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.

140542Z Apr 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002124

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
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

MASS APPEAL
Sezer Will Urge Damaascus to `Heed' the World - Hurriyet
Gul, Molyviatis Sign `Historic' Decision for Ending Dogfight
in the Aegean - Hurriyet
Washington Times: Turkey Will Open Incirlik Airbase to US -
Sabah
Bush: Free Iraq Will Spark Democratic Revolutions in the
World - Milliyet
`Big Brother' Rumsfeld Issues Warnings in Iraq - Hurriyet
Rumsfeld Rules Out Exit Strategy From Iraq - Sabah
Rumsfeld Talabani's First Guest - Aksam
Prince Charles to Visit Turkey April 22-25 - Aksam

OPINION MAKERS
Sezer Kicks Off Controversial Damascus Visit Today - Zaman
Erdogan: PKK Cannot Speak on Behalf of Kurds - Zaman
Mutual `Dependency' Period Between Ankara, Athens -
Cumhuriyet
Rumsfeld `Inspects' Baghdad - Radikal
Financial Times: Iraqi Kurds Want Regular Flights to
Istanbul - Radikal
Bush, Sharon Discuss Iran - Cumhuriyet
Bush, Sharon Disagree on Israeli Withdrawal - Yeni Safak
US Allocates $3 Million `Democracy Fund' for Iran -
Cumhuriyet
Human Rights Watch: China Oppresses Uighurs - Yeni Safak

BRIEFING

President Sezer Due in Syria: Turkish President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer will officially visit Syria on Wednesday as the
official guest of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.
Diplomatic sources reportedly said that during his visit to
Damascus, Sezer will ask Syrian authorities to comply with
international demands for withdrawal from Lebanon. Turkish
papers speculate that the US wants Sezer to issue a strong
call for withdrawal. A statement by the Syrian foreign
ministry welcomed the upcoming visit, and said that it will
take place despite objections by the U.S. "Radikal" reports
that Amnesty International has asked in a letter to
President Sezer that he inquire about the situation of
Muhammed Ibrahim, a Kurdish Syrian army defector. Ibrahim
applied for political asylum in Turkey in March, but was
sent back later the same month on the eve of the Sezer visit
despite ongoing evaluation of Ibrahim's request for asylum
by the UNHCR, says "Radikal." Prior to his departure for
Damascus on Wednesday, Sezer said at Ankara's Esenboga
Airport that his visit would contribute to peace and
stability in the region. Sezer said the visit would also
strengthen relations between the peoples of the two
countries.

Erdogan Visits Norway: Turkish papers report Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan as responding bluntly to questions from
representatives of the Kurdish National Congress (KNK) at a
press conference after addressing the Nobel Institute in
Oslo on Tuesday. `There is no Kurdish problem in Turkey,'
Erdogan said, adding that the PKK cannot speak on behalf of
Kurds. Erdogan noted that an operation in Turkey's
southeast has been launched in an effort to counter
terrorist activity in the region. `There are not only
Kurds, but some 30 ethnic communities living in Turkey,'
Erdogan added. He listed Turkey's foreign policy priorities
as European Union (EU) membership, the NATO alliance and
relations with the United States. `After the Baku-Tbilisi-
Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline becomes operational and with
similar other projects completed this year, Turkey will
become an important center for energy and transportation
networks,' Erdogan noted. On Iraq, the Turkish prime
minister said that despite several problems and
shortcomings, the January 30 elections have indicated a
significant transition towards democracy. `Elections have
shown that the Iraqi people are ready for change and willing
to adopt democratic goals and principles,' Erdogan stressed.
For stability in Iraq, Erdogan believes that the
constitution should be written to safeguard integrity and
unity and to prevent of domination of one ethnic or
religious group over others. `We will continue to work for
a democratic, peaceful and stable Iraq which will be
integrated in the international community,' he said.
Erdogan later called on NATO headquarters in Stavanger the
same day. During the visit, a crowd of 50 demonstrators
carrying Kurdish flags and posters of Ocalan threw eggs at
Erdogan and his entourage.

Molyviatis Visits Turkey: Turkish and Greek foreign
ministers agreed Tuesday on a series of confidence-building
measures between their militaries, especially in the Aegean
Sea, papers report. Abdullah Gul and Petros Molyviatis also
agreed to set up a direct phone line in a bid to prevent
violations of one other's airspace over the extent of their
territorial waters and airspace. `We want to turn our
region into one of democracy, peace and prosperity,'
Molyviatis told a joint news conference with Gul.
Other measures agreed upon include closer cooperation in
tackling natural disasters and providing Greek and Turkish
language training for military personnel. Molyviatis
reaffirmed Athens' support for Turkey's bid to join the
European Union and its commitment to reaching a settlement
in Cyprus. Gul said Greece and Turkey would cooperate more
closely in the fields of energy, tourism and transport. He
said a planned natural gas pipeline linking the two
countries would come into operation in 2006. In a
statement as regarded as a `surprise' by Turkish papers, Gul
said he has no objection to the removal of a 1995 Turkish
parliamentary declaration stipulating that a Greek extension
of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles would be a `cause
for war.' Gul said Turkish parliamentary speaker Bulent
Arinc's remarks urging removal of the 1995 decision
demonstrated the feelings of the Turkish parliament and
nation. Gul also noted that a decision to open the Greek-
Orthodox Halki Seminary in Istanbul will urge other groups
in Turkey to follow suit and apply to the Constitutional
Court. The Turkish government is seeking a solution, Gul
said.

Turkish Armenians Attend European Parliament Conference:
Turkish Armenian newspaper "Agos" editor Hrant Dink tells a
meeting in Strasbourg that the Armenian diaspora should not
see the community in Turkey as hostages in a hostile
country. A special session initiated by European Green
lawmaker Cem Ozdemir in the European Parliament discussed
`Armenians in Turkey' yesterday. Dink said European
countries who have voted Armenian `genocide' in their
parliaments needed to do more than merely approving bills on
the issue. Dink urged Europeans to provide financial
support if they wanted to compensate for the `psychology' of
the Armenian world. Turkish Armenian journalist Etiyen
Mahcupyan claimed that Armenian diaspora had been uneasy
with Armenians living in Turkey, whom, Mahcupyan said,
`disrupted' the work of diaspora. `The Armenian diaspora
would have been more comfortable without Armenians living in
Turkey,' Mahcupyan said.

`Presidential' Elections in North Cyprus: `Presidential'
elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
will be held on April 17. Presidential candidates must gain
an absolute majority of votes to assume the post. If no
candidate manages to do so, a second tour of elections will
be held on April 24 between the two leading candidates.
Veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas has earlier
announced that he will not run in the polls. Candidates to
run in `TRNC' presidential elections are as follows: Mehmet
Ali Talat (Republican Turkish Party-CTP), Dr. Dervis Eroglu
(National Unity Party-UBP), Dr. Mustafa Arabacioglu
(Democrat Party-DP), Huseyin Angolemli (Communal Liberation
Party-TKP), Zehra Cengiz (Cyprus Socialist Party-KSP), Nuri
Cevikel (New Party-YP), and independents Arif Salih Kirdag,
Ayhan Kaymak and Zeki Besiktepeli.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Turkish President to Syria

"National Holiday for Damascus"
Erdal Safak warned in the mass appeal Sabah (4/12):
"President Sezer should be very careful because he might be
the last hope for Syrian leader Assad. The leader who will
be visited by the Turkish president is having a serious
crisis in his political career. The UN Security Council
openly blamed Syria for the Hariri assassination and agreed
to open an investigation to pave the way for the trial of
those responsible. This decision means a final blow for the
future of Assad. Assad's involvement in the assassination
has already been proven by a taped conversation between
Assad and Hariri shortly before he was assassinated. Assad
is having his worst crisis right now. If he hands over to
justice the responsible Syrian figures, it will bring an end
to his political leadership. Otherwise, he will be toppled
due to a Washington-led plan. This is the country which our
president is to visit. If we were Assad, we would declare
the day of the visit a national holiday for Damascus!"

"Two Simple Questions to President Sezer"
Cengiz Candar observed in the conservative-sensational DB
Tercuman (4/12): "It is absolutely a dream to expect that
President Sezer will reconsider his decision and cancel the
trip to Damascus. This is so because Sezer does not seem to
understand the Syrian people's expectations and the Turkish
Foreign Ministry does not comprehend the Middle East in the
correct context. . Given the current situation, I would like
to bring two basic facts to the attention of President
Sezer. Is Turkey going to declare its support for UNSC
Resolution 1559 prior to the Damascus visit? Is President
Sezer aware of the fact that the address in Damascus he is
about to visit is the same address of a UNSC investigation?"

"Convincing Assad Will Be Sezer's Prestige"
Hakan Celik wrote in the mass appeal-sensational Posta
(4/12): "Turkish leaders are free to decide where to go
abroad. Turkey, in its democratic and independent capacity,
wants to maintain good terms with its neighbors, and that is
a positive thing. . Yet realpolitik suggests otherwise,
especially regarding the visit of the Turkish president to
Syria. Sezer is going to visit a leader who is an
internationally controversial figure and a regime which has
bitter relations with many countries, including the US and
the West. At this point, "is such an official visit really
necessary" is a legitimate question. It is very difficult
to argue that this visit coincides with Ankara's interests.
Yet if Sezer manages to convince Assad to cooperate with
international community, Turkey will gain international
prestige."

EDELMAN

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