Barack Obama has given his first television interview as US president to a Saudi-backed channel, reinforcing his message to the Muslim and Arab worlds that "Americans are not your enemy".

After promising mutual respect for Muslims in his inaugural speech and moving swiftly to address the Arab-Israeli conflict by appointing George Mitchell as his special envoy, Mr Obama's interview on the Dubai-based al-Arabiya channel raised hopes across the region that a line can be drawn under the past eight years of tense relations.