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WHITE HOUSE AVOIDS GENOCIDE ISSUE AHEAD OF TURKEY TRIP
www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=41144 _4/3/2009_1
Friday, April 3, 2009
PARIS (The White House)--Ahead of President Barack Obama's trip to
Turkey, at a news briefing Friday aboard Air Force One en route to
France, the White House spokesperson avoided discussing the Armenian
Genocide when asked by a reporter to comment on the matter.
Responding to a reporter's query on whether "the President still
believe[s] that the Turks committed genocide against the Armenians,"
White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, said: "We'll get into that I
think later on."
When pressed to comment further, Gibbs said: "I'll leave that for--I
can't give away everything in one gaggle, for goodness sakes."
Gibbs explained the trip to Turkey aimed to strengthen an important
relationship.
"I mean, again, I think it's to strengthen an important relationship
and reach out to--and demonstrate the importance of--their importance
in our relationship and, again, issues that we have in common that
we want to work on. I mean, look, I think it's an opportunity to
probably go also to a country that people may not have expected us
to visit on our first trip over here, and I think it's an important
signal for the President," explained Gibb.
www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=41144 _4/3/2009_1
Friday, April 3, 2009
PARIS (The White House)--Ahead of President Barack Obama's trip to
Turkey, at a news briefing Friday aboard Air Force One en route to
France, the White House spokesperson avoided discussing the Armenian
Genocide when asked by a reporter to comment on the matter.
Responding to a reporter's query on whether "the President still
believe[s] that the Turks committed genocide against the Armenians,"
White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, said: "We'll get into that I
think later on."
When pressed to comment further, Gibbs said: "I'll leave that for--I
can't give away everything in one gaggle, for goodness sakes."
Gibbs explained the trip to Turkey aimed to strengthen an important
relationship.
"I mean, again, I think it's to strengthen an important relationship
and reach out to--and demonstrate the importance of--their importance
in our relationship and, again, issues that we have in common that
we want to work on. I mean, look, I think it's an opportunity to
probably go also to a country that people may not have expected us
to visit on our first trip over here, and I think it's an important
signal for the President," explained Gibb.