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Reaction to President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize is mixed in the Middle East. The World’s Aaron Schachter reports.
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KATY CLARK: Reaction around the globe to President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize has been mixed. That’s certainly the case in the Middle East. The World’s Aaron Schachter reports from Beirut.
AARON SCHACHTER: Here in Lebanon, Hezbollah Member of Parliament Hassan Fadlallah reacted skeptically to the news. He said he had seen no signs of peace from President Obama yet, and he said he’s waiting for deeds not words. But to the south in Israel President Shimon Peres offered effusive praise for Mr. Obama perhaps a little over the top, considering the recent disagreements Israel has had with the U.S. President.
HASAN FADLALLAH: Here in Jerusalem the bells will ring again with a new hope, and a feeling that there is a Lord in heaven and believer on earth, and both of us can act together to move properly and determinedly to provide a new reality. Mr. President, I congratulate you from the depth of my heart.
SCHACHTER: But the reaction on the street from many in this part of the world can best be summed up this way. “Huh?”
MUNA NASHASHIBI: Of course, of course they will be skeptical.
SCHACHTER: Muna Nashishibi monitors media in the Middle East for a London-based organization called Arab Media Watch. She says it’s not that people in the region don’t like President Obama, or appreciate the things he’s had to say, it’s just that, well, he hasn’t actually done anything yet.
NASHISHIBI: He projected an image that there can be change, you know, but we see now he hasn’t really worked towards that change. I’ve lost a bit of confidence in this Nobel committee really.
SCHACHTER: In the larger Middle East more mixed reaction, some of it quite predictable. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, an embattled U.S. ally, expressed appreciation of the president’s, quote, “Creation of friendly international relations.” The Taliban, on the other hand, condemned the award as unjust, saying president Obama has not taken a single step for peace in Afghanistan. Surprisingly, Mr. Obama did get some praise from Iran. A spokesman for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who has never expressed any great enthusiasm for America’s Commander in Chief, said quote, “We hope that this gives him the incentive to walk in the path of bringing justice to the world order.” In awarding the Peace Prize to Mr. Obama, the Nobel committee said it had attached special importance to his vision of a world without nuclear weapons. That’s crucial these days in this region. Many observers believe if Iran’s nuclear program isn’t checked, it’s only a matter of time before a full-blown nuclear arms race takes off. Mohamid El Baradei heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says no one is more deserving of the prize today than Barack Obama.
MOHAMID EL BARADEI: He’s committed to democracy. Dialogue and diplomacy are the best way to resolve conflict. So, the Nobel Prize Committee in many ways tried to not just recognize achievement but encourage people who are on the right track.
SCHACHTER: For The World, I’m Aaron Schachter in Beirut.
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