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OBAMA DECLARES US NOT AT WAR WITH ISLAM
By Tom Raum
AP
6 April 09
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Barack Obama, making his first visit to a
Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States "is
not and will never be at war with Islam."
Calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address
to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important
U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He
devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans
and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists
who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States
is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership
with the Muslim world is critical ... in rolling back a fringe ideology
that people of all faiths reject."
The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world
that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
For instance, at a news conference earlier with Prime Minister Abdullah
Gul, he dealt gingerly with the issue of alleged genocide committed by
Turks against Armenians during World War I, urging Turks and Armenians
to continue a process "that works through the past in a way that is
honest, open and constructive."
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arab ic satellite
channels, carried Obama's speech live.
"America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be
based on opposition to al Qaida," he said. "We seek broad engagement
based upon mutual interests and mutual respect."
"We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which
has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the
better, including my own country," Obama said.
The president spoke for about 25 minutes from a small
white-marble-and-teak rostrum in the well of a vast, airy chamber
packed with Turkish lawmakers who filled the sea of orange leather
chairs.
Except for a couple instances of polite applause, the room was almost
completely silent throughout his speech. There was a more hearty
ovation toward the end when Obama said the U.S. supports the Turkish
government's battle against PKK, which both consider a terrorist group,
and again when he declared that America was not at war with Islam.
Obama also heard applause in response to his statement that the
U.S. supports Turkey becoming a member of the European Union.
Earlier, Obama said he stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks
had carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th
century, but he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide."
Gul said many Turkish Muslims were killed during the same period.
Historians, not politicians, Gul said, should decide how to label
the events of those times.
In his 2008 campaign, Obama said "the Armenian genocide is not an
allegation," but rather "a widely documented fact supported by an
overwhelming body of historical evidence."
Now that he is president, the genocide question may not be Obama's
best issue for taking a tough stand that antagonizes a key ally. It is
important in U.S. communities with large numbers of Armenian-Americans,
but it has a low profile elsewhere.
In his speech to the parliament Monday, Obama said the United States
strongly supports the full normalization of relations between Turkey
and Armenia.
Obama's visit is being closely watched by an Islamic world that
harbored deep distrust of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
In talks with Gul, and Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Obama hoped to sell his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He
hoped to find welcoming ears given the new U.S. focus on melding
troop increases with civilian efforts to better the lives of people
in both countries.
Obama recognized past tensions in the U.S.-Turkey relationship, but
said things were on the right track now because both countries share
common interests and are diverse nations. "We don't consider ourselves
Christian, Jewish, Muslim. We consider ourselves a nation bound by a
set of ideals and values," Obama said of the United States. "Turkey
has similar principals."
Obama's trip to Turkey, his final scheduled=2 0country visit, ties
together themes of earlier stops. He attended the Group of 20 economic
summit in London, celebrated NATO's 60th anniversary in Strasbourg,
France, and on Saturday visited the Czech Republic, which included
a summit of European Union leaders in Prague.
Turkey is a member of both the G-20 and NATO and is trying to get
into the EU with the help of the U.S.
Turkey has the largest army in NATO after the United States. It and
tiny Albania, recently admitted, are the only predominantly Muslim
members of NATO.
Turkey opposed the war in Iraq in 2003 and U.S. forces were not allowed
to go through Turkey to attack Iraq. Now, however, since Obama is
withdrawing troops, Turkey has become more cooperative. It is going to
be a key country after the U.S. withdrawal in maintaining stability,
although it has long had problems with Kurdish militants in north Iraq.
Turkey maintains a small military force in Afghanistan, part
of the NATO contingent working with U.S. troops to beat back
the resurgent Taliban and deny al-Qaida a safe haven along the
largely lawless territory that straddles Afghanistan's border with
Pakistan. Turkey's participation carries enormous symbolic importance
to the Muslim world because of its presence in the fight against
Islamic extremism. Albania, one of the poorest nations in Europe,
has a small contingent in Afghanistan.
Turkey has diplomatic leverage with both Pakistan and Afg hanistan.
Associated Press writer Steven R. Hurst in Washington contributed to
this report.
By Tom Raum
AP
6 April 09
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Barack Obama, making his first visit to a
Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States "is
not and will never be at war with Islam."
Calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address
to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important
U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He
devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans
and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists
who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States
is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership
with the Muslim world is critical ... in rolling back a fringe ideology
that people of all faiths reject."
The U.S. president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world
that felt it had been blamed by America for the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
For instance, at a news conference earlier with Prime Minister Abdullah
Gul, he dealt gingerly with the issue of alleged genocide committed by
Turks against Armenians during World War I, urging Turks and Armenians
to continue a process "that works through the past in a way that is
honest, open and constructive."
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arab ic satellite
channels, carried Obama's speech live.
"America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be
based on opposition to al Qaida," he said. "We seek broad engagement
based upon mutual interests and mutual respect."
"We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which
has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the
better, including my own country," Obama said.
The president spoke for about 25 minutes from a small
white-marble-and-teak rostrum in the well of a vast, airy chamber
packed with Turkish lawmakers who filled the sea of orange leather
chairs.
Except for a couple instances of polite applause, the room was almost
completely silent throughout his speech. There was a more hearty
ovation toward the end when Obama said the U.S. supports the Turkish
government's battle against PKK, which both consider a terrorist group,
and again when he declared that America was not at war with Islam.
Obama also heard applause in response to his statement that the
U.S. supports Turkey becoming a member of the European Union.
Earlier, Obama said he stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks
had carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th
century, but he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide."
Gul said many Turkish Muslims were killed during the same period.
Historians, not politicians, Gul said, should decide how to label
the events of those times.
In his 2008 campaign, Obama said "the Armenian genocide is not an
allegation," but rather "a widely documented fact supported by an
overwhelming body of historical evidence."
Now that he is president, the genocide question may not be Obama's
best issue for taking a tough stand that antagonizes a key ally. It is
important in U.S. communities with large numbers of Armenian-Americans,
but it has a low profile elsewhere.
In his speech to the parliament Monday, Obama said the United States
strongly supports the full normalization of relations between Turkey
and Armenia.
Obama's visit is being closely watched by an Islamic world that
harbored deep distrust of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
In talks with Gul, and Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Obama hoped to sell his strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He
hoped to find welcoming ears given the new U.S. focus on melding
troop increases with civilian efforts to better the lives of people
in both countries.
Obama recognized past tensions in the U.S.-Turkey relationship, but
said things were on the right track now because both countries share
common interests and are diverse nations. "We don't consider ourselves
Christian, Jewish, Muslim. We consider ourselves a nation bound by a
set of ideals and values," Obama said of the United States. "Turkey
has similar principals."
Obama's trip to Turkey, his final scheduled=2 0country visit, ties
together themes of earlier stops. He attended the Group of 20 economic
summit in London, celebrated NATO's 60th anniversary in Strasbourg,
France, and on Saturday visited the Czech Republic, which included
a summit of European Union leaders in Prague.
Turkey is a member of both the G-20 and NATO and is trying to get
into the EU with the help of the U.S.
Turkey has the largest army in NATO after the United States. It and
tiny Albania, recently admitted, are the only predominantly Muslim
members of NATO.
Turkey opposed the war in Iraq in 2003 and U.S. forces were not allowed
to go through Turkey to attack Iraq. Now, however, since Obama is
withdrawing troops, Turkey has become more cooperative. It is going to
be a key country after the U.S. withdrawal in maintaining stability,
although it has long had problems with Kurdish militants in north Iraq.
Turkey maintains a small military force in Afghanistan, part
of the NATO contingent working with U.S. troops to beat back
the resurgent Taliban and deny al-Qaida a safe haven along the
largely lawless territory that straddles Afghanistan's border with
Pakistan. Turkey's participation carries enormous symbolic importance
to the Muslim world because of its presence in the fight against
Islamic extremism. Albania, one of the poorest nations in Europe,
has a small contingent in Afghanistan.
Turkey has diplomatic leverage with both Pakistan and Afg hanistan.
Associated Press writer Steven R. Hurst in Washington contributed to
this report.