April 25, 2009 - 21:29 AMT
US Turks applaud President Obama
The Turkish Coalition of America, however, offered praise and thanked the President for refraining to use the word genocide by withstanding enormous political pressure in this respect.

"We applaud President Obama for deferring to historians to settle the long-standing debate over the events of 1915-1918," said Lincoln McCurdy, the group's president.

"This tragic period in history led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Christians alike. President Obama has sent a clear message to America and the world that his administration will not sacrifice long-term strategic allies for short-term political gains."

Obama has sent a clear message to America and the world that his Administration will not sacrifice a long-term strategic alliance with Turkey for an issue that cannot be resolved by third parties and is best addressed jointly by Turks and Armenians, the statement on the organization's Web site added, Hurriyet reports.