CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - President Barack Obama chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, part of a concerted effort to repair relations with the Muslim world that were damaged under the previous administration.
Obama cited his Muslim background and relatives, practically a taboo issue during the U.S. presidential campaign, and said in the interview, which aired Tuesday, that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims 'that the Americans are not your enemy.'
The interview on the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel aired as Obama's new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also take him to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Obama said the U.S. had made mistakes in the past but 'that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that.'
Obama condemned Iran's threats against Israel, pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist organizations, but said 'it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress.'
In contrast to the enthusiastic reception Obama's victory has garnered around the world, the Arab world has been much more cautious about the new U.S. president—with most people skeptical that American policy in the region will change substantially.
Obama's choice of Al-Arabiya network, which is owned by a Saudi businessman, follows the lead of the Bush administration, which gave several presidential interviews to that news channel.
Hady Amr, director of the Brookings Doha Center, an arm of the U.S. think-tank in the Qatari capital, described decision to make the first presidential interview with an Arabic news network as 'stunning.'
'President Obama has made it absolutely clear ... that a central priority will be repairing America's relations with the Muslim world,' he said. 'If that's his objective, I'd say he's been hitting home run after home run.'
In the interview, Obama called for a new partnership with the Muslim world 'based on mutual respect and mutual interest.'
This appeal does seem to have struck a chord among many Muslims.
Read the full article HERE.
