the Road Map to achieve this vision.
Our focus on hope in Iraq and in the Road Map to achieve peace
between Israelis and Palestinians are part of our Middle East
strategy. We see a renewed hope from the Straits of Gibraltar to the
Strait of Hormuz.
But progress will happen only with the full commitment of the
United States, partner governments, the private sector and people and
governments of the nations of the Middle East.
The challenge of a new Middle East is one that must be seized
by the people and leaders of the region. It is the strategy of the
United States to support and encourage, but not to impose. The impetus
for change must come from within.