Obama Seeks to Boost Ties With Muslim Ally Turkey.

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Source: nyt/Reuters

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will seek on Monday to shore up ties with Turkey, a Muslim country with growing clout whose help Washington needs to solve confrontations and conflicts from Iran to Afghanistan.

Obama's April 5-7 visit is a nod to Turkey's regional reach, economic power, unrivalled diplomatic contacts and status as a secular Muslim democracy that has accommodated political Islam.

It is last leg of an eight-day trip marking his debut as president on the world stage.

"The president will discuss the need for the U.S.-Turkish partnership to address regional challenges like the threat from terrorism, the war in Afghanistan, relations with Iran, and the shared goal of lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors," the White House said.'



Read more: http://nytimes.com/reuters/2009/04/05/washington/politics-us-obama-turkey.html

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'Turkey has sought to engage Syria with the West and acted as an indirect peace negotiator between Syria and Israel. It has also pushed to end the isolation of the Hamas militant group in Gaza and bring Iran out of isolation.'