US embassy cable - 03ANKARA7538

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 007538 
 
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 
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
November 17 trials mark day of justice in Greece - Hurriyet 
November 17 trials: Justice arrives 12 years late - Aksam 
Denktas: TRNC will not become another Georgia - Hurriyet 
Indecent proposal: Iran offers KADEK in exchange for natural 
gas - Milliyet 
FM Gul: Uzans will be extradited from US - Sabah 
Observers find Russian elections undemocratic - Turkiye 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Grossman to discuss Incirlik AB with Ankara - Radikal 
Grossman came for Incirlik - Yeni Safak 
EU gives moderate message on Cyprus - Radikal 
Iran bargaining on terror with Turkey - Cumhuriyet 
Israel helps US troops in Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
FM Gul: Turkey will succeed in its EU drive - Zaman 
Talabani wants to turn a new page with Turkey - Yeni Safak 
Power struggle between US, Russia in Georgia - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
U/S Grossman in Ankara:  Undersecretary of State for 
Political Affairs, Marc Grossman, arrived in Ankara Monday 
to discuss with the Turks the new mission of Incirlik Air 
Base.  Grossman will reportedly stress that the war in Iraq 
has shown the importance of flexibility and maneuverability 
in facing new threats.  He will also discuss ways for 
restructuring the US mission at Incirlik.  Papers expect 
Ankara to tell Grossman that Turkey prefers a functional air 
base like Incirlik to continue working in line with modern 
conditions and the current legal system in Turkey. 
 
 
Cyprus:  Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas blamed the 
opposition for attempting to remove him from the political 
arena.  The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will 
not become "another Georgia," Denktas said.  He noted that 
the opposition in the TRNC did not have the potential to 
activate the masses toward a political goal.  Denktas also 
blamed the EU and western world for providing financial 
support to the opposition in the TRNC.  The Turkish Cypriot 
opposition regards the visit by Turkey's Deputy Prime 
Minister Abdullatif Sener to the island on the eve of the 
elections as a political intervention by Ankara.  Sener said 
his visit was scheduled beforehand within the framework of 
several existing protocols on cooperation.  "Cumhuriyet" 
expects Denktas to table a new plan for the resettlement of 
Greek Cypriots in the Turkish sector.  Greek Cypriots 
willing to move to the north will be allowed to acquire 
property in the TRNC up to a certain quota, according to the 
Denktas plan.  On the other hand, dailies cite Greek Cypriot 
papers claiming that the US will not recognize the election 
results if Denktas emerges as the winner. 
 
 
Turkey-Iran:  Iran has asked Turkey to send delegations to 
Iran to discuss cooperation in struggle against terrorism 
and the natural gas issue, according to "Hurriyet."  Ankara 
was disturbed by the `shocking' Iranian offer to prevent 
PKK/KADEK activities in Iran in exchange for Turkey's 
agreement to purchase all of its natural gas from Iran. 
Turkish officials said Ankara was not against buying or 
distributing Iranian natural gas to Europe via Turkey, but 
decisions on energy issues require time.  Ankara reportedty 
informed Tehran that accepting KADEK as a terror 
organization should be a unilateral decision, and that there 
is no need to send a delegation to discuss the issue. 
Uzans in the US:  Ankara has stepped up efforts to gain the 
extradition of Kemal and Yavuz Uzan from the US.  Uzan 
family leader Kemal Uzan and his brother Yavuz are 
reportedly hiding in the US.  "We will demand the 
extradition of the criminals from the US," Foreign Minister 
Gul said.  Papers report that Interpol gave Ankara detailed 
information on the whereabouts of the Uzans two weeks ago. 
Washington has told the US Embassy in Ankara that the US is 
ready for cooperation with Turkey on the issue." 
 
 
EU Brussels summit:  The EU foreign ministers' summit to be 
held in Brussels December 12-13 is expected to encourage 
Turkey's EU efforts.  The summit's final communique is 
expected to give the message that settlement of the Cyprus 
problem will greatly facilitate Turkey's membership process. 
The final declaration will urge a solution within the 
framework of the Annan Plan. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq 
 
 
"The New Iraq" 
Yilmaz Oztuna observed in the conservative, mass appeal 
Turkiye (12/9): "Iraq's demography presents a complex 
picture, and the lack of a reliable census leaves us to make 
only estimates about its ethnic and religious composition. 
These estimates are based on general trends as well as local 
interests.  For instance, the Shiites of Iraq are seeking an 
Iranian-style radical Islamist regime.  Kurds in the north, 
however, are after an autonomous structure.  The US, on the 
other hand, is relying heavily on the Kurds.  During the 
Iraq crisis, Kurdish peshmerges turned into fighters 
equipped with US heavy weapons.  From Israel's point of 
view, a divided Iraq with a separate Kurdish state would 
serve Israeli interests. . It remains to be seen how 
successful the US will be in building a new Iraq, 
particularly with such a complex demography and conflicting 
interests.  It seems that we are headed for a kind of chaos. 
Even if there are elections in Iraq, there will never be a 
democracy." 
 
 
"Shiites Have Gained Full Control" 
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-politic Dunya (12/9): 
"The people of Iraq used to suffer because of Saddam.  Now 
the same painful process is continuing because of Bush.  The 
US intervention saved the Iraqis from Saddam's cruelty, yet 
brought chaos and anarchy in its place. . We all used to 
know the US as a state which stood for long-term planning 
and clear goals and objectives.  However, the policies 
pursued by Bush, especially on the Iraq issue, have proved 
otherwise. . Given the circumstances, the effort to `bring 
democracy to Iraq' is far from credible.  Everybody knows 
that a new regime that a majority of Iraqis will support can 
only be led by the Shiites.  They not only make up 60 
percent of the population, but are also working for an 
immediate election process in Iraq. .  It is clearly a 
nightmare for the Bush administration to see a Shiite 
government, which inevitably will be radical Islamist. . The 
situation leads us to an odd conclusion.  The US will either 
accept a Shiite-led political structure in Iraq, or we will 
see further chaos and anarchy, which might even lead to a 
civil war." 
 
 
EDELMAN