US embassy cable - 03ANKARA7631

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007631 
 
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 
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2003 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Denktas: Elections will be referendum on Turkey's guarantor 
status - Aksam 
Denktas: Elections aim at liquidating the TRNC - Sabah 
Erdogan: Two states must be recognized in Cyprus - Turkiye 
Annan Plan is the `knot' in Turkish Cypriot elections - 
Milliyet 
Papadopoulos says Annan Plan has many shortcomings - Aksam 
German police raid 1,100 houses of Turkish fundamentalists - 
Hurriyet 
Cluster bombs killed hundreds of Iraqis -- HRW - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Turkey wants fair elections in TRNC - Cumhuriyet 
Inevitable outcome of TRNC polls: Political crisis - Radikal 
Erdogan: EU should convince Greek Cypriots as well - Radikal 
83 attacks on Iraqi pipelines since April - Yeni Safak 
Tehran vows to extradite 130 Al-Qaida members - Yeni Safak 
CIA to set up local intelligence organization in Iraq - 
Cumhuriyet 
EU has `cultural rights problems' with Ankara - Zaman 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish Cypriot elections:  Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas 
said he does not expect the opposition to win the December 
14 election with a comfortable majority.  `I will not 
entrust the opposition with the task of forming a new 
government unless they achieve an overwhelming victory in 
the elections,' Denktas stressed.  Prime Minister Erdogan 
drew attention to `two different religions, two different 
languages, two different zones' in Cyprus.  `We are not 
ignoring the Annan Plan,' Erdogan said.  `We want the plan 
to be discussed comprehensively.'  No matter which bloc 
emerges victorious, Ankara wants Cyprus negotiations resumed 
swiftly after the elections.  Ankara is working on 
alternative proposals to some unacceptable provisions in the 
Annan Plan, "Cumhuriyet" reports.  Turkey finds the clauses 
on sovereignty in the plan vague, `Cumhuriyet' adds.  Ankara 
wants the plan to be amended in a way that accepts that `the 
new partnership state should be based on the sovereignty of 
two states in Cyprus.'  PM Erdogan, in Brussels for an EU 
summit, pointed to EU pressure on the Turkish Cypriots for 
settlement, and urged that the same pressure be exerted on 
Greek Cypriots as well. 
 
 
Erdogan, Gul attend EU summit:  Prime Minister Erdogan and 
Foreign Minister Gul, in Brussels to attend an EU summit, 
held meetings with their counterparts on Thursday.  Turkey's 
leaders will be urged to step up efforts for a settlement in 
Cyprus.  The EU has become more positive towards Turkey's EU 
accession due to the reforms carried out by Ankara, 
Verheugen reportedly told FM Gul.  EU officials told the 
Turks that Ankara is close to meeting all of the Copenhagen 
Criteria.  Neverteheless, the EU has outlined a series of 
shortcomings in the independence of the judiciary, the 
protection of basic freedoms, and the protection of cultural 
rights in southeastern Turkey.  However, Turkish leaders are 
concerned about the EU approach that links the issue of 
cultural rights solely to the situation in the southeast. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
 
a) US Policy Issues 
b) EU Summit-Cyprus 
 
 
"The Decline of American Policy Values" 
Hasan Mesut Hazar filed this from Washington in the 
conservative-mass appeal Turkiye (12/12): "Anti-Americanism 
has increased dramatically during the Bush presidency. 
Because of Bush's unilateral and mistaken policies, the US 
has gone through a series of tiffs with its allies in its 
effort to carry out the fight against terrorism.  There is 
also a serious erosion in the attractiveness of the US 
model, which used to embrace democracy, human rights, 
justice, freedom and free trade.  The decline of American 
values has caused criticism not only internationally but 
also domestically.  Yet President Bush remains blind to the 
arguments against his policies.  There is no step back in 
this wrong-headed approach.  On the contrary, Bush is 
becoming even more radical than before.  It is not possible 
to talk about the US as a champion of freedoms around the 
globe. . We can only hope that common sense prevails in the 
end, so that the alarmingly dangerous policies shaped by the 
hawks in the Bush administration are prevented from doing 
more damage in the world." 
 
 
"EU Summit " 
Sami Kohen wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (12/12): "Turkey 
expects to see two messages come out of the EU summit in 
Brussels.  One is about Turkey's EU membership prospects. 
Ankara hopes to hear encouraging remarks about the ongoing 
reforms and to see Turkey's chances increase for a date 
certain to open accession negotiations. . The second 
expectation is about Cyprus.  It looks like the EU will 
modify its Cyprus rhetoric slightly in order to mollify 
Turkey.  The final communique will stress that `a solution 
to the Cyprus will facilitate Turkey's EU membership' 
instead of warning that a non-solution would be `a serious 
obstacle.' The fact of the matter is that whatever the 
communique says, the EU has established a direct link 
between a settlement and the negotiation date.  . It remains 
to be seen to what extent Turkish initiatives and diplomacy 
on the Cyprus issue will help in the search for a final 
settlement to this long-standing issue.  It goes without 
saying that the northern Cypriot elections will play a very 
key role in this matter.  The results of the election will 
not only shape the political future of Cyprus, but Turkey's 
political future as well.  Turkey's foreign policy 
commitment, including the EU process, will be directly 
influenced by the outcome." 
 
 
EDELMAN