BBC News with John Jason

President Obama has urged those attending the United Nations General Assembly to put aside pessimism and cynicism and support recently-relaunched Middle East peace talks. He said that while the parties themselves must answer what he described as the "call of history", the world should rally behind them. Mark Mardell at the UN has more on the speech by President Obama.

He urged the Israelis to continue the moratorium on building settlements and told the many friends of Palestine in the hall that they should turn their promises into deeds by normalizing relations with Israel and help build Palestinian institutions. He said recognition of Israel was key and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, had been bold. The president said if the world reached towards what was best inside all of us, by this time next year the UN could have a new member, Palestine. The president doesn't lose anything by being high-minded and hopeful especially at the UN, but it may not just be cynics and pessimists who point out the many hurdles in the way of his lofty ambition.