Analysis: Obama Visit to Turkey No Afterthought.

[elleng]

'President Barack Obama's stop in Turkey is hardly an afterthought, a ''while I'm in the neighborhood'' visit.

For starters, he wants to mend relations strained when the United States went to war in Iraq six years ago. Ankara's Islamic-rooted government denied Washington's request to use Turkish territory to invade Iraq from the north. But Turkey also is in line for thanks for trying to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Turkey is the only predominantly Muslim country in NATO, an alliance stalwart and America's best friend in the Islamic world. Obama, completing a European trip, arrives Sunday and undoubtedly will reprise his message from a town hall meeting Friday in France.

''We must be honest with ourselves. In recent years, we've allowed our alliance to drift,'' he said at that appearance.

Before arriving, Obama played an especially high card intended to further soften his Turkish interlocutors.

At a luncheon Sunday for leaders of the EU's 27 nations in Prague, he said the West should seek greater cooperation and closer ties with Islamic nations. Allowing Turkey to join the European Union would deepen that message, he contended.'

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/05/washington/AP-Obama-Turkey-Analysis.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. Both in terms of worldwide goodwill and immediate military strategy, Turkey is very important to us.

[JTFrog]

2. Also, too, it's very delicious.

Can you just imagine her on this tour?

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:

[flor de jasmim]

3. Yes, I can imagine it - I've got several bones to pick with her, BTW...

[BlooInBloo]

4. (facepalm)

:rofl: