Mideast Leaders React To Obama's Cairo Speech

Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas believes President Barack Obama's historic speech in Cairo on Thursday is "an important step" for a new U.S. policy in the Middle East, but Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei thinks "speeches and mottos" are unlikely to change the "deep hate" of Muslims for the United States.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said Obama's call for an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and "reference to the suffering of Palestinians... is a clear message to Israel that a just peace is built on the foundations of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,"
"President Obama's speech is a good start and an important step towards a new American policy," he added.
Khamenei, meanwhile, dismissed Obama's remarks while addressing thousands during a ceremony to mark the 20th death anniversary of Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
"The vigilance and resistance of world Muslims and their intellectuals urged the western world to change their tone in dealing with Muslims," the official Islamic Republic News Agency reports Khamenei as saying.
"On the U.S. new approach, the Supreme Leader said it is not possible to bring about changes through speeches and mottos but they should take practical steps and compensate all their mistakes and wrongdoings in connection with the Iranian nation as well as the entire region... [America has] resort[ed] to violence, military intervention, discrimination and bullying... and the Muslim nations deeply hate the United States."
Obama said in his address at Cairo University that he was seeking a new relationship with the Islamic world that was not based on differences that "empower those who sow hatred rather than peace."
"No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors," he said.
Citing his boyhood in Indonesia hearing the azaan and his Muslim father, he re-iterated that U.S. bonds with Israel are "unbreakable," but also said, "The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own."
He added that Palestinians "must abandon violence.... [and] develop its capacity to govern." He made clear, "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."
Speaking about nuclear weapons, he said, "For many years, Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is in fact a tumultuous history between us... Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward."
The U.S. President declared that a "decisive point" had been reached on the issue of nuclear weapons, which the West accuses Iran of developing.
"This is not simply about America's interests. It's about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path. Any nation -- including Iran -- should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," Obama said.
The speech was made on the second day of a four-day overseas trip that began in Saudi Arabia, where Obama was welcomed with two messages from al-Qaeda calling him a "criminal" and denouncing his support for Pakistan's fight against militants in the Swat Valley.


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It's funny how we didn't have a repeat episode of this isn't it?