Media Reaction: "President Barack Obama's Inauguration"

UNCLAS COTONOU 000242 PARIS FOR ARS (DWINTON) DEPARTMENT FOR AF/PD (ANYASO, TITUS, LISENBY),AF/W (ACOOK) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OEXC KPAO SCUL BN SUBJECT: Media Reaction: "President Barack Obama's Inauguration" ¶1. Summary: The Beninese media reacted positively to President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo on June 4. The speech generated several articles and comments in the leading print and electronic media. End summary. ¶2. The most prominently published articles include: June 5 The right-of-center independent daily L'Autre Quotidien, relaying the British News Agency Reuters, carried an article titled "Relations between the United States and the Muslim world: Barack Obama wants a new deal." The author of the article began his story by mentioning that at the University of Cairo, Barack Obama made a speech in which he pled for a new deal in the relations between the United States and the Muslim world. The author of the article pursued his analysis with the following comments: ..."In willing to turn the page of the Bush era, the American President affirmed that the relations between Washington and Muslim countries should be based on respect and mutual interest, not on competition." ... "The Chief of the White House did not announce any new initiative to resolve the Middle-East conflict. L'Autre Quotidien also carried an Agence Panafricaine's article titled "Reactions to President Obama's speech in the Middle-East." Below are excerpts from the article: "The Palestinian Authority welcomes the new American approach."... "In his Cairo speech, Barack Obama showed that there is a new, different American policy regarding the Palestinian issue."... "The Director of the Israeli press Office has the feeling that President Obama's message held no major surprises, and that the current disagreements between Israel and the United States were well understood." ... "The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to take a position for a Palestinian State and qualified as unrealistic the US request for a total ban on Israeli settlement." In its evening news program on June 4, the state-controlled TV station, ORTB, carried the following comments on President Barack Obama's speech: "A maneuver of seduction or a deliberate expression of a new deal between the United States and the Arab world?" "Barack Obama is ready to write a new page with his Middle-East partners, a new page based on mutual respect and the promotion of human rights." ... "Barack Obama's ideology has nothing to do with the Bush policy."... "This speech will undoubtedly leave some impact." ¶3. In local restaurants and coffee bars, the Beninese public in general applauded President Barack Obama's speech and described the new President of the United States as God's messenger who will save the world. Rawlings