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 001315

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
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- -----

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Maskhadov Allegedly Killed for Wanting Peace - Hurriyet
Maskhadov Killing Ends Hopes for Solution in Chechnya -
Milliyet
Russians' New Targets Basayev, Umarov - Aksam
15 Bodies Found Decapitated Near Baghdad - Sabah
Saddam Trial May Kick Off in October - Sabah
Karamanlis Prefers Full Normalization of Ties With Turkey -
Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Chechens Vow to Continue Fighting Russia - Yeni Safak
Maskhadov Killing Expected to Toughen Chechens - Zaman
Lebanese Search for a Compromise - Radikal
Robert Fisk: Pro-Syria Rally A Warning From Hizbullah - Yeni
Safak
Iraq a Field of Corpses: 45 Bodies Found in Two Days -
Radikal
New York Times: Information on Iran's Nuclear Capacity
Insufficient - Cumhuriyet
US Plans Development Aid for the Caucasus - Cumhuriyet
Yushchenko to receive John F. Kennedy Award - Cumhuriyet

BRIEFING

European Parliament Expected to Condemn Turkey: The
European Parliament is expected today to condemn the use of
excessive force by Turkish police against women
demonstrators marking International Women's Day last weekend
in Istanbul. The assembly will reportedly urge Ankara to do
more to protect the rights of Turkish women, and will also
express concern with regard to `honor killings' in Turkey.
Meanwhile, PM Tayyip Erdogan described the incident in
Istanbul as a `provocation' by demonstrators belonging to
illegal terrorist organizations. He also criticized the
Turkish media for `informing' about misdoings at home to
foreigners, saying it provided an exaggerated picture of the
police violence.

Dan Fried to Replace Beth Jones: President Bush has
appointed senior diplomat Dan Fried to replace Elizabeth
Jones as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs,
"Radikal" reports. In this position, Fried will be
responsible for relations with Turkey.

MFA: Iraq's New Regime Should Keep the Country United:
Turkish MFA Spokesman Namik Tan said on Wednesday that
Ankara would not object to a new political structure in Iraq
as long as it is achieved through the approval of the Iraqi
people. Tan cautioned that a new political system in Iraq
should preserve the territorial integrity and unity of the
country. `In the past, the Iraqi people have not had a
chance for such a social compromise,' Tan said, noting that
the newly elected Iraqi assembly now offered such an
opportunity.

Washington Institute Report on Turkey: A report by the
Washington Institute (WI) says the United States could
remove the main irritant in relations with its ally Turkey
by acting against PKK militants hiding in northern Iraq.
The report advised the US to prevent Kurdish control over
the oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The report
emphasized that Turkey needs American support in membership
negotiations with the European Union, and stressed that
Ankara should stand up against rising anti-American
sentiment in Turkey.

Ankara Shifts to Tbilisi for Dealing With Yerevan: Turkey
will try to reach out to Armenia through its embassy in
Tbilisi, Georgia as part of a `strategic plan' to overcome
Armenian claims of genocide by Ottoman forces during World
War One, papers report. Ankara has stopped carrying out
relations with Yerevan through Moscow due to the close
relationship between Armenia and Russia.

Oskanyan Turns Down Offer for Historians' Investigation Into
Armenian Claims: Armenian FM Vardan Oskanyan rejected a
proposal by PM Tayyip Erdogan and opposition leader Deniz
Baykal for a joint deliberation of the Armenian genocide
allegations by historians of the two countries. `The
historians said what they had to say a long time ago,'
Oskanyan said, and he urged Turkey to `make clear its
position.'

FM Gul Due in Britain: FM Abdullah Gul is to visit Britain
next week for talks on a range of issues, including Turkey's
drive for European Union membership, Cyprus, and the
situation in Iraq, the Foreign Ministry announced on
Wednesday. Gul will arrive in London late Sunday and meet
with his British counterpart Jack Straw on Monday. Gul will
deliver a speech at the London School of Economics the same
day, and visit the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies on
Tuesday before returning home.

Turkish Military Delegation in Pakistan: A Turkish military
delegation led by TGS Chief General Hilmi Ozkok met today
with President General Pervez Musharraf, PM Shaukat Aziz,
and top military officials in Rawalpindi on an official
visit to Pakistan, according to internet reports. The sides
discussed bilateral military ties, Turkish peacekeeping
efforts in Afghanistan, and other issues.

President Sezer Cancels Finland Trip: President Sezer
called off a long-scheduled trip to Finland because Helsinki
had planned a dinner including the ambassadors of all
European Union member states including Cyprus, which Turkey
refuses to recognize, "Sabah" reports.

"National View" Supporters Form the Majority in AKP: A
research poll conducted among 212 AK Party lawmakers shows
that 42 percent of them had ties in the past with the
fundamentalist "Milli Gorus" (National View) movement,
championed by veteran Islamist leader Necmettin Erbakan,
"Cumhuriyet" reports. In the past, these politicians had
been closely associated with Islamist-oriented parties such
as the National Salvation Party (MSP), the Welfare Party
(RP), and the Felicity Party (FP), all chaired by Erbakan.
48.6 percent of AKP lawmakers believe the Turkish military
is highly effective in determining the future of Turkey. 89
percent said that the parliament should play the leading
role in shaping the country's future, according to the
survey.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Anti-Americanism in Turkey

"Edelman is Stirring Things Up"
Yalcin Dogan commented in the mass appeal "Hurriyet" (3/10):
"When Ambassador Edelman was assigned to Turkey, everyone
said that `wherever he goes, things get stirred up. The
passage of time has proved this judgment true. Now, it
seems that he is successfully agitating the Turkey-US
relationship. Not a day passes without a new story in the
US press slamming articles that appear in the Turkish press.
These reports are always far from reality. The worst of
these stories has now been published in "The Washington
Times." In effect, it says that some Turkish journalists
are no different from Osama Bin-Laden. Isn't this really
accusing Turkish journalists of being terrorists just
because of their anti-American beliefs? Yet some of the
names mentioned in the article are not even journalists. I
can't stop asking myself how much these kinds of journalists
really represent the Turkish press, and how much the US
authors of such articles know about the names they mention?
Who is it that is informing Washington about these
journalists and their columns? If Ambassador Edelman is not
responsible for all of these developments, who is?"

"What Bothers the US?"
Faruk Mangirci wrote in the conservative-sensational "Star"
(3/10): "Anti-Americanism in Turkey is increasing in
parallel with the increase in blood and tears spilled in
Iraq. The BBC's latest survey shows that almost four out of
five Turks oppose the US because of the killing of innocent
people to achieve their dirty ambitions. It is impossible
to understand why the US is so bothered by this increase in
anti-American feeling among the Turkish people. The purpose
of the visit of US Embassy deputy political counselor James
Sopp to MHP headquarters in Ankara was to ask the MHP to
open its doors to US officials. When the MHP members
challenged Sopp, saying `how can the US expect friendship
from the Turkish people after the massacre in Fallujah and
the Suleymaniye incident,' Mr. Sopp looked rather
disappointed! The US Administration's activities are not
approved in Turkey. The US administration should blame its
own President for this, not its Turkish interlocutors. But
it is still not clear in my eyes why the US is so much
bothered by the Turkish people's feelings. One cannot stop
thinking if the US Administration is establishing the
infrastructure for a new threat in the region."

EDELMAN

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