Amman - Jordanians appeared split over the possibility that the election of Barack Obama as new US president will lead to a "change" in the US Middle East policy, according to an opinion poll published Tuesday.

The survey conducted by the Centre of Strategic Studies (CSS) at the University of Jordan showed that only 43 per cent of the national sample believed Obama's election would "change" the US policy in the region, compared with 57 per cent who said they did not expect such a shift.

A majority of respondents from the national sample and opinion leaders also said they believed Obama's win "will not have a positive impact" on Middle East issues foremost the Palestinian cause and US policy toward Iraq and Iran.

The poll, which had a margin of error of 3 per cent, showed that 45 per cent of the respondents thought Obama's election would help improve the deteriorating image of the United States in the Arab world while 55 per cent disagreed.

Mohammad Masri, the head of the CSS Studies Unit, said the survey did demonstrate a degree of "optimism" among respondents that Obama's election could have a "positive impact" on the region's questions in general.

"This optimism may rise or diminish according to Obama's ability to deal with the region's key issues," Masri said.

The survey also showed that a majority of respondents believed Obama's ability to improve the US' image would depend on the way he dealt with the Palestinian question as well as the situation in Iraq and Iran's nuclear file. (dpa)