US President Barack Obama sought a “new beginning” between the US and Muslims around the world in a major speech yesterday, but offered no new initiative to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world — tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate,” the US president said in a speech at Cairo University.
“I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect,” he said. “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.”
Obama’s speech, interrupted by applause and occasional shouts of “We love you,” was an effort to restore the US’ image among many of the more than 1 billion Muslims around the world, which has been badly tarnished by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the treatment of military detainees.
Highlighting the hostility the US leader faces from some quarters, Iranian Supreme Leader the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an address that the US was “deeply hated” and only action, not “slogans,” could change that.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, however, said Obama’s speech was a “good start” toward a new US policy in the Middle East.
The choice of Cairo for the speech underscored Obama’s focus on the Middle East, where he faces huge foreign policy challenges, from trying to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to curbing Iran’s nuclear program.
Obama offered little specifics on democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the Arab world, issues that many in the region had hoped to hear him address.
The US president, who is hoping to build a coalition of Muslim governments to back his diplomatic moves, affirmed his commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“That is in Israel’s interest, Palestine’s interest, America’s interest and the world’s interest,” he said. “That is why I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience that the task requires.”
He said Palestinians had to abandon violence and urged them to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, while Israel should stop building settlements in the West Bank.
“The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements,” he said. “This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace.”
Obama said Iran should have access to peaceful nuclear power, but it must adhere to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
“When it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point,” he said. “This is not simply about America’s interests. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.”
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