Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

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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, DECEMBER 16, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

MASS APPEAL
Majority of Iraqi Sunnis Participate in Elections - Hurriyet
FM Gul: FBI and CIA did not Interrogate Anyone in Turkey -
Hurriyet
Wilson Reassures on US-Turkey Partnership - Milliyet
PM Erdogan Receives US Ambassador - Star
Visit From US Ambassador to PM - Vatan
Assistant Secretary Dan Fried: US-Turkey Cooperation
Improves - Turkiye
President Bush: Iran is a Serious Threat - Milliyet
General Buyukanit: NATO Should Add PKK to its Terrorist List
- Milliyet
Olli Rehn: Today not only Orhan Pamuk but Turkey will be
Tried - Milliyet
Europe Follows Orhan Pamuk Case Closely - Vatan
US Praises Buyukanit - Sabah
American Iraqi Kurds Happy in the US - Hurriyet
Moody's: Turkey's Economic Crisis is Over - Turkiye

OPINION MAKERS
Strong Turnout for Iraqi Elections - Cumhuriyet
Iraqi PM Jafari: PKK Will Either Stop Fighting or Leave Iraq
- Zaman
NATO to US: We Don't Want to be Involved in US Interference
in Iraq - Yeni Safak
Ambassador Wilson: 2006 Will be the Year of Results -
Radikal
Ambassador Wilson's Priority is a More Liberal Turkey - Yeni
Safak

BRIEFING

Ambassador Wilson's Meetings with PM Erdogan and FM Gul:
"Milliyet", "Vatan", "Star", "Radikal" and "Yeni Safak"
reported that the new US Ambassador Ross Wilson was received
by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister yesterday.
"Milliyet" draws attention to the fact that Ambassador
Wilson was received by PM Erdogan within a very short time
after the Ambassador's arrival in Turkey while the previous
Ambassador Edelman had to wait for an appointment for five
weeks. Ambassador Wilson gave the message to FM Gul that
`Turkey is an important strategic partner of the US.' The
Ambassador listed the areas where he will seek closer
cooperation with Turkey as Iraq, Syria, Iran, Cyprus,
Caucasus, and the Middle East. In return, Foreign Minister
Gul, reportedly, reiterated Turkey's expectations regarding
the PKK and drew the Ambassador's attention to allegations
of irregularity in Iraqi elections.

Orhan Pamuk Trial: All papers report that the world's
attention is focused on Turkey because of today's trial.
"Milliyet" quotes EU Commissioner Olli Rehn as saying that
`it is not only Orhan Pamuk who stands trial but all of
Turkey'. Rehn warned Turkey that this case would cast a
shadow over Turkey's EU accession.

A/S Dan Fried Comments: "Turkiye" and "Yeni Safak" quote US
Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried as saying that
`Turkey and the US had some misunderstandings in the past
regarding Iraq, but cooperation between two countries has

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improved. The US considers the PKK a terrorist organization
and our cooperation with Turkey to eliminate the PKK has
increased as well.'

Relocated Kurds Happy in the US: "Hurriyet" and "Yeni
Safak" report on the status of a number of Kurds who
collaborated with the CIA in 1996 against Saddam Hussein and
were taken to the US for their safety. One of those
immigrants, Hikmet Piromavi said `we were considered to be
CIA agents in those days. Our only goal then was to bring
down the Saddam regime. The Halepce massacre was proof of
Saddam's brutality against Kurds. The US saved us from
these massacres and brought us all to the US, where we have
jobs and are doing very well financially. Now we are
American citizens - Kurdish- Americans - earning money and
paying taxes.'

EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq Elections

"Is It That Simple?"
Okay Gonensin observed in the mass appeal "Vatan" (12/16):
"The Bush administration's attack against Iraq opened a
Pandora's box, unleashing Arab nationalism, radical Islam,
Kurdish nationalism and Shiite fanaticism. Even though
Sunnis participated in the elections, the fact of the matter
is that every group in Iraq seemed attached to its
nationalistic as well as religious identity. Recent remarks
from President Bush contained two important confessions.
One of them was slightly innocent: that the amount of oil
revenue from Iraq was not as much as the US had anticipated.
But the other confession was quite disturbing: he admitted
that intelligence reports about Saddam possessing weapons of
mass destruction were wrong. This clearly means that the US
reason for attacking Iraq was false. A war which continues
to claim lives to this day was started with faulty
intelligence. President Bush's confession will be written
of as the biggest scandal in political history."

"The Iraqi Elections"
Kamuran Ozbir commented in the nationalist "Ortadogu"
(12/16): "The Iraqi elections are over but certain
conditions have to be met in order to achieve a united,
stable and peaceful Iraq in the post-election period. The
immediate priority is to bring the violence to an end by
making insurgent groups ineffective. Once the invasion is
over and as soon as the coalition forces start pulling out,
Iraq undoubtedly will go back to normal life. At this
point, it is absolutely crucial for the new Iraqi
administration to pursue a balanced policy as envisaged in
the constitution, in other words a federal Iraq,
territorially intact. A serious challenge is ahead of Iraq
when the election results become available. The new
administration will have to deal with political structuring
while establishing democracy and stability at the very same
time. It remains to be seen if Iraq will actually be
successful in the challenges to come."

WILSON

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