Obama stimulus plan 'on target'

Barack Obama, the US president, has said a new $825bn economic stimulus plan is "on target" to be approved by the middle of February.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis that has to be dealt with, and dealt with rapidly," Obama said as he met leaders from both major US parties at the White House on Friday.

Obama also said that he had been receiving bad news about the state of the economy during his new in-depth daily economic briefing, which he instituted after taking office on Tuesday.

"Frankly the news has not been good - each day brings, I think, a greater focus on the problems that we are having, not only in terms of job loss but also in terms of some of the instabilities in the financial system."
Obama has been hoping to secure a large bipartisan majority for the stimulus package in congress to register a major political success in the symbolic first 100 days of his administration.

But some Republicans have doubts over the size and focus of the package.

"I recognise that there are still some differences around the table and between the administration and members of congress about particular details on the plan," Obama said.

Accountability questions

Obama also warned that the second half of a $700bn bailout of financial firms being debated in congress must ensure more accountability than that implemented by the Bush administration.

He mentioned recent press reports which said some Wall Street executives at companies that had received public bailout money had recently upgraded offices and private bathrooms.

He said politicians must "put in place the kinds of reform elements, oversight, transparency, accountability, that's going to be required in order for the American people to have confidence in what we're doing".

Obama was flanked as he spoke by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, the senior Republican in the House, Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader and Mitch McConnell, his Republican counterpart.

Obama's comments came a day after Timothy Geithner, the US Treasury secretary-designate, vowed to reform the US financial system to make it stronger and more able to withstand world market turmoil.
Source: Agencies

Obama urges action on Gaza borders

Barack Obama, the US president, has called on Israel to open its borders with Gaza to humanitarian aid and commerce in his first public remarks on the crisis there since becoming president.

Obama, who said he was deeply concerned about the loss of life in Gaza, also reiterated the US view that Israel had a right to defend itself from Palestinian rocket attacks.

"Now we must extend a hand of opportunity to those who seek peace, as part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza's border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce," Obama said.

The US leader was speaking at the state department as he named George Mitchell, former peace negotiator in Northern Ireland, as US special envoy for the Middle East.

Obama also reiterated the US backing for international demands made of the Hamas movement - that it recognise Israel, end violence and agree to recognise previous peace agreements with Israel.

He said the US would support efforts to end weapons smuggling across the Gaza border from Egypt.

However, he called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza following its offensive, and said the US would provide humanitarian and economic assistance to the millions of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman, told Al Jazeera Obama's remarks seemed to show that the US viewed the situation through "Israeli eyes".

Veteran negotiator
Mitchell, 75, acknowledged there were "many reasons to be sceptical" about the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

"The key is the mutual commitment of the parties, and the active participation of the United States government," he said.

He is best known for helping to broker Northern Ireland's historic Good Friday agreement in 1998 which ended decades of bloody conflict.

In 2000, he also presided over a committee investigating the ongoing violence of the Middle East conflict, which recommended Palestinians do more to stop attacks on Israel and an end to Israeli settlement building on occupied land.

Obama also named Richard Holbrooke, a former UN ambassador, as his special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Source: Aljazeera and Agencies

Obama sets agenda on first day

Barack Obama, the US president, has issued his first executive orders amid a flurry of activity from the new US administration on the Middle East, Guantanamo Bay and the economy.

Obama issued orders aimed at freezing White House senior staff pay, placing tighter controls on lobbyists and increasing freedom of information about the presidency ahead of meetings on the economy and Iraq.

Obama told White House staff on Wednesday that "transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency".

The US president had already made requests halting military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay and called both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to express his support for a ceasefire in Gaza.

As Obama's team set a frenetic pace on his first full day in office, Hillary Clinton, the former New York senator and Obama's presidential rival, was confirmed as secretary of state by the US senate.

The president also met his senior team of economic advisers as he tries to implement an economic stimulus plan that could be worth more than $800bn.

Then, Obama was due to call in the Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Robert Gates, the US defence secretary and other military advisers at a National Security Council meeting, including David Petraeus, his senior commander in the Middle East.
"The president is going to get an update about what is going on in Iraq," Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman, said.

"He will ask for planning to redeploy combat troops within 16 months."

Obama is to focus the US military's efforts on the battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Washington is expected to move about 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan as forces are withdrawn from Iraq.

The Taliban, which has fought a bloody war with US and Nato forces since being pushed from power in 2001, said that Obama, should pull his troops out of the country and let Afghans decide their own fate.

"We have no problem with Obama ... [but] he must learn lessons from Bush and before that the Soviets," Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the movement told the AFP news agency.

Executive orders

Obama said the order on White House pay was necessary at a time when many in the US were facing economic troubles.

"During this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," Obama said.

As well as introducing tighter controls on lobbyists working in the White House, Obama also banned administration staff from receiving gifts from lobbyists.

Obama also introduced new rules designed to increase access to information about the presidency, meaning that he could no longer deny requests for information without the agreement of US government officials.

Middle East

Obama has been under pressure to focus on the Middle East as Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip after an offensive that has left more than 1,300 Palestinians dead, nearly a third of them children, and more than 5,000 injured.
Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, also died in the 22-day offensive.

The new US leader acted quickly to telephone both Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister.

"He used this opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and to express his hope for their continued cooperation and leadership," Gibbs said in a statement.

Obama had already issued a request that trials of al-Qaeda suspects held at Guantanamo Bay be halted for 120 days.

The trial of five suspects accused of planning the September 11 attacks was halted on Wednesday following the request.

Obama began work at the Oval Office early on Wednesday, despite only returning to the White House at 1am after touring at least 10 of the inaugural balls being held in his honour.

The former Illinois senator and his family had attended a prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral earlier in the day that marked the final part of the ceremonies for inauguration as president.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies