US embassy cable - 03ANKARA7850

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007850 
 
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 
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
US wants Cyprus talks resumed before January 28 - Hurriyet 
12/21 
American Soldier `Person of the Year' - Time - Milliyet 
12/21 
Barzani implies a `Greater Kurdistan' - Milliyet 12/21 
Barzani: Kirkuk is historically ours - Sabah 
Barzani claims Kirkuk - Turkiye 
After Libya, eyes now on Syria - Hurriyet 
Qadafi betrays bin-Ladin - Sabah 
Qadafi gives in - Hurriyet 12/21 
Bremer: Saddam was nervous, arrogant - Turkiye 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Kurds' goal unification - Radikal 12/21 
Kurds' government plans disturb Ankara - Cumhuriyet 
Libya to become a close ally of the West - Radikal 
Qadafi softens - Yeni Safak 12/21 
Israel might strike Iran's nuclear plants - Zaman 
Tehran Israel's No. 1 target - Cumhuriyet 
Bush wants to get rid of Arafat - Cumhuriyet 
Wesley Clark testifies against Milosevic - Yeni Safak 12/21 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Iraq:  Monday's papers highlight KDP leader Barzani's 
statement claiming that Kurds have `historical rights' to 
Kirkuk.  The KDP and PUK will launch a joint initiative for 
establishing a coalition government in Northern Iraq, 
according to weekend papers.  Dailies regard this move as an 
initial step towards a Kurdish state.  Five Kurdish members 
of the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) have submitted a bill 
to establish a federal Iraq based on ethnicity.  The MFA is 
expected to give the Embassy a message about Turkey's 
concerns about the protection of Iraq's territorial 
integrity.  The US supports the notion of  limited Kurdish 
autonomy, according to "Cumhuriyet." 
 
 
Cyprus:  Prime Minister Erdogan agrees with the UNSC call 
for resuming Cyprus peace negotiations within the framework 
of the Annan plan.  Sunday's "Cumhuriyet" quotes Denktas as 
saying that entering into negotiations under the Annan Plan 
would mean losing Cyprus.  The paper blames Erdogan and 
Foreign Minister Gul for weakening the position of Turkish 
Cypriots.  President Sezer is expected to hold a `Cyprus 
summit' with Turkish government leaders and Denktas 
following the formation of a new government in the TRNC. 
The US Administration has stepped up pressure on Ankara for 
resuming talks under the Annan Plan in advance of Prime 
Minister Erdogan's Washington visit on January 28, 2004.  US 
sources have lost hope of making progress with Denktas, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  US Special Cyprus Coordinator Thomas 
Weston called for rapid and intensive negotiations once a 
new government is formed in the TRNC.  Ankara has promised 
Weston to convince Denktas, and has urged the US to exert 
pressure on the Greek Cypriots. 
 
 
Turkey, Israel to sign cooperation agreement: On his visit 
to Turkey this week, Israel's interior security minister 
Tzahi Hanegbi will sign with Turkish officials a security 
agreement to combat international organized crime, human and 
narcotics trafficking, and smuggling.  Israeli industry and 
trade minister Ehud Olmert is expected in Turkey in January, 
and foreign minister Gul will visit Israel in February. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: EU expansion/Cyprus 
 
 
"Talks Should Be Based on the Annan Plan" 
Washington-based Yasemin Congar wrote in the mass appeal 
Milliyet (12/22): "Washington interpreted the result of the 
Turkish Cypriot elections as hope and change prevailing over 
fear and the status quo. An American diplomat noted that the 
Turkish Cypriot opposition party won a larger percentage of 
the vote than Turkey's ruling AKP during the 2002 elections 
in Turkey. . The election result effectively passes the ball 
to Ankara.  Everyone in Washington who deals with the Cyprus 
issue agrees that Ankara's responsibility for reaching a 
settlement process has increased after the elections. .  US 
officials underline the importance of the Annan Plan for the 
settlement process, and state that `any proposal other than 
the Annan Plan will not be a way to restart the 
negotiations.  Any solution package from Turkey that does 
not take the Annan Plan as a starting point will come to 
naught.'   And everyone who deals with Turkey and Cyprus in 
Washington is looking at the calendar and urging that a 
solution be found by May 2004.  Everyone warns that time is 
running against Turkey on this issue." 
 
 
"Does the Turkish Government Have a Cyprus Policy?" 
Semih Idiz criticized in the mass appeal Aksam (12/22): "The 
Turkish Cypriot elections did not advance the process for a 
solution and Cyprus.  They have instead led to more 
controversy, particularly within Turkey.  It remains to be 
seen how the Turkish Cypriots will eventually establish 
internal stability, given the deadlock in the election 
results and the fact that they have a president who is not 
impartial.  . Yet the real problem is with the Turkish 
government.  The AKP government has so far presented us with 
a series of inconsistencies.  PM Erdogan began by saying `we 
are not going to be part of the status quo in Cyprus.' But 
today, he seems to be doing his best to keep up with the 
status quo rhetoric.  It is not only Tom Weston who is 
confused -- we are all confused.  Finding the real Cyprus 
policy of this government is like a riddle.  Turkey is 
supposedly working on a Cyprus initiative.  We all know that 
such an initiative must please UNSG Annan if Turkey is 
really after a settlement.  This, of course, would be very 
unpleasant for Denktas." 
 
 
EDELMAN