Obama seeks new start with Muslims

Barack Obama, the US president, has called for a "new beginning" with the world's 1.5 billion Muslims. Laying out his vision on Thursday for a new US partnership with the Muslim world during a visit to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, Obama said the "cycle of suspicion and discord" must end."I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect and based on the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition," Obama told a crowd of invited guests at the Cairo University."Instead, they overlap, and share common principles, principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."But Obama, who is on a visit to the Middle East and reached Cairo from Saudi Arabia, cautioned against expecting immediate change."No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point," he said."But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors."