BEIRUT, January 28, 2009 (MENASSAT)  — When US President Barack Obama appeared Tuesday night on the pan-Arabic satellite TV station Al-Arabiya, the Arab street was in utter disbelief. Coffee shops, bars, and internet cafes in Beirut were buzzing.

Not only was it his first TV interview from the White House since his inauguration on January 20, but his administration had picked a Dubai-based Arabic-language news channel and not CNN, Fox, BBC – insert big western media outlet here.

Hisham Melham, the Washington Bureau Chief for Al-Arabiya, said station management had prepared him to conduct an exclusive interview with Obama’s new US Middle East envoy, George Mitchell.

Melham had earlier pressed for an interview with Mitchell when he learned the new envoy was due to travel to the Middle East immediately after his official appointment.

Al-Arabiya executives were told by the White House to be ready for a “major interview” on Monday, and shortly before 9 am on Monday morning, Melham received a call from a very particular Washington D.C. number.

“It was that 202 area code number. We knew it was the White House,” said a smiling Melham commenting on his Obama scoop on Al-Arabiya Tuesday night.

The voice on the phone continued saying, as Melham remembers it, “My name is so and so, and I'm either going to make your day or ruin your day. Would you like to chat with the President at about 5 p.m. today?'

Melham jokingly responded, “I guess I can accommodate the President.”

On Monday afternoon, Melham arrived at the White House at 3pm, and some three hours later, Melham was “schmoozing” with Obama in the Oval Office.

‘Listening-not dictating’

In the interview, which was broadcast across the Arab world, Obama stressed it was his job “to communicate to the Muslim world that the Americans are not your enemy.”

“We sometimes make mistakes,” continued Obama, while saying that America was not born as a colonial power and that he hoped for a restoration of “the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago.”

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the new President said, “The most important thing was for the United States to get engaged right away.”

Obama said he said he told new Middle East envoy George Mitchell to “start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating.”

“Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what’s best for them. They’re going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that, instead, it’s time to return to the negotiating table,” said Obama.

Obama also emphasized that Israel will continue to be “a strong ally of the United States” and that he sees Israel’s security as “paramount.”

“But”, he said,  “I also believe that there are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and if there is serious partnership on the other side.”

Obama also said he believed that it was “possible for us to see a Palestinian state” although he did not comment on the timeline of the issue.

There was also talk about Iran, and Obama criticized Teheran for acting in ways that “are not conducive to peace and prosperity in the region,” including their suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon, threats against Israel and “their support of terrorist organizations in the past.”

Yet, he emphasized it was important to show willingness to speak to Iranian leaders and look for “potential avenues for progress.”

‘Internal debate’

In the hours following Obama’s appearance on Al-Arabiya, Arab commentators where clear in their analysis: the Obama interview was a clear signal to Muslims around the world.

But, says Melham, there had been internal debates taking place at the White House about whether it this was the proper timing for Obama to give an interview to the Arab media.

Once the decision was made, however, Al Arabiya had been given most of the support by Obama advisers.

In comparison to its rival, the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television, Saudi-backed Al-Arabiya with its headquarters in Dubai is viewed as a more moderate voice in the Middle East compared to Al-Jazeera's reporting which is perceived by western critics as more sensationalist.

In Beirut cafes following the broadcast of the Obama interview, patrons could not help notice Al-Arabiya’s staff - reporters and news anchors -were “like kids in a candy store,” smiling and breaking into veiled laughter while on-air.

Al-Arabiya reporters were apparently so excited with the “scoop” that they were slipping in words in their colloquial Arabic dialects instead of the classical Arabic that is used in Arab news presentation.

And according to Melham, Obama assured that this was just the beginning of Obama's relationship with the Arabic-language news media. "There will be more (interviews)," Obama is quoted as saying as Melhem left the White House.


MORE:

► FROM TIME: How Al-Arabiya got the Obama interview

► WATCH THE INTERVIEW: