Ramallah  - US President Barack Obama on Wednesday promised his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas to work for peace in the Middle East, according to Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.

In a statement published on the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Abu Rudeineh said Obama made his first call to Abbas since Obama assumed office on Tuesday, assuring the Palestinian leader that he and his administration "will do all they can to bring peace to the region."

Obama "stressed that his administration will work as a partner with President Abbas toward institution building, reconstruction and achieving peace," said Abu Rudeineh.

Abbas, said his spokesman, congratulated Obama on assuming the US presidency and urged him to work for a just and lasting peace based on international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative. dpa