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 002738

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, MAY 12, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

MASS APPEAL
Grossman: Turkey's EU Membership of `Cosmic Importance' -
Milliyet
French Legislators Object to Turkey's EU Membership - Sabah
71 Killed in Iraq - Sabah
Rumsfeld Reads Books on Turkey - Sabah
Yerevan Signals Withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh - Hurriyet

OPINION MAKERS
TUSIAD: Erdogan's US Visit Will Help Ties With Washington -
Zaman
Bloody Day in Iraq: 72 Killed - Radikal
Terror Panic at White House, Capitol - Cumhuriyet
Alleged Desecration of Koran in Gitmo Infuriates Afghanis -
Zaman
Insult to Koran Enrages Afghans - Yeni Safak
Hand Grenade Tossed at Bush in Tbilisi - Yeni Safak
Violations Against Muslims on Rise in US - Zaman
Leftist Latinos, Arabs Hand-in-Hand - Radikal

BRIEFING

TUSIAD Delegation in US: A delegation from the Turkish
Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) is in
Washington to meet with US officials, financial
representatives, and media groups. On Wednesday, TUSIAD
Chairman Omer Sabanci told Turkish journalists in Washington
that their meetings showed the importance given by Americans
to ties with Turkey. Sabanci said the upcoming visits of
Prime Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to
the United States will carry Turkish-US relations further.
He noted that recent developments at Incirlik Airbase and PM
Erdogan's visit to Israel were all intended to make Turkey-
US relations better. `Americans expect Turkish leaders to
be more responsible in their approach to Turkish-US
relations,' Sabanci said, adding that Washington's concerns
with regard to rising anti-American sentiment in Turkey had
been conveyed to the Turkish government. "Milliyet" reports
from Washington that the TUSIAD delegation had the
impression that Turkey's new policy on Iraq has not been
well understood in Washington. Officials in Washington
believe that Turkey's Iraq policy is not integrated, but one
that focuses on northern Iraq and the Kurds. Papers also
report State Department U/S Marc Grossman's comments to a
TUSIAD panel discussion, in which he said that the US will
continue supporting Turkey's EU membership drive. Grossman
said that the reopening of Halki Seminary, the opening of
Turkey's border with Armenia, and a settlement in Cyprus
would help Turkey's integration with the European Union.
The TUSIAD delegation moved on to Boston yesterday for talks
with the Eurasia Group and Merrill Lynch, and a call on
Harvard University President Lawrence Summers.

Turkish Leaders Due in US: Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc
will visit Washington May 24-27, before Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan meets President Bush at the White House on
June 8, papers report. Arinc is scheduled to meet with US
House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, deliver a
speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS), and meet with representatives of Jewish institutions
in Washington. Arinc will then proceed to Chicago to meet
Turkish community members there. Foreign Minister Gul will
join a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS)
in Florida from June 5-8 before joining Erdogan in
Washington. Gul will meet with Secretary Rice June 8 in
Washington.

Wexler: Turkey's Syria Policy `Unacceptable': Congressman
Robert Wexler, cochairman of the US-Turkey Caucus in the
House of Representatives, said that Ankara's Syria policy is
`unacceptable,' "Milliyet" reports. `Turkey is playing a
different tune at a time when the US, supported by the Saudi
Crown Prince and the leadership in Egypt, is making
important initiatives to persuade Syria to give up support
for terrorism. This is unacceptable,' Wexler said.

ECHR Rules for Retrial of Ocalan: The European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Thursday that Turkey's 1999
trial of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was unfair. The move
puts pressure on Ankara to grant Ocalan a retrial. The
ECHR's final judgment said that Ocalan's right to a fair
trial had been violated. The ruling, which did not object
to the substance of the case against the PKK leader, is not
binding but is expected to cause problems for the Turkish
government. Ankara signaled on Thursday its readiness to
retry the Kurdish leader. Justice Minister and Government
Spokesman Cemil Cicek told the state broadcaster TRT that
the Turkish people should not fear Ocalan's release. Cicek
said that Turkey's judicial organs will handle the case
properly.

Armenia Considers Pulling Out of Nagorno-Karabakh:
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov reportedly
told officials in Ankara during meetings yesterday that
Armenia has offered a gradual pullout from five of the seven
occupied regions in Nagorno-Karabakh, "Hurriyet" reports.
Azerbaijan, however, is demanding a full withdrawal. The
Armenian proposal is an important development on the eve of
a possible meeting between Prime Minister Erdogan and
Armenian President Kocharian in Warsaw next week, according
to "Hurriyet."

US Wants New Cyprus Talks Based on Annan Plan: Believing
that renewed Cyprus peace talks on the basis of the Annan
Plan would be the most sensible path to follow, US
diplomatic sources told "Cumhuriyet" that the US expects
Papadopoulos to submit Nicosia's objections to the UN-
sponsored plan. However, Papadopoulos is reluctant to deal
with the Annan Plan or a possible referenda in new talks for
the reunification of Cyprus, "Cumhuriyet" reports. Turkish
diplomats think the Annan Plan may not be used as a point of
departure, but believe that it may provide a significant
contribution to negotiations since it is reflects a balance
between the sides in the island. "Cumhuriyet" argues that
the UNSYG does not want a new failure on the Cyprus issue,
and that, before moving forward, wants to see that both
sides have the political will to reach a settlement.
Meanwhile, EU Expansion Commissioner Olli Rehn said before
visiting Cyprus on Thursday that the EU has been working for
the release of a 259 million Euro financial aid package for
north Cyprus. Turkish papers cite the Greek Cypriot press
as claiming that Rehn will offer a formula that will enable
direct trade between EU and Turkish Cyprus.

Cypriot Airline Kicks Off Larnaca-Istanbul Flights: Hellas
Jet, an airlibne associated with Cyprus Airways and based in
Greece, has started flights from Larnaca to Istanbul via
Rhodes, "Radikal" reports, citing the Greek daily
"Fileleftheros." Two flights have already been made, on May
2 and May 9. Cyprus Airways President Lazaros Savvides told
the Nicosia-based Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that he had
contacted the Cypriot Foreign Ministry, which told him that
flights from Larnaca to Istanbul `would be helpful on
various levels.' `Hellas Jet is a Cypriot airline, but is
also registered in Greece and therefore has been granted
permission to use Turkish air space,' Savvides said.
Savvides reiterated Cyprus Airways' long-standing request to
Turkey to allow Cypriot planes to use its airspace and
airports.

General Buyukanit Warns Against Terrorist Attacks In Cities:
Land Forces Commander General Yasar Buyukanit warned that
PKK terrorists entering Turkey from northern Iraq are
bringing in powerful C-4 explosives that could be used for
attacks in major cities in Turkey in the next few days. `C-
4 is an extremely powerful explosive,' Buyukanit noted,
adding that many terrorists carrying C-4 had been caught in
recent days. Meanwhile, 3 PKK terrorists were reportedly
killed in a clash with Turkish forces in a rural area of the
southeastern province of Tunceli.

Turkey Continues Training Iraqi Political Groups: Turkey,
in an effort to contribute to Iraq's democratization, will
continue a training program for Iraqi political groups, the
semi-official Anatolian News Agency reported yesterday. The
Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) said in a statement on
Wednesday that a short-term training program for Iraqi
political parties and groups was held before January general
elections in Iraq. The program focused on election systems,
and democratic institutions and practices. The MFA said it
had decided to carry on with the program at the request of
various Iraqi political parties. Seminars for Iraqi
political groups are held at the Turkey-Middle East Public
Institute (TODAI), the Constitutional Court, the Supreme
Election Board, and the Faculty of Political Science in
Ankara. The MFA noted that the training program is open to
all Iraqi political groups.

Muslims' Rights Violations on Rise in US: Crimes of civil
rights violations against Muslims reached excessive levels
in the US last year, according to several Turkish papers.
Turkey's official Anatolian Agency (AA) cited a report by
the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), which said that animosity against Muslims and Arab-
Americans has been growing, and that anti-Muslim rhetoric by
political, religious and media figures has also been on the
rise. In 2004, rights violations against Muslims grew by 49
percent and racial crimes increased by 52 percent compared
with 2003 figures, according to the report. The report is
said to be based on incidents reported by individuals and
organizations to the Council.

EDITORIAL OPINION: IAEA/El-Baradei; US-Turkey

"El-Baradei's Candidacy and the US"
Fikret Ertan commented in the Islamist-intellectual "Zaman"
(5/12): "The US has launched a serious campaign against el-
Baradei in order to prevent him from remaining as president
of the IAEA for a third term. The US administration
considers el-Baradei excessively tolerant and soft,
particularly on matters related to Iraq and Iran. The US
also believes that el-Baradei has been inordinately
protective of the Iranian nuclear program. El-Baradei's
statements to counter American arguments about Iraq prior to
the war have neither been forgotten nor forgiven.
Therefore, the US has been doing everything possible to
block el-Baradei's candidacy. . Under growing pressure from
the US, the IAEA board was forced to postpone the meeting
scheduled to decide on a new chairman. But 34 of the
Agency's 35 members have already expressed support for a
third term as IAEA president. It will be very interesting
to see what the US will do in the days ahead. The IAEA
Board does not have much time left, as a decision must be
made by June 2005."
"Turkey and the US"
Cengiz Candar commented in the conservative-sensational
"Dunden Bugune Tercuman" (5/11): "Prime Minister Erdogan
and Foreign Minister Gul's almost simultaneous visits to the
US, and especially the Erdogan-Bush and Gul-Rice meetings,
will put Turkish-American relations under the spotlight in
the days to come. Turkey's importance for the US is beyond
question. This importance stems from Turkey being a
secular, democratic country with a Muslim identity and a
place in western institutions. This is why the US is the
strongest supporter of Turkey's EU accession. Moreover, the
fact that Turkey is the only Muslim country in the region
that recognized Israel from its establishment and has
improved relations with Israel over the last ten years has
strengthened Turkey's importance for the US. . In terms of
Washington's security policies, Incirlik has lost much of
its appeal. For future actions in the region, the US has
air bases in Qatar, Bahrain, and even in Iraq. It seems
that the US also has some alternatives in Romania,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The US will continue to tolerate
an unstable relationship with Turkey unless Turkey moves
toward an openly anti-American policy, something that seems
very unlikely. There are serious differences between Ankara
and Washington's worldview. The US is engaged in an effort
to rearrange the international system by encouraging reforms
and keeping itself at the center of international policy.
Turkey, on the other hand, is bothered by the changes to the
status quo in the international system, and especially in
its region. Unless a way can be found to bridge this
difference, US-Turkish relations will not return to the
level of `strategic cooperation' even if PM Erdogan has an
appointment at the White House every single month."

EDELMAN

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