<div><p>US President Barack Obama urged Pope Benedict XVI on Friday to keep reminding all parties to Middle East peace efforts of their "responsibilities," the White House said.</p><p>During a roughly 30-minute, one-on-one talk at the Vatican, Obama underlined his commitment to ending the Arab-Israeli conflict and "expressed appreciation for the longstanding efforts of the Holy See and the Pope himself in promoting that," Deputy US National Security Adviser Denis McDonough told reporters.</p><p>The US president told the pontiff that "all sides have responsibilities in this effort" and vowed to continue delivering that message, McDonough said aboard Obama's official Air Force One airplane as he traveled to Ghana.</p><p>Obama also "expressed his hope that the holy father would continue to do that as well, including responsibilities that we believe are important, not just from Israelis but also from the neighboring Arab states," said McDonough.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=54636796&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

Copyright 2009  <a href="http://www.afp.com/english/links/?pid=copyright">AFP Global Edition</a></div></div>