US embassy cable - 04ANKARA849

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000849 
 
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 
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Denktas makes an opening at Cyprus talks - Milliyet 
Denktas one step ahead - Hurriyet 
Denktas proposal stuns Greek Cypriots - Sabah 
Greek Cypriot Press: Horror movie in New York - Turkiye 
Vietnam veteran Kerry wins again, Clark quits - Sabah 
Mubarek defends Iraq's territorial integrity - Turkiye 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Denktas boosts hope for change - Radikal 
Turkish Cypriots: Annan should fill in blanks - Cumhuriyet 
High Hopes for Cyprus solution - Radikal 
US intervenes for Cyprus - Yeni Safak 
Bombs shake Baghdad, 47 dead - Radikal 
Baghdad -- city of death - Yeni Safak 
Kissinger: Iraq will become another Yugoslavia - Yeni Safak 
Israel kills 15 in Gaza - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
Cyprus:  Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas proposed that 
guarantor countries Turkey and Greece should join 
negotiations to resolve the Cyprus problem if there is no 
agreement by March 20.  In the event that remaining 
disagreements cannot be resolved in four-way talks, it would 
be left to UN Secretary General Annan to arbitrate a fair 
solution.   TRNC `Foreign Minister' Serdar Denktas said that 
Annan reacted positively to the proposal from the Turkish 
side, but that the Greek Cypriots had asked for more time. 
Papers agree that the surprise Turkish proposal has put the 
Greek Cypriots in a difficult position.  The Greek Cypriots 
had been maneuvering to stall the Cyprus peace talks until 
May 1, according to Turkish press reports, but now are 
shocked in the face of the Denktas proposal.  The Greek 
Cypriots do not want to jeopardize their gains in Cyprus by 
agreeing to allow Annan to fill in the blanks if there is no 
agreement. 
Before the talks resumed Wednesday in New York, US officials 
had asked Ankara and Athens to pressure Denktas and 
Papadopoulos for a breakthrough.  Secretary Powell called 
Foreign Minister Gul to request that he urge the Turkish 
Cypriots to agree to restarting the talks in line with the 
UN-sponsored peace plan.  The US and UK Ambassadors to 
Ankara met with Justice Minister Cicek on Wednesday to 
discuss the issue, according to "Milliyet."  Ankara 
postponed a planned parliamentary debate about Cyprus on 
Wednesday for fear of upsetting the negotiations in New 
York.  The debate is now scheduled for next Tuesday. 
Egypt's Mubarek visits Turkey:  On a one-day working visit 
to Ankara, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek said he was 
against the political restructuring of Iraq along ethnic 
lines.  He discussed with Ankara possibilities for Cairo's 
active involvement in settling disagreements between Israel 
and Syria.  Mubarek expressed concerns about the  the 
`Greater Middle East Project' now under discussion in the 
United States, according to "Cumhuriyet."  FM Gul reportedly 
responded that Turkey is `part of the geography' of the 
Greater Middle East and therefore must take an `active role' 
in the process of change. 
PM Erdogan Notes Two-Way Rotations Through Incirlik:  In 
response to a reporter's question following his meeting with 
visiting Egyptian President Mubarek, PM Erdogan noted that 
permission for US troop rotations `from Iraq to the United 
States and from the United States into Iraq' through 
Incirlik would remain valid until May 2004. 
Amnesty International delegation in Ankara:  An Amnesty 
International (AI) delegation headed by AI President Irene 
Khan arrives in Ankara today for meetings with Prime 
Minister Erdogan and several other ministers.  The 
delegation will press for the release of Leyla Zana, former 
Kurdish member of the Turkish parliament from the Democracy 
Party (DEP).  The AI group will complain to Erdogan about 
ongoing instances of arbitrary detention and torture, and 
will urge an end to pressure on human rights activists. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Cyprus 
 
 
"Last Chance on Cyprus" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative Turkiye (2/12): "It 
seems that the New York negotiation process on Cyprus is 
going very well, and that Denktas has made a good 
performance.  Settlement of the Cyprus issue should not be a 
concern for advocates of Turkish nationalism.  Neither 
Turkey nor the Turkish Cypriots will be harmed by a 
settlement.  Realistically speaking, settlement of the 
Cyprus issue will provide more benefit than harm.  Resolving 
the Cyprus issue will broaden Turkish diplomatic vision and 
strengthen Turkey's hand internationally.  Turkey should 
remain at the table and should negotiate in good faith.  A 
solution to the Cyprus issue seems likely this time." 
 
 
"Everybody needs a settlement" 
Sami Kohen noted in the mass appeal Milliyet (2/12): "One of 
the arguments about the ongoing Cyprus negotiations is 
whether or not the Greek Cypriots are eager for a settlement 
before the May 1 deadline.  Turkish public opinion widely 
believes that the Greek Cypriots will not work for a 
solution due to the fact that their EU membership is taken 
for granted.  The fact is, however, that the Greek Cypriots 
may not be as comfortable as we have been led to believe. 
They are aware that the absence of a settlement has some 
traps for them as well. . The prospect of a failed 
settlement process also poses certain difficulties for the 
Greeks.  Athens will have to cope with a deterioration of 
Turkish-Greek ties and a continued deadlock over Aegean 
issues. . There is also another important fact about the 
Cyprus process: this is a rare case in which US policy is in 
the same line with the EU and the UN.  This means that there 
is an international consensus which should not be missed." 
 
 
EDELMAN