A poll conducted by Maktub Research site shows that Egyptians and Saudis are most optimistic of positive changes in the United States policy towards the Arab world, after US President Barack Obama 's speech at Cairo University on Thursday. The results of the poll, conducted by Alhurra TV channel which included more than 700 people from Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, showed that more than 75% of the participants had positive expectations. More than half of them felt that the United States policy towards the Arab region will improve whilst 60% said that the United States seeks to "promote a solution to the Iraq war, which will benefit the Arab world."
The results showed that more than 40% agreed strongly that the United States aims to establish an independent and viable Palestinian state. An analysis of the poll results revealed that Egyptians were increasingly positive toward Obama's speech. 28.8% of respondents said their views of the speech were very positive and the results showed that 61% of those surveyed were optimistic of a positive change in the Arab and Islamic worlds in general and in their own countries in particular. 28% expressed the belief that the policy of the United States will remain the same, and 4% thought that the policy of the United States will become more negative. The Egyptians and the Saudis are the most optimistic for a positive change in policies toward the Arab world by 69.8% and 74.2% according to the poll. The sample surveyed was less optimistic when asked about US policy toward their countries and 55% said they believed that Washington's policies will change their countries in a positive way following the speech of President Obama. 70% of the participants in the website survey on the internet believed that the United States is determined to promote democracy in the Middle East, while 36% expressed their belief that the United States seek to impose Western values on the region. 70% of the participants thought that Obama's government wishes to establish an independent Palestinian state and that this is its intention. When asked if President Obama intends to find a solution to the war in Iraq that would reflect positively on the whole Arab world; 85% of those polled answered affirmatively.
