AMMAN, Jordan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama vowed to work for a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations "starting from the minute I'm sworn into office."
He made his comments shortly after arriving in Jordan at a news conference before departing for Israel. He said any U.S. involvement in peace talks must recognize not only Israel's security concerns but also the economic hardships facing Palestinians.
copyright lonely planetHe also said that security in Iraq has improved and that the United States urgently needs to turn its attention to Afghanistan.
"The situation in Afghanistan is perilous and urgent," he said. "We must act now to reverse a deteriorating situation."
"There is security progress, but now we need a political solution" in Iraq, Obama said in the first news conference of his highly publicized trip abroad. Afghanistan is now the "central front in the war against terrorism," he added.
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Obama wants Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
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