UNITED STATES President Barack Obama spent his first full day at the White House taking on issues likely to consume the early part of his presidency - dealing with the economic crisis, calling leaders in the Middle East, and moving towards the closure of the Guantánamo Bay prison.

Claiming his place in history as the first black US president, Obama faces the challenge of pulling the US economy out of its nosedive and also must move on his promise to withdraw American forces from Iraq and send still more soldiers to the US's other war in Afghanistan.

Obama met with top US military and economic advisers yesterday and also called the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan.

His press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said Obama emphasised that he would work to consolidate the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The new president also signalled that a flurry of executive actions should be expected soon. His administration was already circulating a draft executive order that calls for closing the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay within a year and that would declare a halt to all trials currently under way at the facility.

It was not known when the president intended to issue the order.

Obama ventured into the Oval Office for the first time as president around 8:30 a.m., after returning to the White House from a round of inaugural balls about 1 a.m., Gibbs said.

Public visitors

The president and the new first lady, Michelle Obama, then headed to the National Cathedral for a prayer service, a tradition dating to the country's first president, George Washington.

In addition to meeting with his advisers, Obama was welcoming public visitors into the White House, as Congress was scrutinising his economic revival plan and taking up the nominations of Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy Geithner for treasury secretary.

A new poll underscored the sense of anticipation that accompanied Obama into office.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 94-2, confirming Clinton as secretary of state.

The Associated Press-Knowledge Networks survey found that, by a 3-1 margin, people feel more optimistic about the country's future now that Obama has been inaugurated, including 30 per cent of Republicans.