US embassy cable - 03ANKARA7416

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007416 
 
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, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan Finally Speaks of `Religious' Terror- Sabah 
Conditional Compensation for Loizidu - Sabah 
Turkey,Greece Sign Double Taxation Agreement - Hurriyet 
Quebec Approves April 24 as Armenian Genocide Day - Hurriyet 
Secrets of the Religious School in Damascus - Hurriyet 
 
SIPDIS 
TGS Chief: "US Should Act Against the PKK" - Hurriyet 
SP Leader Erbakan Might be Jailed for 11 months - Aksam 
Verheugen: "Opposition Should Win the Cyprus Elections" - 
Milliyet 
Erdogan Denies he Received Invitation from Bush - Star 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan: "This is Fundamentalist Terrorism" - Radikal 
Ugly Confessions from Verheugen About Cyprus and Denktas - 
Cumhuriyet 
An Open Message to Terrorists from Erdogan - YeniSafak 
Terrorist Intelligence Services Target Islam - Milli Gazete 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING: 
 
 
Terror investigation: Papers carry details about an Islamic 
school in Syria, where some suspects in the Istanbul 
terrorist bombings were trained.  The school is reportedly 
affiliated to "Al Fatih" university and educates students in 
the Koran.  Many graduates of the school continue their 
education at El-Azhar University in Egypt.  "Hurriyet" 
highlighted the fact that about 14 of the total 22 suspects 
handed over to Turkey by Syria are women.  According to 
"Aksam," Syria provided misinformation about the terrorist 
suspects, and there are 6 terrorists still being sheltered 
by Syria.  According to "Aksam," Syria sent Turkey Islamic 
school students instead of those really involved in the 
bombing plot.  20 of the 22 suspects extradited by the 
Syrians have been released by Turkish authorities. 
 
 
Turkey Pays Settlement in Loizidou Case:  All papers 
highlighted the agreement reached between Turkey and the 
Council of Europe concerning the long-running Loizidou case. 
Turkey paid the required compensation (1.12 million euro) to 
Greek Cypriot citizen Loizidou, yet managed to have the 
Council of Europe delay the implementation of the verdict 
for Loizidou's return to her house in northern Cyprus. 
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot leader Denktash characterized the 
European Court's verdict in the case as `political,' and 
warned that it will only make a settlement of the Cyprus 
issue more difficult.  Sources at the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry said they were "satisfied" with the agreement, and 
many Turkish papers portrayed the deal as a "victory" for 
Turkish diplomacy. 
 
 
Army Chief Appeals to US on the PKK:  Turkish Chief of 
General Staff Hilmi Ozkok urged the US to take action 
against the PKK/KADEK in northern Iraq.  Speaking to 
journalists at a diplomatic reception in Ankara, General 
Ozkok voiced Turkey's expectation that the US will act 
against PKK elements as quickly as possible.  According to 
"Hurriyet," the General said that "action against PKK should 
not be limited to a military operation.  There are many 
other measures that could be taken as well."  "Hurriyet" 
also speculated that Turkish military leaders will express 
their sensitivity about this issue to General Peter Pace, 
Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is paying 
an official visit to Turkey. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq; Campaign Against Terrorism 
 
 
"Bombings push Turkey towards the West" 
Mehmet Ali Birand noted in the mass appeal Posta (12/3): 
"Turkey will not change its Iraq policy in order to avoid 
new terrorist bombings.  On the contrary, it will support 
the US effort to see that stability is established in Iraq. 
The Bush Administration will enhance efforts to prevent 
Turkey, the sole model in the Islamic world, from being 
wasted. .  Leading EU countries have stressed that the 
Turkish model, which is prone to destabilization by Islamist 
terror, must be protected through full membership 
negotiations in December 2004. .  For that to become a 
reality, Turkey must implement the Copenhagen Criteria. . 
Turkey might take a significant step forward in December in 
its drive for securing a place in Europe.  That would be the 
best response to the perpetrators of the Istanbul bombings." 
 
 
"Metastasis of the Al-Qaida cancer in Turkey" 
Cengiz Candar observed in the mass appeal DB-tercuman 
(12/3): "The bombings in Istanbul have clearly exposed the 
tumor within the Turkish nation. .  The terrorist attacks in 
Istanbul in November made Turkey appear as a country in 
which Al-Qaida can take refuge rather than a country being 
attacked by Al-Qaida.  It will be extremely difficult for 
Europe to accept a country that includes internal elements 
of Al-Qaida. .  Removing the Al-Qaida tumor from Turkey is 
directly connected to Turkey's effort to gain accession to 
the EU.  Terror has not only infected Turkey, but has begun 
to regenerate inside Turkey.  The struggle against terror in 
Iraq should be expanded to cover Turkey as well." 
 
 
EDELMAN