Obama with Abbas
Obama with AbbasIsrael news photo: file

U.S. President Barack Obama began a two-day summit Monday bringing together entrepreneurs from dozens of countries, most of them primarily Muslim. The summit is seen as a continuation of Obama's Cairo address, in which he said he would strive for closer ties with the Muslim world.

The meeting aims to develop economic ties with, and boost development in, the Muslim world. A top Obama aide said the conference was “part of establishing a more multifaceted set of relationships.”

In a similar move, the Obama administration is set to have the U.S. Global Technology and Innovation Fund award contracts to Muslims, in an effort to increase investment in the Muslim world.

Obama's focus on economic and social issues is intended to enhance, not replace, America's involvement in political and defense issues in the Middle East, aides said. The president remains committed to a variety of goals in the Middle East, they explained, among them Israeli-Arab negotiations.

Some of Obama's Middle East policies have proven controversial, particularly his efforts to talk to Iran and his condemnation of Israeli construction in Jerusalem. The latter policy sparked a rally in New York yesterday against Obama's Israel policy.