Obama to meet with opposition on visit
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Barçin Yinaç
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Nisan 01, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - With just a few days until U.S. President Barack Obama visits Turkey, the details are still being worked out but the new U.S. leader is expected to meet with officials of both the ruling and opposition parties.
American officials are working with their Turkish counterparts to finalize Obama’s schedule in Istanbul, where they want to find a creative way to include a special public appearance that also meets security requirements.
The Turkish Prime Ministry had proposed that Obama address a crowd in a public space, but this was not looked upon favorably by the American side due to security concerns, said sources familiar with the preparations.
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The Americans are instead inclined to schedule a roundtable discussion at a university, where plans for Obama to play a short game of basketball may also materialize. In addition, there are also plans for Obama to tour Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet area, perhaps visiting a mosque. "I have heard a lot about Istanbul and would like to see it," Obama told President Abdullah Gül in a telephone conversation shortly after taking office.
Turkish diplomats say the public-relations dimension of the trip, his second bilateral visit after Canada, carries a special emphasis for Washington, as the new administration tries to improve the U.S.’ tarnished image. One of the main reasons for Obama’s surprisingly early visit is to win back the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens of Turkey Ğ one of the countries where public opinion about America has reached record low levels.
"The new administration understands Turkey’s importance as far as its foreign-policy priorities are concerned," said a Turkish official who asked to remain anonymous. "It also understands that healthy and effective cooperation cannot take place amid negative public opinion."
Obama’s aides, however, seem to have decided that the Turkey visit is not the right occasion for the U.S. president to address the Muslim world. That is why Obama will only make a short appearance at the Alliance of Civilizations summit that will take place in Istanbul on April 6 and 7. "He is not coming for the summit. He is coming explicitly for a bilateral visit," a Turkish diplomat said.
The details of Obama’s Ankara program are also being finalized. He is expected to arrive in Ankara late Sunday, April 5, and start his meetings early Monday. His first stop will be Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, where he will show his respects to the founder of the modern Turkish Republic. He will then proceed to Çankaya Palace, where he will meet with President Gül.
Objection
Obama will also address the Turkish Parliament and meet with leaders of the political parties represented there. As his schedule is very busy, the U.S. Embassy proposed that leaders hold a joint meeting with Obama, but none of the parties accepted this idea.
"Our objection is to holding a collective meeting. We would of course welcome a separate meeting," Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, official Mehmet Şandır told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review yesterday. The U.S. Embassy will review the situation when it finalizes the schedule.
Sources said Obama wants to meet with leaders of the other political parties so as not to give the idea that this is a visit of support for the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. He will later meet with Prime Minister Tayyip ErdoÄŸan and the two leaders will fly together to Istanbul, where Obama will attend the Alliance of Civilizations meeting before his return.
The Turkish Prime Ministry had proposed that Obama address a crowd in a public space, but this was not looked upon favorably by the American side due to security concerns, said sources familiar with the preparations.
Â
The Americans are instead inclined to schedule a roundtable discussion at a university, where plans for Obama to play a short game of basketball may also materialize. In addition, there are also plans for Obama to tour Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet area, perhaps visiting a mosque. "I have heard a lot about Istanbul and would like to see it," Obama told President Abdullah Gül in a telephone conversation shortly after taking office.
Turkish diplomats say the public-relations dimension of the trip, his second bilateral visit after Canada, carries a special emphasis for Washington, as the new administration tries to improve the U.S.’ tarnished image. One of the main reasons for Obama’s surprisingly early visit is to win back the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens of Turkey Ğ one of the countries where public opinion about America has reached record low levels.
"The new administration understands Turkey’s importance as far as its foreign-policy priorities are concerned," said a Turkish official who asked to remain anonymous. "It also understands that healthy and effective cooperation cannot take place amid negative public opinion."
Obama’s aides, however, seem to have decided that the Turkey visit is not the right occasion for the U.S. president to address the Muslim world. That is why Obama will only make a short appearance at the Alliance of Civilizations summit that will take place in Istanbul on April 6 and 7. "He is not coming for the summit. He is coming explicitly for a bilateral visit," a Turkish diplomat said.
The details of Obama’s Ankara program are also being finalized. He is expected to arrive in Ankara late Sunday, April 5, and start his meetings early Monday. His first stop will be Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, where he will show his respects to the founder of the modern Turkish Republic. He will then proceed to Çankaya Palace, where he will meet with President Gül.
Objection
Obama will also address the Turkish Parliament and meet with leaders of the political parties represented there. As his schedule is very busy, the U.S. Embassy proposed that leaders hold a joint meeting with Obama, but none of the parties accepted this idea.
"Our objection is to holding a collective meeting. We would of course welcome a separate meeting," Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, official Mehmet Şandır told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review yesterday. The U.S. Embassy will review the situation when it finalizes the schedule.
Sources said Obama wants to meet with leaders of the other political parties so as not to give the idea that this is a visit of support for the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. He will later meet with Prime Minister Tayyip ErdoÄŸan and the two leaders will fly together to Istanbul, where Obama will attend the Alliance of Civilizations meeting before his return.