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17-03-09 Weak US unlikely to seek Mid-East Peace:Israeli professor

With domestic and international problems mounting,President Obama is unlikely to stake the prestige of his Presidency on a quest for Middle East peace,an Israeli security expert said today.Professor Zaki Shalom also said the Israeli public had voted decisively against a policy of restraint in the recent general election.Speaking at a press briefing at the Israeli embassy in Beijing,Professor Shalom said President Obama faced a choice between taking personal charge of the Middle East peace process,following the example of President Carter who brokered the 1979 peace deal between Egypt and Israel,or leaving matters to his Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton."If there is to be a resolution of the conflict with the involvement of the US,it has to come from the President himself," said Professor Shalom."We don't yet know the policy of the Obama administration towards the Middle East.Frankly Obama himself does not know.He has not yet formulated solid thinking on the Middle East." Professor Shalom said the economic problems in the USA are very severe "America is weaker than ever before – it's very weak, and to a certain extent a sick country from many points of view." "A few months ago at Sharm el-Sheikh,President Bush made a comment about Egypt's role in stopping the smuggling of arms to Gaza.President Mubarak did not like what he said and stepped out of the room.This is something we couldn't think of years ago."Professor Shalom said the USA had provoked unnecessary problems with Russia on the issue of stationing missiles in Europe.A further confrontation is brewing,he said,in South America where President Chavez has called for Russia to station bombers in Venezuela.Faced with many domestic and international problems, "Obama will hesitate before he puts himself into the Middle East Arab Israeli conflict as a President."