Controversial image of Obama talking with Turkish Primer Minister with a baseball bat in his hand

August 5, 2012  |   Filed under: World  |   Posted by:

United States, August 5, 2012

The controversy surrounds the photo released by the White House, where can be seen the president of the United States Barack Obama holding a baseball bat while holding a telephone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

The White House said the picture shows “the close relationship between the leaders,” adding that “the talk of the leaders of the two countries was devoted to the Syrian conflict. They discussed how to fill the power vacuum in case of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad leaves his job.”

The bat that held the president was signed by the African-American baseball player Hank Aaron.

The controversy quickly soared Turkey: Turkish Party’s Vice President Umut Oran asked in Parliament if Erdogan had seen the picture and intended to do something against “an implicit insult to Turkey and its citizens.” Meanwhile, the opposition party member Metin Lutfi Baydar said “the photos reveal who our prime minister is ordered by to rule the country.”

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