For Barack Obama first formal interview as president. Obama did not chose Dateline, CNN or any other major network, but rather an Arabic satellite network.

In an interview with Al Arabiya, that aired Tuesday. Obama reached out to the Muslim community to open communication after years of distrust between the US and the Islamic world. "My job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world, that the language we use has to be a language of respect". Obama also said "I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect." Obama also told the the Dubai-based network, that it is important to "engage" with the Middle East immediately in order to repair relations.

Sen. George Mitchell, arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a regional visit. Obama said he told Mitchell to "start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating." Although Obama's interview was criticized in Iran, it was also broadcast throughout the Arabic nation with a overwhelming  positive response.

Jamil Mroue, a Lebanese journalist and publisher said, "It's different from what we've seen in forever. This is his first official interview, and it's addressed to Al Arabiya? It's a logical extension of his inauguration speech, but it's unprecedented."

So what do you think of Obama's decision to give his first formal interview on an Arabic network?