In his effort to “reboot America’s image … in the Muslim world in particular.” “President Barack Obama to use Turkey visit to court Muslims,” by Toby Harnden for the Telegraph, March 8:
President Barack Obama will seek to extend America’s key alliances beyond Europe by using a visit next month to Turkey, which is ruled by a moderate Islamic party, to court the Muslim world.
Mr Obama is expected to travel to Turkey after the G20 global summit in London on April 2nd before making subsequent stops in France, Germany and the Czech Republic. He pledged during his election campaign to make a speech from a major Muslim country in his first 100 days in office.[…]
Preparing the ground for Mr Obama’s Turkey visit, Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, announced the plan after a meeting with Turkish leaders in Ankara. “We share a commitment to democracy, a secular constitution, respect for religious freedom and belief and in free market and a sense of global responsibility,” she said.
In an interview in December, Mr Obama said: “We’ve got a unique opportunity to reboot America’s image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular. So we need to take advantage of that.”
It remains unclear, however, whether Mr Obama use Turkey to the speech he promised to deliver in a major Muslim country. White House officials have indicated he will not but the symbolism of backdrop of the Bosphorus , which divides Europe from Asia, could prove difficult to resist.