US embassy cable - 04ANKARA971

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000971 
 
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 19, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Turkish and Greek Cypriots ready for hard Cyprus bargaining 
- Sabah 
De Soto to moderate Cyprus negotiations - Turkiye 
Cypriot sides close to a solution - Greek Cypriot FM - 
Milliyet 
Sezer urges Muslim world to adopt equality, democracy - 
Hurriyet 
Kerry wins again, Dean quits - Sabah 
Sezer: Islam and West not opponents - Milliyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Negotiations launched over the destiny of Cyprus - Radikal 
De Soto believes a Cyprus solution is `very near' 
-Cumhuriyet 
Annan urges Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to grab the 
opportunity - Yeni Safak 
Weston urges Cypriot peoples to understand the Annan Plan - 
Radikal 
Athens may withdraw troops from southern Cyprus - Radikal 
FM Gul conveys Syrian messages to Israel - Zaman 
Sezer issues democracy call on D-8 - Yeni Safak 
Sezer: Violence in the name of Islam unacceptable - Zaman 
World reacts strongly to Israel's `wall of shame' - Yeni 
Safak 
Russia's intercontinental missile test fails - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Cyprus:  UN Special Cyprus envoy Alvaro de Soto will 
moderate the hard bargaining between the Cypriot leaders 
Denktas and Papadopoulos in Lefkosa on Thursday, say papers. 
Both sides are expected to demand changes to the UN- 
sponsored peace plan, papers add.  Ankara wants the bi-zonal 
structure of the island strengthened.  The number of Greek 
Cypriot settlers moving to the North should be lower than 
the figure indicated in the Annan plan.  Turks want the 
Turkish identity of the North to be preserved behind 
straight borders, dailies note.  Derogations put by Turkey 
in the Annan plan regarding the move of Greek Cypriots to 
the North and distribution of property and land should be 
maintained until Turkey joins the EU.  Denktas says Turkish 
troops should remain in the island's north.  Denktas will 
also claim maintenance of Turkey's guarantor status, say 
reports.  Ankara is trying to soften the hard-line attitude 
of Denktas and is expected to pursue a positive policy, 
writes "Radikal."  Papers report the US special envoy to 
Cyprus, Ambassador Thomas Weston, as saying that the Turkish 
side's initiative means a large part of the deal with Greek 
Cypriots has already been settled.  Meanwhile, Denktas said 
Ankara has found the Annan Plan negotiable, and that 
henceforth the issue will be Turkey's responsibility, 
reports "Cumhuriyet."  If accepted, the plan will bring 
terrible social, economic and humanitarian consequences, 
Denktas warned; he added that time, money and goodwill were 
needed in order to resolve such issues. 
 
 
President Sezer visits Iran:  Speaking at the D-8 summit 
meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Turkey's President Sezer 
stressed that those using violence in the name of Islam did 
not represent the Muslim faith.  Sezer also rejected the 
thesis of antagonism between the West and Islam.  Iran's 
Foreign Minister Kharrazi said only Turkey could change the 
false perception of Iran by the US, report Turkish papers. 
 
 
FM Gul carries Syrian message to Israel:  Syria's Vice 
President Khaddam said that Damascus has sent messages to 
Israel via Turkey's Foreign Minister Gul, pledging readiness 
for the revival of peace talks.  Syria is still committed to 
the peace process in accordance with the UNSC resolutions, 
Khaddam said. 
 
 
NATO Secretary General in Ankara:  NATO Secretary General, 
General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, came to Ankara on Wednesday 
to discuss Afghanistan and Iraq with Turkey's political 
leaders.  President Sezer said Turkey was supporting the 
NATO expansion, with seven new countries slated to join the 
alliance at the June summit meeting in Istanbul this year. 
 
 
New U.S.-Turkey business association:  US Ambassador to 
Ankara, Eric Edelman, has been named honorary president of 
the American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT), says "Sabah." 
Having received serious complaints from American businessmen 
about the Turkish-American Businessmen's Association (TABA), 
the US Embassy pressed for the establishment of the ABFT 
following long months of preparation, Sabah writes.  Many US 
companies with Turkish partners have joined the ABFT, which 
will assist US businessmen in Turkey, the paper notes. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Greater Middle East Initiative 
 
 
"The Greater Middle East" 
Akif Emre argued in Islamist Yeni Safak (2/19): "Although 
the US `Greater Middle East' plan seems brand new, it 
actually comes after a long time of planning.  The US 
started to develop a new Middle East concept as early as the 
1990s, and took some steps to implement the new concept. 
The US military presence in the Balkans, as well as in the 
Middle East, particularly in Iraq, is one of the significant 
strategic steps taken by Washington. . The US now plans to 
use three platforms for an extensive discussion of its 
Greater Middle East plan: the NATO summit in Istanbul, the G- 
8 summit, and the EU-US Summit." 
 
 
"Who will liberate the Greater Middle East?" 
Ibrahim Karagul warned in Islamist Yeni Safak (2/19): "There 
are indicators that Turkey may be willing to play a 
pioneering role in the US Greater Middle East plan because 
some consider this to be a new strategic vision for Turkey. 
In fact, the plan is to redesign Islamic geography.  Turkey 
might contribute to the project by adding a Turkish 
perspective to it.  Yet it is very unlikely to gain support 
because it would entail Turkey taming the Islamic world on 
behalf of the US.  The people of this region have been 
through many disappointments, and they cannot possibly bear 
another one.  The US project, whatever it might be called or 
however it may be characterized, is not a liberation effort. 
It is about new form of slavery in the Islamic world, where 
invasion and looting are far too common." 
 
 
"It has to start somewhere." 
Sami Kohen opined in mass appeal Milliyet (2/19):  "The Bush 
Administration's idea of  `The Greater Middle East 
Initiative' has not yet matured.  It is still in the process 
of research and discussion. This project envisions the 
Middle East as a wide area, from Morocco to Central Asia. 
The goal is to stop hostilities, introduce political and 
economic reform, and establish free and democratic regimes 
in this large region, which includes more than 20 
countries.Of course, all these are good goals.  However, 
some countries in the region already believe that this is a 
part of a US strategy to dominate the region.  To ease these 
worries, the US is trying to share the project with its 
allies and partners, including NATO, the EU, and Russia. 
The Administration wants this to be a `collective 
initiative.'  Perhaps in that case the plan will win more 
support and trust.  The US also wants Turkey to take a role 
in the plan.  Turkey is supportive of the plan and is 
willing to contribute to it.  Turkish diplomacy, however, is 
also trying to establish its own projects in the region.  As 
Foreign Minister Gul suggested at the regional meeting (of 
Iraq's neighbors) in Kuwait, all countries in the Middle 
East should take the initiative to work together in order to 
establish a security and cooperation system.  Is it possible 
to fulfill this objective in a problematic region?  That is 
unknown, although as one Turkish diplomat said the other 
day, `we have to start somewhere.'" 
 
 
EDELMAN