Cairo, Egypt
October 11, 2009

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here. It’s always a great personal pleasure for me to visit in Egypt. I had a good and frank meeting last evening with General Soliman, and this morning with Foreign Minister Abou el Gheit.

We discussed a shared commitment to comprehensive peace in the Middle East, which we believe can only be assured by a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace, with security, stability and prosperity for the people of both states. In order to achieve that we need to re-launch negotiations that can succeed as soon as possible. And that has been the focus of my trip and of my discussions.

Everyone who truly believes in peace has the responsibility to take action in support of that goal. And we must work together to support those leaders who share our vision for a more peaceful region.

It has been and remains an important objective of American policy and of President Obama and Secretary of State personally to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

That means peace between Israel and the Palestinians, between Israel and Syria, between Israel and Lebanon, and normal relations between Israel and all of its neighbors in the Middle East. That’s our objective. We understand that there are many difficulties, that there are many obstacles, but we are determined and committed to continue our efforts.