Obama voices dismay at Israel''s settlement policies

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (KUNA) -- US President Barack Obama warned that continuous Israeli settlement activities may lead to undermining confidence with the Palestinian peace negotiators.
Speaking at a news conference, held in Jakarta on Wednesday, Obama vowed anew to exert further efforts for achieving peace in the Middle East. However, he cautioned that major obstacles continued to block the peace path.
Obama renewed the call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and warned that the resumption of the construction of settlements would not help in realizing the objectives of the peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Israel has declared fresh plans for building 1,300 residential units in East Jerusalem, despite robust Palestinian opposition to the new escalatory move.
Obama, who started his era with an address, full of diplomatic overtures, to the Muslim nation, is positively eyed by many Muslim Indonesians. Moreover, his personal desire to establish peace in the troubled Middle East has been very much applauded by many quarters in the Muslim world.
There are mixed sentiments in Indonesia toward the US regional policies. Over the past years, US and western interests were attacked in the country. The most ferocious ones were the blasts in Bali that resulted in the killing of 200 people. (end) aib.rk KUNA 100919 Nov 10NNNN