February 3, 1982
President Reagan. It's an honor and a pleasure to welcome you, Mr. President, Mrs. Mubarak,
and those who accompanied you from Egypt.
Your visit today reaffirms our friendship, and all Americans thank you for that reaffirmation. Your
visit and the current excellent relations between our two governments are testimony that the
friendship between Egypt and the United States is more than a compact between individuals. It is
a commitment between nations.
In your inaugural address to the Egyptian parliament, President Mubarak, you told the parliament,
``We are all sons of the same destiny and history.'' Well, I believe that's true of all mankind as
well. And today all good and decent people join in proclaiming that terrorists will not be
permitted to determine the future of mankind.
Mr. President, there's much to discuss. Our talks will touch on issues of global, regional, and
bilateral significance. We share a mutual concern as we observe the expansion of a totalitarian
power based on an ideology that smothers freedom and independence and denies the existence of
God. The people of Poland and Afghanistan now suffocate under the oppressive whim of this
fearful master. Within the Mideast, this same power encourages hatred and conflict, hoping to
take some advantage of instability.
The United States stands firmly with Egypt and other Mideastern nations concerned with regional
security. As Secretary Haig emphasized on his recent visit, we have never sought a military,
permanent presence, but we do ask and are grateful for mutually agreed arrangements that will
enhance the security of the nations in that region.
In an address last December, Mr. President, you stated that one of the characteristics of great
nations is their ability to learn from history. But if history teaches us anything, it is that good
people must cooperate if peace is to be maintained and if progress is to be made.
Over the last decade, the United States played a part in the peace process which has led to peace
between Egypt and Israel. We are willing to continue in that role to seek a lasting peace in the
Middle East between Israel and all its Arab neighbors. And Camp David, we believe, is a first step
toward that goal. It has brought recognizable and measurable progress. As Israeli withdrawal
from the Sinai takes place later this year, we must commit ourselves to push on. In a spirit of
understanding, we must address the remaining issues in the negotiations for autonomy in the West
Bank and Gaza and chart a course that will build upon that which has already been
accomplished.
Others should be brought into the Camp David process, because no matter how long and arduous,
it offers the best opportunity for tangible results. In the months ahead, we must maintain our
flexibility, yet never lose sight of the goal of establishing a lasting and comprehensive peace that
will provide security and justice and a better life for all peoples of the region. Without setting
deadlines, I personally believe the time has come to get on with the task before us and the sooner
the better.
Secretary Haig has explained to me your sincere commitment now that you have peace with Israel
to seek a broader peace in the region. President Mubarak, the United States also remains eager to
do whatever we can to help Egypt enjoy the fruits of peace. We offer the helping hand of
friendship, and we're optimistic that working with you, we can streamline our joint economic
efforts, make them more flexible, more efficient, and more responsive to our mutual needs, so that
all can share in the bounty of peace.
In the coming spring, America's trade ambassador, William Brock, will visit your country with the
expressed purpose of strengthening our trade and economic ties. And, Mr. President, we also
share your concern for the well-being of your neighbors in the Sudan. In this world of advanced
technology, communication, and transportation, all nations are neighbors. Furthermore, with you
and all those who would be our friends, we hope to be a good neighbor.
Mr. President, I grew up in a small town in the Midwest of our country, and in the tiny school
where I received my initial education, our history books taught us about the magnificent
7,000-year-old culture that grew and prospered along the Nile. I remember wondering what kind
of people they were -- those people who laid the foundation for Western civilization. Well, today,
we Americans know the Egyptian people well, their courage and nobility, and we're proud to have
you as our friends.
President Mubarak. President Reagan, thank you very much for the warm reception and the kind
words. It is a source of great pleasure to visit your great country once again in less than 4
months.
As you know, Mr. President, the sentiments which you have expressed are shared by 44 million
Egyptians. They look upon the United States with admiration and respect. They remember very
vividly the words of President Abraham Lincoln, who spoke of a nation conceived in liberty and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. They recall also that President John
Kennedy urged all nations to join in creating a new endeavor -- not a new balance of power, but a
new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
Mr. President, during the past few years our late leader, President Sadat, worked vigorously with
you and your predecessors to forge an ever-growing friendship. In doing so he was expressing the
will of the Egyptian people. Hence this policy will continue unchanged. We are determined to
build upon what has been achieved and add to it every day. We are here to reinforce our
friendship and intensify our cooperation in all fields. We are here, Mr. President, to cement the
bonds of interaction between our two nations. We are here to reaffirm our commitment to work
together for peace and reconciliation.
The steps we took on the road to peace in the Middle East generated a historic change in that
troubled part of the world. However, they must be followed up in the months ahead. We must
double our efforts in order to fulfill our pledge to establish a just and a comprehensive peace. The
key to peace and stability in the area is to solve the Palestinian problem.
A just solution to this problem must be based on mutual recognition and acceptance. Both sides
have an inherent right to exist and function as a national entity, free from domination and fear.
The exercise of the right to self-determination cannot be denied to the Palestinian people. In fact,
it is the best guarantee for Israeli security. This is the lesson of history and the course of the
future.
To make it a living reality the Palestinians need your help and your understanding. We are certain
that you will not fail them -- you will not defeat the expectations of those who look upon you as a
nation of freedom-fighters and peacemakers.
I'm looking forward to the talks that we'll have today with hope and optimisim. Much depends on
the success of our efforts and the clarity of our vision. I have no doubt that we shall meet the
challenge with resolve and determination.
Mr. President, on behalf of the Egyptian people, I invite you and Mrs. Reagan to visit Egypt in
order to enable the Egyptian people to express to you the genuine feeling towards every American
in the United States.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Note: President Reagan spoke at 10:10 a.m. in the East Room at the White House, where
President Mubarak was given the formal welcome because of inclement weather.
Following the ceremony, the two Presidents met in the Oval Office, first privately, and then with
the Vice President, Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs William P. Clark, Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank C. Carlucci,
Secretary of the Treasury Donald T. Regan, Alfred L. Atherton, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Egypt,
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Hasan 'Ali, First Foreign Under Secretary Osama
El-Baz, and Egyptian Ambassador to the United States Ashraf 'Abd al-Latif Ghorbal. President
Reagan and President Mubarak then met in the Cabinet Room with their full delegations.