United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he's "very much encouraged" by President Barack Obama's cooperation with the UN and efforts in the first 10 days of his presidency to spur the Middle East peace process.
Mr Ban said he spoke with President Obama by phone about the Middle East and told him the new administration "should take this as a matter of priority," the UN chief said today in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
He praised Mr Obama's move to dispatch Middle East envoy George Mitchell. "That's very encouraging," Ban said in the interview. "The United States can lead this Middle East peace process." Mr Mitchell has met Israeli and Egyptian leaders during a regional tour aimed at consolidating a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
The visit comes as Egyptian and European diplomats try to cement the truce between Israel and Hamas after 22 days of fighting left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead and killed 13 Israelis.
Israel and the Palestinians failed last year to conclude an accord on the outlines of a Palestinian state, after talks were initiated in late 2007 by former President George W. Bush in Annapolis, Maryland.
Mr Ban said he also spoke with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and plans to work "very closely" with the US.
Bloomberg