Turkish PM comments on Obama’s pose with baseball bat

ISTANBUL

White House official photo

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has responded to speculation about why U.S. President Barack Obama was photographed holding onto a baseball bat as the two conducted a recent telephone conversation, daily Radikal reported today.

"Of course, I can’t know what position Obama takes or what he holds in hands while speaking with me," Erdoğan said. "Obama, who I saw and spoke with in the Oval Office, is a respectful person, my friend and [he] shows his respect."

Erdoğan also said he was not taking seriously the speculation appearing in the media over the pose.

The photo was published on the White House official website, with a caption reading: "President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey in the Oval Office, July 30, 2012."

After being pressed by reporters about a possible hidden meaning to the pose, White House representative Jay Carney said all he could say was that the president was a baseball fan and an avid Chicago White Sox supporter.