Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000151

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL
JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2004

THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Agreement at Cyprus Summit - Sabah
Turkish Officials Ready to Solve Cyprus Issue - Hurriyet
Logoglu Warns US not to Encourage Kurds - Hurriyet
Powell: "We are Looking Forward to Erdogan's Visit" -
Hurriyet
Three Conditions for Cyprus - Milliyet
New York Times: "Bush Administration Having Problems with
Kurds" -Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Sezer: "Denktas Shoud Stay at the Table" - Radikal
NSC Will Have Last Word on Cyprus Issue - Radikal
Harmony on Cyprus Depends on NSC Meeting - Cumhuriyet
Bremer Meets With Talabani and Barzani - Cumhuriyet
Three Messages From Cyprus Summit - Zaman
Cyprus Alliance - Yeni Safak
Northern Iraq Criticism to US from Turkey - Yeni Safak
Assad's Visit Strengthens Turkey-Syria Ties - Yeni Safak

BRIEFING

Cyprus Summit: All papers and TV channels report on the
Cyprus summit held at the presidential palace in Ankara
yesterday. The summit decided that all efforts to solve the
Cyprus issue should be exerted within the framework of the
Annan plan. Participants agreed to solve the issue before
May 1, 2004 and agreed that President Denktas should
continue to represent Turkish Cypriots at the negotiations.
"Zaman" lists three messages that emerged from the Cyprus
Summit: 1. Work on the Annan Plan through coordination
between MFA and TGS; 2. Revive Cyprus talks after the
formation of the new government in the TRNC; 3. Turkey will
make contributions to the UN Secretary General's mission in
cooperation with Denktas and the new government. "Hurriyet"
notes that the summit declaration stressed that Turkey and
the TRNC want a fair and lasting solution on Cyprus and are
willing to back the good offices mission of the UN Secretary
General. "Turkiye" reports that the government and the
military agreed to take the Annan plan as the basis for
talks. "Cumhuriyet" notes that the participants tried to
reach a beneficial agreement for all parties; however, a
full consensus will not be possible until the NSC meeting
later this month.

Kurds in Northern Iraq: Most papers report that Turkish
Ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu criticized US the
administration harshly for encouraging the Kurds to
establish a federal state in northern Iraq. Logoglu
reportedly said that `the US does not listen to Turkish
concerns on the issue as much as it should.' Logoglu said
that PM Erdogan will share Turkish concerns with President
Bush at their meeting on January 28, and added that `the US
should not only stop encouraging Kurdish aspirations for a
Kurdish region, but should discourage them from being too
outspoken about their demands.'

Genc Party Might Face Trial: "Hurriyet" draws attention to
reports of possible fraud in the administration of Cem
Uzan's Genc Party. The chief prosecutor says that fake
names were fabricated to boost voter rolls in order to form
a party administration in Balikesir. Like DEHAP, the Genc
Party could face legal charges for the alleged fraud.

EDITORIAL OPINION:
Iraq; Cyprus

"Miscalculation about Iraq's future"
Haluk Ulman noted in the economic-political Dunya (1/9):
"There seems to be a conflict between the US plan for the
transfer of authority to Iraqis and the US commitment to
Iraq's territorial integrity. There is a major question
mark about how to reconcile efforts toward autonomy or a
federation with the preservation of the country's
territorial integrity. . The US reportedly opposes any
demands from Iraqi Kurds for independence or autonomy. Yet
this might even change in the course of time, because the
Bush administration's foreign policy is not handled in a
rational way. . There are problems with the Kurds' demand
for autonomy. First of all, regional countries such as
Turkey, Iran, Syria and Russia are against it. An
autonomous or independent Kurdish state cannot possibly
survive without support from its neighbors. Turkey can use
its relations with Iran and Syria as a bargaining tool
should the US attempt to play a Kurdish `trump card.' . The
second problem concerns the demographic structure of Iraq.
Neither Sunni nor Shiite Iraqis will allow the Kurds to
separate themselves from Iraq. Other members of the IGC
have already stood very clearly in opposition to the Kurdish
attempts to achieve independence or autonomy. If necessary,
there is no doubt that Iraqi Arabs will fight for preserving
their country's territorial integrity. It remains to be
seen how the Bush administration will shape its approach,
which currently favors the Kurds, with the bare realities of
Iraq."

"Who will have the last say on Cyprus?"
Mehmed Ali Birand wrote in the mass appeal Posta (1/9): "The
Turkish Foreign Ministry accepts the foundation and the
context of the Annan plan. It accepts the need to put the
plan to a referendum. On the other hand, a part of the army
thinks like TRNC President Denktas, and wants major
revisions to the Annan plan. For example, they want Turkish
troops to stay permanently on the island (even if Turkey
becomes an EU member) and demand a new type of guarantor
agreement. In other words, they want the continuation of the
status quo. But there is not too much worry about this in
Ankara, because the last word in the military belongs to TGS
Chief General Ozkok, who knows how to maintain the balance.
According to those who saw President Sezer's approach at the
Cyprus summit meeting, his position on Cyprus has changed a
lot over the past few months. He did not like the Annan plan
to begin with, but now he is trying to find a solution based
on the plan. The president also thinks that the Cyprus issue
is getting out of hand, and that there is definitely a need
for a new perspective. . Who will have the last say on
Cyprus? According to leaked reports, a full consensus on
the issue is almost impossible. It is the Turkish
government's responsibility to listen to all sides before
making a decision. The decision will be either to take the
political risk by accepting the MFA plan, or to ask the MFA
to revise their plan. It seems to me that the process will
become clear following PM Erdogan's meeting with all four
political leaders of northern Cyprus."

EDELMAN

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