No 44 in his first day

US President No 44 Barack Obama plunges into his first day | The Australian

BARACK Obama spent the first 10 minutes in the Oval Office yesterday alone, reading a private note, addressed to "44", left for him by George W. Bush, the 43rd president.

He then plunged into his first day as US President.

President Obama was soon on the phone to leaders of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, determined to make good on his promise to engage in the Middle East peace process as soon as he took office. And late yesterday, he appeared poised to issue an executive order calling for the closure within a year of the Guantanamo Bay military prison.

President Obama held a meeting of his national security staff and his military commander and ambassador in Iraq "to get a full update on the situation". He asked them to start "additional planning necessary to execute a responsible military drawdown from Iraq", according to a statement from the President released by the White House.

In "the coming days and weeks, I will also visit the Department of Defence to consult with the Joint Chiefs (of Staff) on these issues, and we will undertake a full review of the situation in Afghanistan in order to develop a comprehensive policy for the entire region", Mr Obama said.

As early as this morning, Mr Obama was expected to have signed an executive order declaring a goal to shut the Guantanamo Bay prison camp within a year, though it is understood his administration is still trying to work out how to deal with the 250 detainees, many of whom are self-acknowledged terrorists who will never be released and will probably be forced to transfer to military jails in the US.

A draft order circulating yesterday committed only to a review on how to deal with the remaining prisoners.

Mr Obama is expected to announce new rules on questioning terror suspects, following the controversial years of the Bush administration in which detainees were subject to harsh interrogation that many have called torture.

About 60 detainees had been cleared for release by the Bushadministration, including 17 Chinese Muslims, called Uyghurs. The Bush administration asked the Rudd Government just last month if it would accept the Uyghurs. The request was denied, but the issue could be revisited by the Obama administration.

Mr Obama, in a speech before his senior White House staff at their televised swearing-in ceremony, declared a new era of openness and accountability for government in Washington. Taking a swipe at the Bush administration, Mr Obama said: "For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city. The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed. That era is now over."

By any measure, it was a packed agenda following a late night for the Obamas, who had attended 10 inauguration balls and finally made it back to the White House in the early hours of the morning.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that by 8.35am in Washington yesterday, Mr Obama arrived in the Oval Office "and spent 10 minutes alone".

"He read the note left to him by president Bush that was in an envelope marked "To: #44, From: #43". At 8.45am, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel came in to discuss the schedule of the events and the first lady, Michelle Obama, entered the Oval Office at 9.10am.

Then Mr Obama picked up the phone. He called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"He used this opportunity on his first day in office to communicate his commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term, and to express his hope for their continued co-operation and leadership."

Acknowledging the Gaza conflict and the ceasefire, Mr Gibbs said Mr Obama "emphasised his determination to help consolidate the ceasefire by establishing an effective anti-smuggling regime to prevent Hamas from rearming, and facilitating, in partnership with the Palestinian Authority, a major reconstruction effort for Palestinians in Gaza".

"He pledged that the US would do its part to make these efforts successful, working closely with the international community and these partners as they fulfil their responsibilities as well," Mr Gibbs said, describing the "warm nature of these calls".

Yesterday also saw the confirmation of his top cabinet appointee, former rival Hillary Clinton. She won overwhelming Senate approval as Secretary of State, despite renewed Republican concerns about potential conflicts of interest created by overseas fundraising by her husband, Bill Clinton.

The day also offered a part rerun of the inauguration ceremony. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was called to the White House to readminister the oath of office after flubbing the lines the day before.

"We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the President was sworn in appropriately yesterday," said White House counsel Greg Craig. "But the oath appears in the constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time."