Mixed reaction appears in Mideast to Obama´s win in U.S. presidential election

Earlier in the day, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari congratulated Obama for his victory.

In an interview with Arabiyah television, Zebari said he does not see any immediate change in the U.S. policy toward Iraq with the new U.S. president.

Meanwhile, Iran, Syria and the Palestinian Hamas movement, three U.S. rivals in the Mideast, voiced their wait-and-see approach to Obama's policy in the area and urged the United States to avert its "wrong policy" in the Middle East.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday that the new U.S. government should recognize the Americans' demand to distance itself from the wrong approaches of the current Bush administration.

Former Iranian Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel welcomed Obama's victory as the sign of triumph over the unpopular policies of Bush.

The Bush administration said it focused on diplomacy to try to resolve Iran's disputed nuclear issue, but it insisted to take "no option off the table."

On Wednesday, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal expressed hope that Obama would bring change in the big power's foreign policy, saying Obama would "change the U.S. foreign policy from a policy of war and siege to one of diplomacy and dialogue."

Syria has been blacklisted by Washington as a sponsor of terrorism and under continuous U.S. isolation.

The Syrian-U.S. ties witnessed a new low recently after U.S. military helicopters launched a cross-border raid ten days ago in a Syrian village, killing eight Syrian civilians.

Also on Wednesday, exiled Hamas politburo leader Khaled Meshaal said that his group is ready to deal with a new U.S. administration led by Obama.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said his movement will judge on Obama according to his political stances rather than his political agenda, calling on Obama to "rethink the American foreign policy towards the Palestinian cause and to stop the clear bias towards the (Israeli) occupation."

The United States, like most Western nations, does not recognize Hamas, the militant group which vows to erase Israel from the Middle East map.

Obama has said that his country should not hold direct talks with Hamas unless the latter recognizes Israel and abide by peace deals.

Editor:Zheng Limin