Obama Seeks to Boost Ties With Muslim Ally Turkey.

[elleng]

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.'

[MADem]

1. "Muslim ally" Turkey?

I mean...I KNOW that Turkey is overwhelmingly Muslim, but that's not really how Ataturk (father of modern "secular" Turkey) would probably want the nation identified. Islam is creeping more and more into government over there, and it's as tiresome as all the faith-based Jesus bullshit was over here for the last eight years.

Here's another article, note the very different headline and emphasis, while acknowledging the "Muslim" nature of the country: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090404/FOREIGN/798815626/1013/NEWS

Secular Turkey puts faith in Obama
Hamida Ghafour

Last Updated: April 04. 2009 8:30AM UAE / April 4. 2009 4:30AM GMT



ISTANBUL // When Barack Obama arrives in Turkey tomorrow, Turkish citizens will be keen to emphasise their identity as secular Muslims within Europe and there is no better showcase for that than the Hagia Sophia Museum.

The sixth century Byzantine church was made into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453 but was then turned into a museum in 1935 in the spirit of republicanism.

After bilateral talks in Ankara on Monday, Mr Obama travels to Istanbul where he will tour the museum.

But already excitement is bubbling about the US president’s first trip to a Muslim country and many ordinary citizens hope it will mark a sea change in the West’s relations with Turkey and the wider Muslim world....

[GOPNotForMe]

4. I noticed that too. Thanks for the link.

The lazy journalism we get here is so underwhelming.

[Loudmxr]

2. Lets see how thrilled they will be when we try and recognize the Armenian genocide again.

My CM Adam Schiff reintroduced a bill to recognize the Armenian genocide as ... well a genocide in our own internal US documents. Last time it passed and the Turks and the Bushies threw a hissy fit.

HA HA I suppose they didn't realize the "whiny minority" was 40% Republican. (I know my demographics)

Anyway we will see this time. BTW its not 40% anymore because of the lambasting the Armenians took at the hands of a lot of bigoted Re-thugs its now high 20% or so locally. The Burbank/Glendale area is the largest Armenian population in the world outside of Armenia.

signed Hovik (that's my cute Armenian name- it means Johnny)

[Hope And Change]

3. Agreed.

[bdamomma]

5. Parev Loudmxr

I am curious if the Turks will recognize the Armenian genocide, they need to, we will be watching and listening.

[MADem]

6. What??? You mean that little old "act of war?"

I suppose I'd better pull out the old :sarcasm: icon for those who don't get my sardonic tone.

I'm not holding my breath that they'll do a reversal on this issue, they don't even want to admit that they've mistreated their Kurdish population for so long, over the years....and it's only very recently that they've admitted that they HAVE a Kurdish population. They used to call those "annoying" folks out in the east "Mountain Turks." Guess it was just some silly contrariness that caused those Mountain Turks to somehow grow up speaking Kurdish!!