WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama s popularity in Arab nations has risen sharply compared to his predecessor George W. Bush, a poll showed Monday ahead of his trip to the heart of the Arab-Muslim world.
In seven out of 10 Arab countries plus the Palestinian territories surveyed by Gallup, Obama s popularity saw double-digit percentage increases compared with ratings for Bush compiled mostly from last year, the poll showed.
These upsurges may reflect positive reception to Obama and his administration s public outreach to the Muslim world, Gallup analysts said in a report published with the poll results.
The president s overtures toward pulling US troops out of Iraq and closing Guantanamo Bay prison … also may have resonated with residents, said the report issued ahead of Obama s departure for Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Obama will hold talks with King Abdullah, seeking Arab support for US peace efforts for the Middle East.
The following day, the US leader will make a personal address in Egypt to the world s Muslims, seeking to heal rifts and rebuild Arab trust in the United States.
Approval of the US president was up by 19 points to 25 percent in Egypt and up 17 points to 29 percent in Saudi Arabia from ratings in May 2008 of six and 12 percent for Bush, the poll showed.
But the poll showed that Obama s popularity fell in the Palestinian Territories from 13 percent for Bush to seven percent and also declined in Lebanon, from 25 to 22 percent in May 2008.
Gallup speculated that the drop in the Palestinian territories was perhaps related to Obama s silence during Israel s attacks on Gaza shortly before he took office.
Tunisia in north Africa saw the largest percentage change, with Obama s ratings rising to 37 percent from a 14 percent approval rating for Bush in June last year.
Obama also registered a double-digit rise in popularity in Syria, where 15 percent of those polled said they approved of the US president compared with only four percent for Bush last year.
In addition to Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the Palestinian Territories, surveys were also conducted in Algeria, Kuwait, Mauritania, Qatar and Yemen. Around 1,000 adults aged 15 and older were polled in each country. -AFP
