BICOM

US President Barack Obama highlighted the importance of advancing the Arab-Israeli peace process during his speech yesterday at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

Obama used the opportunity to lay out a vision for the United States’ involvement in shaping the future of the Middle East, an apparent shift from a desire to focus foreign policy more firmly on Asia. He said, “In the near term, America’s diplomatic efforts will focus on two particular issues: Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.” Obama announced that he has instructed US Secretary of State John Kerry to conduct talks with Tehran’s leadership over its nuclear programme, saying “The roadblocks may prove to be too great but I firmly believe the diplomatic path must be tested.” However, he emphasised that “To succeed, conciliatory words will have to be matched by [Iranian] actions that are transparent and verifiable.”

Turning his attention to the Israel-Palestinian peace process, Obama said that resolving this issue and Iran’s nuclear programme “would have a profound and positive impact on the entire Middle East and North Africa.” He prefaced comments on the current peace talks, which have taken place between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in several rounds during the past few weeks, by saying “the United States will never compromise our commitment to Israel’s security, nor our support for its existence as a Jewish state.” Obama praised both Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for having “demonstrated a willingness to take significant political risks” for the sake of peace. He called on the international community to rally round the peace process, which he said “could be an engine for growth and opportunity.”

Netanyahu later praised Obama’s insistence during his speech that Iranian action must follow recent rhetoric, commenting “I look forward to discussing this with him [Obama] in Washington next week.”