Posted on 06/03/2008 2:22:51 PM PDT by forkinsocket
The recent visit by Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to Turkey was hailed as a great success. The 82-year-old British monarch won favor with the local people by describing Turkey as a "confident and dynamic democracy" and praising close ties between Ankara and London.
She underlined British support for Turkey's bid to join the European Union, showed respect for the past by visiting the tomb of modern Turkey's secularist founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Ankara and for the present government by covering her hair when she visited an ancient mosque in Bursa and listened to a reading from the Koran.
The Turkish press on the whole recounted the visit as the queen's second to Turkey, the first having taken place 37 years ago in 1971. At that time, too, the public response was positive and excited crowds surged past protective barriers and swarmed the royal party's open-top cars. Back then, she took the opportunity to present a trophy to the winner of a horse race held in her honor. On this visit she was surprised and pleased to discover that the Queen Elizabeth Cup Race has continued annually ever since.
Some members of the press speculated that this was actually her third visit - a secret visit allegedly having taken place in 1961 to plead for clemency towards some Democratic Party politicians sentenced for execution. Apparently, she was turned down and left having seen no more than the airport. Despite odd rumors like this one, Turkey and Britain have on the whole a cordial friendship, with the British having at times been Turkey's only supporter for EU accession.
One particular member of the royal family, the queen's eldest son, Prince Charles, has come under suspicion of having his own particularly strong connection to Turkey.
(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...
The jokes keep writing themselves...
I guess Chuck won’t include Fidei defensor in his list of titles if he ever becomes king.
maybe the royal family can take in all the turks if turkey ever gets into the EU, we;; see how they will like them them and how they have a special relationship.
Charles is a royal turkey.
Reading this piece in its entirety, it struck me that our Dem Pres. candidate is a shoe in to fulfill all the support for Islam in the US as Prince Charles and the Royal Family have provided for England and the EU. Obama easily could be the US equivalent of Prince Charles given his willingness to engage without preconditions, on his own volition, any and all dialogues and interrelations he wishes to engender in the Muslim world. He is already of a Muslim family, etc., has left his church, and has stated he will seek a new church in Jan. 2009. Prince Charles, having taken the great trouble to engage the US Congress and our Pres. in his visit in 2003 in considering Islam, should probably avail himself to provide his 12 ‘wise men’ for Obamas’ consideration as well...Obama probably will not need them.
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