US president tells Turkish parliament that partnership with Muslim world is critical in confronting al-Qaida ideology.
Barack Obama today declared that the US "is not at war with
Islam" as he made his first visit to a predominantly Muslim country as the US president.
In an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama sought to enlist support for US efforts to stamp out al-Qaida, a group he described as extremists who were unrepresentative of the vast majority of Muslims.
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," he said. "The
United States is not, and never will be, at war 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."
At an earlier press conference, Obama said he wanted the US and
Turkey to build a "model partnership" between a predominantly Christian country and a mainly Muslim nation.
He chose to end his whirlwind tour – which took in France, Germany and the Czech Republic as well as the G20 summit in London – in Turkey, which he praised as a bridge between east and west.
Seeking to win over Muslims alienated by George Bush's war in Iraq, Obama spoke of "deep appreciation for the Islamic faith".
In his speech, broadcast live on al-Jazeera and al-Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arabic satellite TV channels, he said Islam "has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country".
He urged Israel and the Palestinians to take steps towards building confidence and trust.
Declaring that he would actively pursue the goal of peace in the Middle East, Obama said the world should not give in to pessimism.
"Let me be clear: the United States strongly supports the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," the US president said.
"Now we must not give into pessimism and mistrust. We must pursue every opportunity for progress."
Obama again urged Iran to desist from any nuclear weapons ambitions, and said a region that was already unsettled did not need a race for ever more powerful weapons.
Apart from broad geopolitical themes, he also had to tiptoe through some tricky bilateral matters, notably accusations that Turkey committed genocide against Armenians in 1915.
The US president, who has previously described the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, said he had not changed his view but had been encouraged by negotiations between Turkey and Armenia on the issue.
He told a joint news conference with the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, he did not want to focus on his own views but rather preferred to be a partner in efforts between Armenia and Turkey to come to terms with what happened.
The US president supported an Armenian genocide resolution put before Congress during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Turkey fears he will continue this backing as president, in a break with his two immediate predecessors, George Bush and Bill Clinton.
Ankara has warned that the resolution could strain ties and harm efforts to improve relations with Armenia.
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey denies the deaths were genocide, saying those killed were victims of civil war. It also claims the number of deaths has been inflated.
Gul said the issue was historical, as opposed to legal or political, and invited the Americans or French – France has been vocal about the deaths – to be part of a joint Turkish-Armenian commission investigating what happened.
Obama said he wanted to encourage those talks, not tilt them in favour of one country.
"If they can move forward and deal with a difficult and tragic history, then I think the entire world should encourage that," he said.
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