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
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2006

In Today's Papers

EU States Agree to Partially Freeze Turkey Talks
All papers report the European Union put the brakes on Turkey's
accession drive after the foreign ministers of the EU decided Monday
to put 8 of 35 negotiation chapters on hold, in line with the
November 29 recommendation of the EU Commission, for failing to
respect its trade obligations to Cyprus. Discussions on the frozen
chapters will continue but will not be concluded until Ankara
complies with its customs union obligations. Key to the deal was a
revision proposal from the EU term president Finland under which the
European Commission would constantly monitor Turkey's progress on
normalizing trade ties with Cyprus.

Radikal reports that the Finnish EU term presidency released a
declaration, calling for a Cyprus settlement under the UN umbrella.
The call was not added to the statement of EU foreign ministers as a
result of the fierce opposition of Greece and south Cyprus, Radikal
notes. At the meeting EU officials merely agreed to discuss ending
the isolation of Turkish Cyprus in January.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the decision "sends a
signal to Turkey that failure to meet legal obligations cannot
remain without consequences but it enables progress in talks." The
EU needs a democratic and stable Turkey, Rehn emphasized, calling
Turkey "an anchor of stability in the most unstable region of the
world and a benchmark of democracy in the Middle East and the Muslim
world."

Milliyet and Cumhuriyet say Ankara was disappointed with yesterday's
EU decision.
Turkish officials have been disturbed by the fact that Turkey's
harbor offer was not discussed at all by EU foreign ministers,
Cumhuriyet notes. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned that a
derailing of Turkey's EU drive would harm the interests of EU
countries. "I cannot help wonder whether Europe is really aware of
the consequences of not sustaining the accession process at a time
when a modern and prosperous Turkey is becoming increasingly
relevant to the well-being of the European Union and beyond," Gul
wrote in the International Herald Tribune.

Despite the partial suspension, Sabah and Zaman are optimistic that
Turkey's EU accession drive continues. Radikal believes that EU
officials have shrugged off Ankara's offer for opening Turkish ports
to Greek Cyprus, whereas the pro-government Yeni Safak writes the EU
foreign ministers have agreed to end the isolation of Turkish Cyprus
and rejected proposals for freezing 17 negotiating chapters as well
as fixing a deadline for Turkey. Milliyet and Cumhuriyet disagree,
saying the decision adopted by EU foreign ministers contained dates
and that 2009 was seen as a "covert timetable" since the European
Commission has decided to monitor Ankara's progress on opening ports
to Cyprus in 2007, 2008 and 2009 "as appropriate."

Editorial Commentary on EU's Partial Freeze of Turkey Talks
Mainstream Milliyet carries this front-page op-ed: "The Greater
Europe project has achieved its goals in many ways, including the
successful creation of a European "super-identity" which paved the
way to ending the conflicts in the continent. The circumstances
calling for European integration in the aftermath of the World War
II are pretty much still valid only in a different context. In
today's world, the conflict potential lays between the West and the
Islamic world. There is a bridge needed between the worlds in order
to soften the conflict. Thus, the final EU decision on Turkey's
full membership will shape the nature of the relationship and
contact between the West and the Islamic worlds. The EU has to
decide on whether it will be living in a glass menagerie or will be
a global player in the 21st century. When World War II ended, there
were political leaders with vision, such as Adenauer and de Gaulle.
The upcoming Brussels summit will be an important test to indicate
whether the EU has leadership with vision or not."

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Commenting in the liberal-intellectual Radikal, Gunduz Aktan
comments: "The Western Bloc defeated the Soviet system without a
war. And in the course of that struggle the Communist ideology lost
its validity (for the time being), making way for democracies. This
time too the West is preaching the democratization of the Muslim
countries to win the fight against 'terrorism in the name of Islam.'
In this context, from the strategic angle, the Anglo-Saxons greatly
value Turkey's potential to be a role model. Before he became pope,
Cardinal Ratzinger said that Turkey was Europe's historical rival
and that Turkey's place was not in Europe. Before Sarkozy and
Merkel, many other politicians (such as Delors, D'Estaing and Kohl)
expressed similar views, clearly articulating the religious/cultural
differences. This is due partly to the fact that Turkey has not yet
completed its modernization process. The West describes the Turkish
AKP government as 'moderate Islam' but still fears that it could
slide towards radical Islam. The West knows that the Turkish army
would effectively defend Turkey's secularism but still it thinks
that this situation is not democratic. So, the West believes that in
its present state, Turkey neither constitutes a perfect model for
other Muslim countries nor seems ready for EU membership. This
dilemma could have been avoided if the EU had displayed real
political will in favor of Turkish membership in order to help
Turkey achieve socioeconomic development and further
democratization. Yet, on "petty" pretexts (by citing the Cyprus
issue, for example), the EU avoids doing so. However we are aware
that it is because of 'prejudices' that continental Europe is not
admitting Turkey into its ranks. In reality, 'prejudice' is a
euphemism for anti-Semitism or other forms of racism. The problem
is that keeping Turkey outside the EU will not help eliminate racism
in Europe. As history shows, getting bogged down ever more deeply in
the quicksand of its own prejudices, Europe will, in order to
justify its stance, make claims to the effect that the Muslims (whom
it is demonizing as it once did the Jews) are not compatible with
its high level of civilization, that they are uncivilized,
undemocratic even a-historical, thus making them its dangerous
'other.' This process will simply transform today's manageable
problem into something catastrophic."

Defense Industry Committee Gathers for Last Word on Helicopter
Tender
Yeni Safak reports that the Defense Industry Executive Committee is
expected to give its final word today on a controversial military
tender. The Committee which is made up of Prime Minister Erdogan,
Chief of General Staff General Buyukanit and Defense Minister Vecdi
Gonul, is expected to give its final decision on the tactical and
reconnaissance Attack Helicopter Project (ATAK). The tender process
actually commenced 10 years ago to enhance the capability of the
Land Forces Command in the fight against terrorism, but was
cancelled two years ago as American firm Bell Textron, which was
later excluded from the process, declined to give information on
production technologies, especially on computers reserved for
specific use. Today, the committee will either cancel the tender
for good or will give it to either South African firm Denel or
Italian firm Agusta.

Timetable for Countering PKK
Milliyet reports that Turkish and US envoys for countering the PKK,
retired General Edip Baser and his American counterpart retired
general Joseph Ralston met in Germany yesterday and agreed on a
timetable for countering the PKK terrorist organization. Within this
framework, the US is expected to prepare a special timetable to call
on PKK militants to surrender, to freeze PKK activities in Iraq and
other countries, to cut the financial sources of PKK and to capture
top level PKK terrorists and hand them over to Turkey.

Survey: Izmir Most Transparent in Responding to Inquiries
Radikal, Milliyet and Zaman report that a TESEV, Turkey's economic
and social studies foundation, field survey regarding the
2004-adopted Law on Citizens' Access to Official Information shows

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that Izmir province leads with 91.7 percent of "full and timely"
responses to inquiries coming from citizens, with Adana being the
least reposnsive with 38.9 percent. Ankara ranks sixth with 52.1
percent and Istanbul the eight with 43.1. For the survey, the TESEV
pollsters looked at education, health, environment, social services,
and police directorates in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir,
Malatya, Samsun, Konya, Adana, Sanliurfa, and Van. The results show
neither citizens, not public servants have sufficient information
concerning the law and its enforcement.

TV Highlights
NTV, 6.00 A.M.

Domestic News

- In the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, a military housing
facility collapsed after an explosion said to have been caused by a
malfunctioning boiler, killing seven people including four children,
injuring another eight. The deputy chief of Turkish General Staff
(TGS) General Ilker Basbug went to the city. The Diyarbakir
prosecutor has launched an investigation into the incident to see
whether the blast was an accident or act of sabotage.

- Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc paid a courtesy call on General
Yasar Buyukanit after the Chief of the Turkish General Staff assumed
post in late August.

- Prime Minister Erdogan, the Turkish General Staff Chief Buyukanit,
and Defense Minister Gonul will participate Tuesday in the Defense
Industry Executive Committee meeting to discuss defense and military
supply projects.

- Energy Minister Hilmi Guler will travel to Israel on December 13
to discuss a pipeline project for the transportation of oil, natural
gas, electricity and water to Israel.

- Thirty-two suspects have been detained in Istanbul in security
operations against the outlawed DHKP-C terrorist organization.

- Turkey reports a USD 2.5 billion current deficit in October,
raising the deficit for the first ten months of the year to USD 28
billion.

International News

- The Turkish Foreign Ministry, followed by the EU, said it will not
recognize the outcome of a constitutional referendum backing
independence held in the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani region of
Nagorno Karabakh.

- A group of Iranian students protested against Ahmadinejad,
shouting "Down with the dictator," as the Iranian president
delivered a speech at a Tehran university.
- Syria and Iraq have reestablished diplomaticties as the sides
reopened embassies in each other's capitals after 26 years.

- Some 20 masked gunmen stopped an armored bank vehicle in Baghdad
yesterday, taking away USD 1 million and abducting four guards in
the car.

- Leaders of six Gulf Arab states said they will jointly develop
peaceful nuclear technology, drawing up a plan to that end.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON

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