WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat must act to end acts of terrorism and Israel must continue troop withdrawals from Palestinian territory to diffuse the current crisis in the Middle East, President George Bush said Saturday,
Long-term peace and security, however, will require "real leadership."
"All parties must realize that the only long-term solution is for two states -- Israel and Palestine -- to live side by side in security and peace," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "This will require hard choices and real leadership by Israelis and Palestinians, and their Arab neighbors.
"The time is now for all of us to make the choice for peace. America will continue to work toward this vision of peace in the Middle East."
The president's remarks follow the return to Washington by Secretary of State Colin Powell from a six-day mission to the region, during which he met both Sharon and Arafat.
No cease-fire was brokered by Powell, but Arafat met U.S. demands to publicly condemn the acts of Palestinian terrorism that have killed scores of Israelis in recent weeks. Sharon also began withdrawing troops from some Palestinian areas occupied in response to the terrorism.
"In this region, we are confronting hatred that is centuries old, and disputes that have been ignored for decades," Bush said.
He said the Palestinian Authority "must act on its words of condemnation against terror. Israel must continue its withdrawals. All Arab nations must confront terror in their own region. All parties must stop funding or inciting terror, and must state clearly that a murderer is not a martyr; he or she is just a murderer."
Bush also used his weekly address to give a pep talk on U.S. efforts against terrorism following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the country.
He noted that in addition to military action in Afghanistan, 161 countries have joined together to block more than $100 million in financial assets of suspect organizations, and more than 1,600 terrorists and their supporters have been arrested or detained in 95 countries.
"We're making progress," he said. "Yet nothing about this war will be quick or easy. We face dangers and sacrifices ahead."
But, he added, "We are determined, we are steadfast, and we will continue for as long as it takes, until the mission is done."
