Newsday: Obama's Turkey trip to deliver unity message, but many Turks suspicious of US intentions -- by Christopher Torcia

For the complete report from Newsday.com click on this link

Obama's Turkey trip to deliver unity message, but many Turks suspicious of US intentions -- by Christopher Torcia

One of President Barack Obama's first stops on his visit to Turkey will be the imposing mausoleum of the national founder and independence war hero whose personality cult dominates the nation seven decades after his death.Obama's two-day trip is as symbolic of unity as it is strategic, following talks and handshakes with heads of Group of 20 nations, NATO and the European Union. His path across Europe leads to a Muslim people with secular ideals, a stable nation in an unstable region, and a city, Istanbul, that straddles a strait between the Asian and European continents.A speech to parliament by Obama will restore good will, and reinforce the Western view that Turkey can serve as an example that Islam and democracy can flourish together, despite internal divisions and concerns about reform. More broadly, the presidential trip will lift Turkey's growing profile as a regional mediator, capable of reaching out to the Middle East and Central Asia as easily as it talks to the West about energy, security and the economy.