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 04 ANKARA 002051

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, APRIL 8, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Talabani Issues Friendship Message for Turkey - Aksam
World Press: Turkey Supports Talabani - Hurriyet
Ankara Expects Talabani to Represent All Iraqis - Sabah
Shiite Jafari Becomes Iraq's Prime Minister - Milliyet
Assad: Turkey's EU Drive Will Positively Affect Syria -
Sabah

OPINION MAKERS
5 Million Catholics Flock to Rome - Radikal
The Talabani Period in Iraq - Yeni Safak
Talabani Kicks Off Fast, Assigns Jafari as Prime Minister -
Radikal
Talabani Offers Amnesty to Insurgents in Iraq - Zaman
Ethnic Tension Rising in Kirkuk - Yeni Safak
US Concerned About Civil Strife in Kirkuk - Cumhuriyet
Adams Urges IRA to Leave Arms, Join Political Process -
Cumhuriyet
Annan Suggests Permanent UN Body for Human Rights - Yeni
Safak

BRIEFING

PM Erdogan to Attend Papal Funeral: Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan will attend the Papal funeral in Rome on Friday.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and Armenian Archbishop
Mutafyan also flew to Italy last night to attend the funeral
mass at the Vatican. Flags in Turkey and north Cyprus will
be flown at half mast in honor of Pope John Paul II.

Syrian President on Ties with US, Turkey: Syrian President
Bashar Assad denied in an interview with the mass-appeal
"Sabah" any involvement by Damascus' in the assassination of
former Lebanese prime minister Hariri. `Syria has suffered
from the Hariri killing in both the regional and
international arena,' Assad emphasized. Assad said he does
not expect a US military attack against Syria, but
identified the spread of terrorism and a deteriorating
political situation worldwide as sources of concern for
Damascus. Assad also stressed that Syria has been a party
to international accords on the proliferation of WMD, and
rejected accusations that Damascus had such weapons. On
Turkey, Assad said Ankara is no longer acting like a devoted
ally of the United States. `However, I regard Turkey's
relations with other countries as positive,' Assad noted,
`because Syria has very positive relations with Turkey.'
Assad said that Turkey's membership in the European Union
will make Syria a neighbor to the European bloc, and he
added that Syria's trade and economic relationship with
Turkey is expanding. The Syrian President underlined that
Turkey's membership in the EU as a Muslim country would help
to avoid a prospective clash between Christianity and Islam.

Sezer's Syria Visit Causes Disagreement Between Turkey and
US, EU: "Sabah" claims that the US and the EU, having
agreed on a joint position toward Syria, want Turkish
President Sezer to convey a strong message urging Syria to
withdraw from Lebanon during his upcoming visit to Damascus.
Washington has urged the Turks, through diplomatic channels,
for Sezer to convey this message both publicly and privately
during his call on President Assad. Turkish officials said
that Ankara has already voiced support for a Syrian
pullback, and added that declaring the message in public
would negatively affect Turkey's ties with Damascus.

Sezer: Moderate Islam Evolves Into Fundamentalism:
Addressing a War Academy conference in Ankara on Thursday,
President Sezer criticized efforts to promote Turkey as a
model of `moderate Islam.' `Moderate Islam inevitably
evolves into fundamentalist regimes,' according to Sezer.
Sezer stressed that Turkey is different from other Islamic
countries, not only because of its different interpretation
of Islam, but also because of its secular system based on
democracy and the rule of law. The Turkish President also
noted that Turkey is ready to share its experiences with
neighboring countries. He also called for a broad
democratic government representing all groups in Iraq, and
stressed that Kirkuk should be part of an integrated and
unified Iraq. Sezer emphasized that he would discuss
bilateral relations and regional developments with the
Syrians during his upcoming visit to Damascus. Sezer said
that `Turkey and the United States act in solidarity to
prevent crises, to fight against terrorism, and to prevent
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.'
`Development of cooperation with the United States and
continuation of Turkey's important role in NATO are
critical' to Turkey's interests, Sezer added.

Tuygan Due in US: Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA)
Undersecretary Ali Tuygan will visit Washington April 13-15.
Tuygan will be accompanied by a large delegation of MFA
officials, and will meet with State Department U/S Nick
Burns and members of Congress, including members of the US-
Turkey Friendship Caucus. "Yeni Safak" expects Tuygan to
convey to the Americans a positive response regarding the
use of Incirlik Airbase as a logistical hub. Turkey has
denied an unofficial US request to increase the number of US
F-16 jetfighters at Incirlik Airbase within the framework of
the US global defense posture review, according to "Yeni
Safak." An unidentified US official told the paper that the
US will not insist on Incirlik: `A hub at Incirlik would
facilitate things for us, but if our request is denied, we
can do without it,' he said. During his stay, Tuygan will
also lay the groundwork for the visit to the US by PM
Erdogan in June, "Zaman" reports.

CHP Opposes Wider Use of Incirlik Airbase by the Americans:
Kemal Anadol, deputy chief of the opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP) group, said on Thursday that the
government may respond positively to the US request for
Incirlik Airbase only after securing the approval of
parliament. Anadol added that the CHP will not back the
government's efforts to that end. Anadol declared that the
1980 agreement between Turkey and US on the use of Incirlik
Airbase (i.e., the DECA) is `illegitimate' because it was
signed without parliamentary approval. Anadol claimed that
Iran and Syria may be attacked if the government approves US
requests on Incirlik.

US Worried About Civil Strife in Kirkuk: Turkish media cite
international wire reports that the United States is worried
that ethnic conflict in Kirkuk could evolve into a civil
war. Arabs and Turkmens in Kirkuk are arming against the
Kurds because the Kurds have secured all high-level
positions in the government of the oil-rich northern Iraqi
town, the reports claim.

Turkish Drivers Wounded in Attack by Gunmen in Iraq: Seven
Turkish truck drivers were injured, one seriously, in an
attack by unidentified gunmen near Kirkuk in northern Iraq,
Turkish television reported this morning. The injured
drivers were reportedly sent to Suleymaniye for medical
treatment.
Turkish Military Expands Operations Against PKK: The
Turkish military launched new operations against the PKK
presence in the mountainous Sirnak, Hakkari, and Bingol
provinces in southeastern Turkey. The operation, which is
the biggest in the past five years, is being supported by
Cobra helicopters and F-16 jetfighters.
Food Safety Conference Held in Izmir: The economic daily
"Dunya" reports on a conference on food safety organized by
the Strategic Technical Economic Research Center in Izmir.
The conference was held within the context of a discussion
on Turkey's harmonization with EU agruicultural standards.
US Embassy Agriculture Attache Jamies Higgiston noted that
`food safety is one of the first issues that new diplomats
assigned to Turkey ask about.' Representatives of the UN
Food and Agricultural Organization also emphasized the
importance of the food safety issue. Other participants in
the conference included representatives of Turkey's
Agriculture Ministry and parliamentary deputies from the
opposition CHP.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq/Talabani

"The Success of Iraq"
Erdal Guven observed in the liberal-intellectual Radikal
(4/8): "Despite some ongoing problems, such as economic
issues and lack of security, Iraq's current situation
represents remarkable progress that should not be ignored.
First and most important , Iraqis have begun a process of
reconciliation. Kurds and Shiites found an optimal way to
work together by abandoning excessive demands. Sunnis were
not excluded from the political restructuring despite the
fact that they kept a distance from it and some even worked
against. It is very important that a Sunni has become the
parliamentary speaker and one of the presidential deputy
positions was also given to a Sunni. These are promising
developments that make one hopeful about the future of Iraq.
Iraq is now moving toward a more challenging period when it
will attempt to rebuild its infrastructure. Iraq will be
able to experience success in this period if the tendency of
reconciliation and embracing all elements is maintained.
Any deviation will increase the potential for conflict and
division.. If we consider what the Iraqis have accomplished
so far, we can be hopeful for the future."

"Time for Reconciliation with Talabani"
Ferai Tinc wrote in the mass appeal Hurriyet (4/8): "Iraqi
leaders have a serious challenge in the days ahead. They
will have to deal with many issues in restructuring the
country with leadership that combines different ideals and
different interests. Political existence for some Iraqi
leaders stemmed from their opposition to Saddam. Today
things are very different than in the past, and new rhetoric
will be required. It is important to note that Ankara was
among the first capitals to congratulate Talabani. It seems
that Ankara is revising its position on Iraq to embrace all
elements, including Turkmen, Kurds, and Arabs. The solution
of Iraq's problems is very important for everyone in the
region, and particularly for Turkey. Turkey should
contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq by pursuing a
respectful, inclusive, and cooperative course."

"Was Talabani Elected or Appointed?"
Nationalist Ortadogu carried this op-ed (4/8): "Talabani has
become the president of Iraq. This was an appointment, not
an election. It says several things. A minority now rules
the majority in Iraq. Bush has accomplished the first step
toward a federal system in this country. . It is very
unfortunate that before the eyes of the countries in the
region, the map of the Middle East is being changed. The
White House has begun implementing a scenario for the region
that will have serious consequences for the future of the
Turkish Republic. . As a first step, the people of Iraq were
divided into three, thanks to the democratic (!) election.
Now a tribal leader has been named president. Developments
in Iraq from now on will not bring any good news for Turkey,
nor for Kirkuk and the Turkmen."
EDELMAN

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