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Mid-East leaders welcome Obama Mid-East leaders welcome Obama
(about 2 hours later)
Leaders across the Middle East have congratulated Barack Obama and given him a cautious welcome on his election as the next US president.Leaders across the Middle East have congratulated Barack Obama and given him a cautious welcome on his election as the next US president.
Israel said he was committed to its security, while the Palestinians urged him to work for a peace deal.Israel said he was committed to its security, while the Palestinians urged him to work for a peace deal.
Iraq's foreign minister said he did not expect a quick US troop disengagement.Iraq's foreign minister said he did not expect a quick US troop disengagement.
And a senior Iranian leader and the Palestinian militant group Hamas both spoke of failings and "mistakes" of outgoing President George W Bush.And a senior Iranian leader and the Palestinian militant group Hamas both spoke of failings and "mistakes" of outgoing President George W Bush.
The newly-elected Democratic senator faces a raft of issues across the region:
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  • the status of the US troop presence in Iraq
  • concerns about a potentially nuclear-armed Iran
  • the fall-out from a recent US raid on Syria
  • a push by the incumbent administration to negotiate a deal between Israel and the Palestinians
 The newly-elected Democratic senator faces a raft of issues across the region:
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  • the status of the US troop presence in Iraq
  • concerns about a potentially nuclear-armed Iran
  • the fall-out from a recent US raid on Syria
  • a push by the incumbent administration to negotiate a deal between Israel and the Palestinians
In Iraq, a senior political adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, described Mr Obama's rise to become the first African-American US president as "an unprecedented example of democracy". In Iraq, a senior political adviser to the Iraqi prime minister described Mr Obama's rise to become the first African-American US president as "an unprecedented example of democracy".
Mr Obama was opposed to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and has advocated a swift withdrawal of US troops. Mr Obama was opposed to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and has advocated a swift withdrawal of US troops, but Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he did not expect a policy change "overnight".
The American people have to change their policies in order to get rid of the quagmire made by President Bush for them Iranian official Gholamali Haddad Adel But Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he did not expect a policy change "overnight". The American people have to change their policies in order to get rid of the quagmire made by President Bush for them Iranian official Gholamali Haddad Adel
The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says there is concern Mr Obama will pull out American troops before Iraqi forces are fully ready to deal with the country's still very deep security problems. In Iran, Gholamali Haddad Adel, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the US needed to change its policies "to get rid of the quagmire made by President Bush".
In Iran, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Illinois senator's win was a sign of the failure of his predecessor:
"The American people have to change their policies in order to get rid of the quagmire made by President Bush for them," said Gholamali Haddad Adel.
Mr Obama has said he supports unconditional negotiations with Iran, a long-time US foe.Mr Obama has said he supports unconditional negotiations with Iran, a long-time US foe.
Another aide to Ayatollah Khamenei said there was "capacity for the improvement" of US-Iranian ties, "if Obama pursues his campaign promises, including not confronting other countries as Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan", according to comments reported by Reuters news agency. Another aide to Ayatollah Khamenei said there was "capacity for the improvement" of US-Iranian ties, "if Obama pursues his campaign promises", Reuters news agency reported.
'A great leader''A great leader'
The victory was also welcomed in Israel, although Mr Obama's openness to talks with Iran and generally less hawkish stance have caused concern among some. Dear Mr President, The world needs a great leader. It is in your making. It is in our prayers. God bless you Letter from Shimon Peres Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas expressed hope that Mr Obama would help "speed up efforts to achieve peace", while one of his advisers called on him to "stay the course" on current US-brokered peace talks.
Palestinians are hoping for tangible steps in US-sponsored talksForeign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israelis had been impressed by Mr Obama's "commitment to the peace and security of Israel" and that the country hoped to "continue to strengthen the lasting special relationship between our two countries". Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israelis had been impressed by Mr Obama's "commitment to the peace and security of Israel", while outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the US-Israeli "special relationship" would be "strengthened" under Obama.
She also praised Mr Obama's Republican rival John McCain, for his "long-standing friendship". Israeli President Shimon Peres wrote to Mr Obama saying: "Dear Mr President, The world needs a great leader. It is in your making. It is in our prayers. God bless you."
Israeli President Shimon Peres described Mr Obama as "young, fresh, promising, representing a change and introducing change". A spokesman for the Palestinian militant group Hamas told AFP news agency that Mr Obama "must learn from the mistakes of the previous administrations" and improve global ties rather than "wave the big American stick".
"Nobody should look at whose side the President is on - he just has to be on the side of peace," he said. On the streets across the region, many welcomed the departure of Mr Bush, and his replacement with a man with a Muslim father and Hussein as a middle name.
He also sent Mr Obama a letter which reads: "Dear Mr President, The world needs a great leader. It is in your making. It is in our prayers. God bless you." "This confirms that the US and its people are not racist. The American people chose Obama, who is African [by origin] and whose father is Muslim, to voice rejection of policies of the conservatives in the outgoing administration," Saudi businessman Ali al-Harithi told AFP in Dubai.
Saeb Erekat, aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinians hoped Mr Obama would "stay the course" on the current US engagement in peace talks, Reuters reported. Palestinians are hoping for tangible steps in US-sponsored talks
"We hope the two-state vision would be transferred from a vision to a realistic track immediately," he said. Some expressed great optimism, such as advertising executive Adel Shams in Bahrain: "I believe that he can do something to solve the Palestinian question, and that he will withdraw US troops from Iraq. I also think that he will resolve the Iran nuclear standoff."
A spokesman for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which seized control of Gaza last year and which is considered a terrorist organisation by the US, told AFP news agency that Mr Obama "must learn from the mistakes of the previous administrations, including that of Bush which has destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine." But others, like Mohammed Fayad in Gaza, expected little change: "We do not know him. Things are not clear now. We do not know whether he will follow the policy of his predecessor and bow to the Jewish lobby."
"He must improve US ties with the rest of the world rather than wave the big American stick," said spokesman Fawzi Barhum. And although the left-leaning Israeli press was cautiously positive, many Israelis, such as charity worker Shoshana Bair, feared Mr Obama's allegiance would lie with the Palestinians:
"There's no doubt great apprehension. On the face of things it's frightening," she told AP news agency.