US presidential hopeful Barack Obama said in an interview with a French magazine today that if he wins he wants to help bridge the divide between Muslims and the West.

His priority, he told Paris Match, would be ending the war in Iraq, removing one to two brigades per month with all troops out around 2009.

Mr Obama also wants to set a positive image of the US in the Muslim world, organising a summit “with all the heads of state to discuss frankly how to bridge the gap growing each day between Muslims and the West.”

He said he would like to ask Muslim heads of state to join the war against terrorism.
“We must also listen to their concerns,” he added.

Mr Obama also told Paris Match he wanted direct talks with countries like Iran and Syria.

“We won’t be able to stabilise the region if we don’t talk to our enemies,” Mr Obama said.

Mr Obama, a senator from Illinois, is vying with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for the presidency ahead of the November vote.

Obama has worked to correct the misconception that he himself is a Muslim, emphasising that he attends a Christian church. His father and stepfather were Muslim and he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country.

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