US embassy cable - 04ANKARA948

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000948 
 
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 18, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
UN has no `B-plan' for Cyprus - Alvaro de Soto - Hurriyet 
Greek Cypriots may move to invalidate the Annan Plan - 
Denktas - Milliyet 
Cyprus peace process irreversible now - M. A. Talat - 
Milliyet 
Turkey's hand now stronger on Cyprus - PM Erdogan - Turkiye 
Turkey striving for an honorable solution on Cyprus - 
Turkiye 
EU can't discard Turkey - Verheugen - Sabah 
Sweden's PM promises to support Turkey for EU accession - 
Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
EU, UN against EU participation in Cyprus talks - Zaman 
Greece, Turkey need to form a common future - Papandreou - 
Yeni Safak 
Papandreou will turn to Aegean once Cyprus is resolved - 
Cumhuriyet 
De Soto in Cyprus after 11 months - Yeni Safak 
Turkish troop reduction in Cyprus a thorny issue - 
Cumhuriyet 
Shiites angry with Bremer for rejecting Islamic constitution 
for Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Sezer, Khatami agree on Iraq's unity - Cumhuriyet 
Security fence harmful for thousands of Palestinians - Zaman 
Putin behind the killing of Yandarbiev - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Cyprus:  Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas has reiterated the 
need for a bi-zonal structure on the island with equal 
sovereignty rights for the two sides.  The Annan plan is not 
acceptable in its current form, Denktas said, and added that 
he might not sign the plan even if it is accepted in the 
referendum.  Turkish Cypriot `Prime Minister' Mehmet Ali 
Talat said that the peace process in Cyprus could not be 
reversed.  Denktas' withdrawal from the talks is unlikely, 
Talat believes.  After meeting with EU's Verheugen in 
Brussels on Tuesday, UN special Cyprus envoy Alvaro de Soto 
acknowledged that the UN had no `B-plan' in hand if the 
Annan plan is rejected in the referenda to be held on April 
21 in Cyprus.  De Soto warned Ankara that a rejection of the 
Annan plan would mean `tragedy.'  Verheugen said that the EU 
would not participate in the talks, but would provide 
technical help, say papers.  De Soto will proceed to Cyprus 
on Wednesday, and will outline a timetable for negotiations 
after meeting with the Cypriot leaders. 
 
 
Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan voiced hope at his party 
group meeting on Tuesday that a solution in Cyprus was near. 
The Turkish position in Cyprus had never been so strong, 
Erdogan said.  Greece's ruling party PASOK's new leader 
Papandreou said on a visit to south Cyprus on Tuesday that a 
solution to the Cyprus problem would positively affect 
Turkish-Greek relations.  `United Cyprus and Greece will 
work hand in hand for Turkey's EU accession,' Papandreou 
reportedly said. 
 
 
President Sezer visits Tehran:  President Sezer was given a 
warm welcome by his Iranian counterpart Khatami at the D-8 
summit meeting in Tehran on Tuesday, papers report.  Khatami 
has assured Sezer regarding Turkey's security, but declined 
to label the PKK/KADEK as a terrorist organization, papers 
note. 
EU issues encouraging messages for Ankara:  EU's enlargement 
chief Verheugen said on the eve of UN-sponsored peace 
negotiations for Cyprus that the European family would issue 
encouraging messages for Ankara at the upcoming EU summits 
in March and June if progress is seen in Cyprus talks, say 
papers.  Dailies expect German Chancellor Schroeder to urge 
Ankara to speed up EU reforms on his official visit to 
Turkey February 22-24. 
 
 
Turkey's FM with Georgian counterpart:  Turkey's Foreign 
Minister Abdullah Gul discussed ways for furthering 
cooperation between Turkey and Georgia at a meeting in 
Ankara on Tuesday.  At the first official contact between 
the two governments after the `velvet revolution' in 
Georgia, the two ministers have discussed reviving mutual 
trade and investment, and building an oil pipeline co- 
extensive to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) route.  Georgia's 
Foreign Minister Tedo Japaridze said that Georgia and Russia 
would form a joint working group for the new oil transport 
route, and announced that Turkish companies could join the 
project. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq/US Foreign Policy; EU-Turkey 
 
 
"What is America Doing?" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative-mass appeal Turkiye 
(2/18):  "One should not think that the US changed its 
radical policy over Syria and Iran.  Otherwise, the foreign 
policy would be directed wrongly.  The US plan, to have 
compliant regimes in the great geography which they call 
`the Greater Middle East', is valid.  The commotion they 
faced in Afghanistan and Iraq was confusing for the US 
because it did not have adequate information on this 
geography.  After the presidential elections in November, 
during winter 2004-2005, they will act on this hot topic. 
The US believes that the biggest obstacle and the biggest 
enemy against the Pax-Americana is international, especially 
Middle-East originated terrorism, and they will do anything 
to counter the terrorism.  Washington might show Turkey as a 
model, moreover, might want to use Turkish military power, 
just to improve (!) the relevant region.  They expect 
friendly behavior from Ankara.  It is not possible to show a 
state as an example if anti-American feelings exist." 
 
 
"A Date is What We Deserve" 
Ilnur Celik commented in the Turkish Daily News (2/18): 
"Turkey deserves to start accession talks with the EU today. 
No one is doing us a great favor by giving us a date or even 
starting the accession talks because everyone knows this 
does not mean full membership is a foregone conclusion. 
Look at the examples of Greece, Portugal and Spain.  None of 
them had viable democracies when they were allowed into the 
European Economic Community and yet the EU countries 
tolerated this situation to bring more democracy to the 
Mediterranean region.  So why not help Turkey?  The 
performance of the ruling AKP government to enhance the 
democratic structure in Turkey, fight corruption and 
irregularities and revamp the economy shows the country is 
on the right course to becoming a member of the family of 
civilized nations.  Turkey's democrats need encouragement to 
fight on.  The government needs encouragement to display 
courage and resolve as it did on Cyprus in all other matters 
and thus ease the military out of our political system. 
Getting a date for the start of accession talks will 
definitely do the trick." 
EDELMAN