Washington  - US President Barack Obama called four key leaders in the Middle East on Wednesday, his first full day in office, promising engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process from the start of his term as president.

Obama spoke with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Obama promised to help "consolidate" a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip by preventing Hamas from rearming and helping the Abbas' Palestinian Authority begin a "major reconstruction effort," Gibbs said in a statement.

The last Israeli troops pulled back from Gaza on Wednesday after a three-week offensive that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

Obama said he would work with the international community and ensure that leaders in the region "fulfill their responsibilities" in making the ceasefire hold.

Obama also said his administration was committed to "active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term." Talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on a lasting peace deal and the creation of an independent Palestinian state have stalled amid the Gaza conflict.

Obama signalled in his inauguration speech Tuesday that he intends to move quickly on the foreign policy front even as he tries to pull the country out of its worst recession in decades. Hillary Clinton, his nominee as secretary of state, was expected to be confirmed by the Senate later Wednesday.

According to the Washington Post, Obama will also name former senator George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East in a move designed to quickly address the conflict.

Mitchell served as the special envoy in the Northern Ireland peace process during the 1990s, and was worked on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. dpa