Obama at New York - continued

He said that, by next year, all UN member states should announce the steps they have taken to combat domestic extremism.

3 - "We must address the cycle...of sectarian conflict."

"Violence within Muslim communities" has become the source of the current misery, and Obama demanded that local leaders denounce sectarian strife.

He praised the "inclusive" new government in Iraq, which he said had come dangerously close to returning to "the abyss."

He said the US is training and equipping rebels in Syria - a key US-backed rebel group yesterday spoke out against the airstrikes.

He promised that the US will "remain engaged" in the region.

4 - The Arab world must work to engage their young communities.

Addressing young people across the Muslim world, he said that they inherit a tradition that stands for "education, not ignorance."

He said that a choice between "the dictates of the state" and joining extremist groups is no choice at all.

He said "the US will be a peaceful and constructive partner", which will take action against threats to the security of its allies, without giving further details as to what might be considered a threat or who exactly the US's allies are.

He said the landscape in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict appears "bleak", though he claimed that the struggle has been used as "an excuse" for years to distract from domestic problems of countries in the region.

"The status quo in Gaza and the West Bank is not sustainable."