AMMAN, Jordan — Barack Obama has months to go before voters decide whether or not he will become president, but yesterday he adopted much of the pageantry of a leader on the world stage as he completed an official visit of war zones and met up with the considerable media entourage waiting to accompany him on a tour of foreign capitals.

Obama's first encounter with the press corps on the trip put him among ancient ruins on a hilltop, fielding questions on international issues in a televised outdoor news conference with the backdrop a majestic view of the Jordanian capital.

He dined with King Abdullah of Jordan at his palace and was chauffered to his departing plane by the king himself, who drove Obama up to the jet's stairs in his Mercedes 600. Campaign aides tried to brief reporters on the meeting with the king anonymously, justifying the condition as standard practice on White House trips abroad, a rationale that provoked a revolt among campaign reporters and cancellation of the briefing.

The day's events provided the campaign imagery of a candidate appearing poised and confident in the international arena, with no major gaffes to further a story line of inexperience. He arrived at a military airfield in Jordan after a four-day visit to Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying a black helmet and a flak jacket.

Obama moves next to one of the world's most complex and politically sensitive conflicts, the Israeli-Palestinian divide. He arrived last night in Jerusalem and is scheduled for a round of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders today.

Since winning a nomination contest in which Jewish voters overwhelmingly supported his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama has sought to provide reassurance of his support for Israel. But he had to backtrack from comments before a Jewish lobbying group in June supporting an "undivided" Jerusalem, which many interpreted as closing off Palestinian aspirations for a capital in Arab-dominated East Jerusalem. He later clarified his position to oppose physical barriers such as walls separating the city's neighborhoods.

At his news conference in Jordan, Obama pledged to work for a breakthrough in peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians "starting from the minute I'm sworn into office."

Obama said that a president could not "snap his fingers" and bring peace to the Middle East. But, he said, "What I think can change is the ability of ... a United States president to be actively engaged with the peace process, and to be concerned and recognize the legitimate difficulties that the Palestinian people are experiencing right now."