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.

231315Z Apr 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002317

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 22, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

MASS APPEAL
Rice: Turkey the Best Example of Islam and Democracy -
Milliyet
Gul: We Trust Rice On the Armenian Question - Milliyet
Ambassador Jones: Kirkuk Cannot Be Tied to A Regional
Government - Hurriyet
Barzani: We Have No Territorial Demands from Regional
Countries - Aksam
EU Warns Turkey's Kurds to Stay Away from Ocalan - Milliyet
Kerry Supports Armenian `Genocide' Claims - Aksam
Kerry at the Service of Armenian Lobby - Vatan
School for Suicide Bombers in Iran - Hurriyet
Belarus the New Target for Popular Uprisings - Sabah

OPINION MAKERS
Rice Calls for Regime Change in Belarus, Moscow Reacts -
Cumhuriyet
Belarus the New Target of the US - Yeni Safak
Rice: Time for Change in Belarus - Zaman
First NATO Meeting in Formerly Soviet Lithuania - Cumhuriyet
NATO Preparing to Support Middle East Peace Process - Yeni
Safak
Armenian Lobby's Show of Force in US Congress - Radikal
Papadopoulos Enjoys 71 Percent Popular Support - Zaman

BRIEFING

US Request To Establish Logistical Hub at Incirlik Airbase:
Washington may decide not to use the Incirlik Airbase as a
logistical cargo hub for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
if a `blanket clearance' is not given to American cargo
planes, "Yeni Safak" reports. US sources said a logisitcs
hub would be `meaningless' without blanket access, but
refrained from making comments before they see the Turkish
government's decision. It adds that Turkish Foreign
Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan said during a recent
visit to the US that Ankara would respond positively to the
US request, but that he did not elaborate on the content of
the Turkish decision. "Sabah" quotes a high-level US
official as saying that although the US request on Incirlik
had been submitted to the Turkish government in June last
year, an official response has not yet been received. `We
have never linked the Incirlik issue to Armenian efforts to
passa resolution in the US Congress, and we had expected
Ankara to respond earlier to our request within the scope of
strategic cooperation between the two countries,' the US
official said. `Incirlik is not of crucial importance to
us,' the US official added, pointing out that the United
States had developed other ways to carry out the US mission.
Turkish diplomatic sources told "Sabah" that while
Washington may be disappointed by the delay, they did not
believe the US would give up on the use of Incirlik. The
paper believes Ankara will give Americans a `blanket access'
on the cargo hub at Incirlik. A front-page story in today's
"Hurriyet" claims to include the text of an `agreement'
reached by Turkish and US officials on the cargo hub. The
paper claims the `agreement' is the result of a long
negotiation between Turkey and the US. The US Embassy in
Ankara released a statement on Friday clarifying that, as of
now, there is no agreement between the two countries
concerning the US request, nor have there been negotiations
on this issue.

Ambassador Jones on Iraq, Turkey, the PKK: US State
Department Special Representative for Iraq, Ambassador
Richard Jones, told "Hurriyet" that PKK activities in Iraq
continued in some `remote' areas where there are no American
or Iraqi forces. Jones said that US forces are doing their
best to crackdown on PKK activities in the areas controlled
by the Americans. `Iraq's political leaders know our
position on the issue, and many Iraqis share Turkey's
concerns,' Jones added. He noted that the US wants `very
close' ties between Iraq and Turkey in the long term, and
called on Iraq's neighbors to support the democratization
process in the country. Jones voiced hope that the
insurgency will come to an end once resistance forces enter
the democratic process in Iraq. `The US supports democracy,
territorial integrity, and a geographic federalism in Iraq,'
he said, stressing that US policy on Iraq is not based on
ethnic grounds. Jones emphasized that Kirkuk's status
should be decided by all the people of Iraq. Jones added
that a balance must be sought between claims of demographic
changes in Kirkuk before Iraqi general elections, and the
claims of those who have returned to their homes after being
displaced under the former regime in Iraq.

Armenians, Turks Lobby in US Before April 24: John Kerry,
Jack Reid and Paul Sarbanes were among the US Senators who
attended a meeting held by the Armenian lobby in Washington
Thursday to commemorate the `genocide' of Armenians by the
Ottoman Turks during World War I, Turkish papers report.
Over 120 Turkish NGOs in the US and Canada sent a letter to
Congress in which they claimed that 500,000 Turks and
Muslims had been killed by Armenians who sided with the
British, Russians, and French in an effort to establish an
Armenian state in Ottoman territory. The letter called for
a joint commission of historians to investigate the
historical `facts,' according to reports. Congressmen
Robert Wexler and Ed Whitfield, members of the Turkish
Friendship Group, sent a letter to US congressmen stressing
that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan had been exerting
efforts to achieve a compromise between Turks and Armenians.
`As strong supporters of Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, we
believe that it is now time for compromise, and hope the
Armenian Government will extend an olive branch to Ankara to
seize this opportunity,' the letter said. Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan said in Ankara yesterday that Turkey had
taken all the necessary initiatives in the United States
with regard to the `genocide' charges, and that it is
unnecessary to keep the issue high on the agenda. FM Gul
told the press that during the unofficial NATO meetings in
Vilnius, Lithuania, he explained to Secretary Rice about
Turkish expectations that the Administration will block
Armenian efforts in the Congress. The FM said that Rice had
responded by saying that the US Administration would do its
best on the issue. "Milliyet" reports that the Turkish and
Armenian foreign ministries are holding secret talks aimed
at the establishment of diplomatic ties, and that Foreign
Minister Gul and his Armenian counterpart have agreed on a
package of confidence-building measures to further
rapprochement between the two countries. "Hurriyet" claims
that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said he will accept
a Turkish proposal to set up a joint committee to study the
claims of genocide, but on the condition that Ankara and
Yerevan first restore diplomatic relations.

Talabani on Iraq-Turkey Ties: Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani said Thursday he would work to improve ties with
Ankara and pledged action to remove the PKK presence in
northern Iraq, Turkish papers report. `I will do my best to
improve ties with Turkey on the political, economic and
commercial levels,' Talabani told CNN-Turk on Thursday.
Talabani pledged to work for the opening of a second border
crossing between the two countries and the inauguration of a
Turkish consulate in Mosul. Talabani also stressed that the
Iraqi Kurds had used their right to self-determination in
favor of a `democratic, federal and united Iraq,' adding
that, if invited, he would be `very pleased' to visit
Turkey.

PM Erdogan Returns From Afghanistan: Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan called on the international community on his return
from an official visit to Afghanistan to support Kabul in
its reform efforts, including the drafting of a new
constitution and the holding of parliamentary elections in
September. `It is not possible to prevent Afghanistan from
being a center of extreme movements, terrorism, and drug
trafficking solely through the efforts of the Afghan
people,' Erdogan said in Ankara on Thursday. `The Afghan
people respect the work of the 1,600 Turkish troops deployed
in Afghanistan under the ISAF command,' the Prime Minister
noted. Erdogan also pointed to efforts by Turkish
contractors to handle infrastructure projects in the
country, saying that Turkey would assist with more projects
in the areas of education, health, and construction.

EU Warns Baydemir Against Policies of Violence: Ambassadors
of EU countries in Ankara warned the mayor of Diyarbakir,
Osman Baydemir, to stop pursuing policies of violence, and
to keep a distance from imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan. Baydemir was invited to a monthly meeting of EU
envoys in Ankara. The Europeans reportedly told Baydemir
that the European Union aims to unite nations, not divide
them. The EU prefers the expansion of the rights and
liberties of the people of Turkey - including the Kurds.
Baydemir complained that the Turkish state is not treating
Kurds in southeastern Turkey equally, and said that support
for the PKK would decline if the fighting in the region
ends.

AKP - State Leadership Split Over `Moderate Islam': A news
commentary on the front page of "Cumhuriyet" points to the
split between the ruling AK Party government and top state
officials on the role Turkey is supposed to play in the US
Broader Middle East and North Africa project. According to
the report, the AKP supports the US plan to develop
`moderate Islam' in the region, while President Sezer, Chief
of General Staff (TGS) Ozkok and other military commanders
oppose it, stressing instead Turkey's secular, democratic
structure. Both the presidency and TGS believe that
secularism and moderate Islam cannot exist together, the
report claims.

US Companies Withdraw from Turkey's Defense Contracts: US
companies Bell Textron and General Atomics have withdrawn
from Turkish defense undersecretariat contracts for
helicopters and military drones, "Milliyet" reports. Bell
Textron has decided to close down its office in Turkey,
saying that Turkish requirements with regard to contracts
and technology transfer were `impossible' to meet. The US
company Boeing is also considering pulling out of the
bidding. The report claims that the withdrawl of US
companies from the tender will weaken Turkey's hand in
bargaining with other potential bidders.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Belarus, EU-Russia

"Putin's Fear"
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (4/22):
"Secretary Rice made very bold remarks yesterday, saying it
is the time for change in Belarus. She went even further by
voicing clear support for the opposition against President
Lukashchenko. At this point, Putin faces a no-win situation
in Minsk, because all of the opposition elements in Belarus
are pro-western. . Yet it is not realistic to expect
regime change in Belarus anytime soon. It might take a
year. As proven by other examples, there are three
conditions that need to be met before a revolutionary
process in a particular country: an election process, the
candidacy of the current ruler or dictator, and his victory
with allegations of fraud. Belarus will go through an
election next year, and Lukashchenko will be one of the
candidates. . There are also other countries in areas
formerly under Soviet control that could see a revolutionary
process, including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and
Armenia. Azerbaijan might be added to this list, as well as
the autonomous republic of Baskurdistan. In fact,
Baskurdistan seems to be the major headache for Putin at
this point. The people have given the current ruler,
Rahimov, a May 1 deadline to submit his resignation.
Otherwise, a popular uprising is expected, which would be a
real nightmare for the Russian leader."

"EU-Russia Cooperation"
Kamuran Ozbir wrote in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (4/22):
"The EU and Russia are getting ready for an agreement that
would pave the way for cooperation on the economy, external
security, culture, and in other areas. The agreement is
expected to be signed on May 10. Moscow has been in close
contact and cooperation with the EU in order to stand
against US influence. Moscow worked very hard against the
expansion of NATO toward the east, but voiced no objection
to EU expansion that includes former Soviet republics. Even
though Russia joined France and Germany to create an anti-
war front against the US on Iraq, Europe never considered
Russia as a prime ally. Both the US and EU are hoping to
see diminishing Russian influence in the former Soviet
republics. . Given the circumstances, the upcoming
agreement between EU and Russia will also put pressure on
the Russians to move toward compliance with EU criteria."

EDELMAN

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