Obama to speak in Turkish parliament on April 6

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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A parliamentary advisory body agreed on the date in a meeting chaired by Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, the agency said.

Obama also wants to meet with the leaders of the Turkish political parties before addressing the parliament, it added. 

Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or DTP, expressed Tuesday his willingness to meet Obama.

However, Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, and Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, said they would not meet the U.S. president in a multilateral meeting.

Baykal said he would have talks with Obama only if they are engaged in a tete-a-tete meeting.

Obama is expected to arrive in Ankara late on April 5, and to meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan before leaving the key NATO ally on April 7. 

The U.S. president will also attend an Istanbul meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative aimed at fostering dialogue between the West and Muslim countries, and to participate in a round-table session with students.

The White House says Turkey is not the venue for Obama's promised address to the Muslim world, which is planned for a later date.

Obama departed Tuesday morning for London, where he will attend a summit of the Group of 20 major economies. He will then travel to the French-German border for a NATO summit before stopping in the Czech Republic and Turkey.

In his first major foreign trip since taking office in January, Obama will have a hefty agenda for tackling the economic crisis and seeking support for his new Afghanistan strategy on a trip that will test his global leadership.