US embassy cable - 04ANKARA814

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000814 
 
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, FEBRUARY 11, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Denktas: We came to New York to open a new chapter - 
Hurriyet 
Hope for compromise at historic Cyprus summit - Sabah 
Bargaining in New York - Milliyet 
Annan signals readiness to change his Cyprus plan - Turkiye 
Simitis: Turkeys' path to EU is through Green Line in Cyprus 
- Milliyet 
Another suicide attack in Iraq: 55 dead - Hurriyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Cyprus' destiny on the negotiation table - Radikal 
Erdogan warns Denktas to abide by Annan plan - Radikal 
Ankara pressures Denktas to stay at the table - Cumhuriyet 
Annan boosts hope on eve of the longest night in New York - 
Zaman 
Tough Cyprus bargaining in New York - Yeni Safak 
First Cyprus round positive - Yeni Safak 
PUK: Turkish troops should make `friendly exit' from Iraq - 
Cumhuriyet 
French uphold secularism, ban headscarf in schools - 
Cumhuriyet 
AKP still popular, CHP in critical condition - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Cyprus:  Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders remained at the 
negotiating table after their first meeting with UN 
Secretary General Annan in New York on Tuesday.  `Cyprus 
 
SIPDIS 
peace negotiations have started,' TRNC `Foreign Minister' 
Serdar Denktas announced.  `We are pleased that the meetings 
were beneficial, and the talks will continue next week 
either in New York, Nicosia or a European city,' Denktas 
added.  He voiced hope that the positive atmosphere in the 
initial talks will continue.  Denktas and Papadopoulos 
presented their conditions to Annan, Turkish papers report. 
Dailies believe the positive atmosphere was due to heavy 
pressure exerted by Ankara and Athens on the Cypriot 
leaders.  Facing significant pressure from Ankara and the 
US, Denktas opted against presenting his letter of 
conditions to Annan, "Sabah" reports.  The Greek Cypriots 
were also uncomfortable with the Annan conditions, but they 
preferred to pursue a wait-and-see policy, according to 
"Radikal."  Denktas' withdrawal from negotiations was `out 
of the question,' Prime Minister Erdogan said on Tuesday on 
his way back from South Korea.  Dailies highlight Greek 
Prime Minister Simitis' comment that the `wounds of the 1974 
Turkish intervention on the island must be healed,' and that 
Greek and Turkish Cypriots could `live together for a 
European vision.'  Papers also underline Annan's flexible 
message to the parties, indicating that changes to the UN 
plan are possible if a compromise is reached between the 
Cypriot leaders. 
 
 
PUK representative in Ankara:  Visiting Ankara after 
meetings in Washington and London, PUK official Bahram Salih 
discussed with his Turks counterparts the political 
reconstruction of Iraq.  In a meeting with Ankara's special 
Iraq envoy, Ambassador Osman Koruturk, Salih said he fully 
supports Iraq's territorial integrity and a fair 
representation of all ethnic groups in the country.  `Kirkuk 
is part of Iraqi Kurdistan,' Salih stressed, `and the people 
of Kirkuk want to see a democratic solution to their 
problems.'  In a TV interview late Tuesday, Salih asserted 
that the Kurds have no intention to expel Turkish troops 
from Iraq by force.  Salih also expressed determination to 
eliminate any threat coming from inside Iraq toward its 
neighbors, including the PKK/KADEK.  "Radikal" believes 
Salih was trying to ease Ankara's concerns over a 
prospective federal structure in Iraq. 
 
 
AK Party's popularity persisting:  Public support for the 
ruling AK Party remains strong, according to a public 
opinion survey conducted by the private polling company 
ANAR, "Yeni Safak" reports.  In response to a question about 
which party they would support in the March 28 municipal 
elections, those surveyed responded as follows:  AKP 33.2 
percent, CHP 10.3, Genc Party 5.5, MHP 3.5, DYP 3.4, DEHAP 
3.1, ANAP 1.4, Undecided 29.0 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq; Cyprus 
 
 
"No Surprise in Iraq" 
Zafer Atay wrote in the economic-political Dunya (2/11): "It 
was clear from the very beginning that the Kurds, who 
constitute a minority among the Iraqi population, pose a 
potential threat unless they are kept under control.  The 
Iraqi Kurds are after a privileged form of autonomy, 
something very close to independence.  They also want to 
control the natural resources of Iraq.  Their efforts in 
drafting a constitution and establishing borders clearly 
indicate the fact that a civil war remains a potential 
threat for Iraq. . The Iraqi Kurds have so far worked 
successfully toward achieving their goals, and they haven't 
been seriously opposed by the US either. . The recent 
suicide bombing in Erbil suggests an emerging conflict 
between Kurds and Arabs in Iraq.  This type of terrorist 
attack is very Arab in nature, and some have interpreted the 
Erbil incident as the beginning of a civil war. . The US 
remains the real authority in Iraq, and it is the US 
responsibility to stop its Kurdish allies from going 
further.  Otherwise, an Arab-Kurd war is imminent in Iraq." 
 
 
"Is Denktas Able to Stop This Process?" 
Mehmed Ali Birand observed in the mass appeal Posta (2/11): 
"We are so fully concentrated on what Denktas might do that 
we never say anything about the stance of Greek Cypriot 
leader Papadopulos.  Yet the real problem might arise from 
the Greek Cypriot side.  It has been well known for a long 
time that the Greek Cypriots are uncomfortable with the 
Annan plan.  Just at a time when they believed they could 
rule Cyprus as they wanted, and thought they could dominate 
the Turkish Cypriot side without sacrificing too much, they 
have been forced to face this uncomfortable situation. . The 
Greek Cypriots with their $18,000 annual per capita income, 
will have to share the wealth with the Turks.  Moreover, 
they will lose their legal right to rule over the Turkish 
part of the island. . An eight-week marathon is beginning, 
and it will be full of daily surprises and mishaps.  It may 
end before it even begins, but the atmosphere here shows 
that Washington and Brussels do not want to lose this chance 
to solve the problem." 
 
 
EDELMAN