ANKARA (Reuters) – US Secretary of State Hillary  Clinton held up Turkey yesterday as proof that democracy and  Islam can coexist and said Barack Obama would visit the NATO  state in his first trip as president to a Muslim country.

The choice of Turkey — a secular Muslim democracy that  aspires to join the European Union — reflects the value  Washington places on links with Ankara as it tries to forge a  better relationship with the Islamic world.

“Democracy and modernity and Islam can all coexist,” Clinton  said in Ankara, appearing on a popular Turkish television chat  show, Hadi Gel Bizimle (Come and Join Us).

“I really consider the role of Turkey as a global leader  very important,” she told her four female interviewers.
After eight years of former President George W. Bush, who  invaded two Muslim countries and gave strong support to Israel,  Obama has pledged a “new way forward” with the Muslim world.

There has been speculation he might use Turkey as a platform  for a widely expected major policy speech on ties betwen the  United States and Islamic countries.

“He will be visiting Turkey within the next month or so. The  exact date will be announced shortly. We are coordinating with  the Turkish government to find a date that works,” Clinton told  a news conference along with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.

Clinton, who also met Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and  President Abdullah Gul, said her trip had focused on Ankara’s  role in Middle East peacemaking, particularly in mediating  between Israel and Syria.

“The importance of this track, the peace effort, cannot be  overstated. Turkey has played a very important role.”