US embassy cable - 04ANKARA2453

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002453 
 
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, 
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
FM Gul: Turkey will not pull troops out of Cyprus - Milliyet 
US troops torture Iraqi captives - Milliyet 
Fukuyama: I don't see Turkey in the EU - Hurriyet 
BP to leave Iraq, cites lack of security - Sabah 
EU Turkey Rep: Situation deteriorating in Iraq - Turkiye 
Chirac: Turkey may join EU by 2015 - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
US signals de facto recognition of `TRNC' - Zaman 
FM Gul aims at removal of political sanctions on `TRNC' - 
Radikal 
No new UN plan for Cyprus - Yeni Safak 
Bush, Cheney testify at 9/11 commission - Zaman 
US mistreats Iraqi prisoners - Radikal 
US cannot break Fallujah resistance - Yeni Safak 
US leaves Fallujah command to former general of Saddam - 
Radikal 
US warns nationals against travel to Israel - Cumhuriyet 
Sharon insists on `nuclear ambiguity' - Zaman 
Lieberman, Hagel propose development bank for Middle East - 
Cumhuriyet 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Cyprus:  A Cyprus regulation in favor of the Turkish 
Cypriots was approved at the EU Council ministerial meeting 
in Luxembourg on Thursday.  Turkish papers regard the 
decision as an initial step toward ending the isolation of 
northern Cypriots.  The Greek Cypriots and Greece have not 
raised objections to EU plans to ease the economic isolation 
of their Turkish Cypriot neighbors.  In an effort to ease 
the isolation of the Turkish north and to force the Greek 
south to hold a second referendum, the US will establish an 
economic relationship with the Turks without officially 
recognizing the `TRNC,' dailies speculate.  The US is also 
working to open Ercan Airport in the north to international 
flights.  Washington is also planning to open a non-official 
presence post on the Turkish side of the island.  While 
bidding farewell to Turkish leaders in Ankara on Thursday, 
UN Cyprus envoy De Soto said that a second referendum for 
reunification could only be held in south Cyprus.  Kofi 
Annan is not planning to launch a new initiative on Cyprus, 
De Soto said, and he urged the Greek Cypriots to make a 
better assessment of the UN plan.  `TRNC PM' Mehmet Ali 
Talat has agreed with Turkey's PM Erdogan not to allow the 
Greek Cypriot administration to interfere in contacts 
between the `TRNC' and the EU.  Turkey will support the 
export of Turkish Cypriot goods to EU countries. 
 
 
PM Erdogan to Greece:  Prime Minister Erdogan will visit 
Western Thrace in northern Greece next week.  The region has 
a large ethnic Turkish minority, and Erdogan's visit is a 
sign of warming ties between Ankara and Athens.  As the 
first Turkish government leader to visit Western Thrace 
since 1952, Erdogan will discuss with Greek officials the 
political, economic and educational problems of the Turkish 
minority. 
 
 
US annual report on Global Terrorism:  The US State 
Department's 2003 report on global terrorism notes that the 
PKK has thousands of members in northern Iraq, and that the 
terror organization has been receiving support from Syria, 
Iraq and Iran.  The PKK's successor organization, Kongra- 
Gel, is using Europe as a source of fundraising and 
political propaganda.  The report adds that Turkish 
Hizbullah, which has several hundred members, is going 
through a period of reorganization.  DHKP-C and IBDA-C are 
among the other terror groups cited in the report, which 
praises Turkey as a strong and enduring partner in the 
struggle against terrorism. 
 
 
AKP vetoes provision favoring women:  The ruling AK Party 
removed from a draft constitutional amendment a provision 
that would have allowed `affirmative action' for women, 
"Radikal" reports.  The provision would have introduced 
special quotas for women in politics.  A package of 
constitutional amendments that envisages significant changes 
to smooth Turkey's path to the EU will be voted on by the 
parliament next month. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
 
a)  Afghanistan 
b)  Iraq 
c)  EU expansion 
 
 
"Duty Call for Turkey!" 
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-political Dunya 
(4/30): "The US effort to stabilize Afghanistan has ended in 
failure, just like the deteriorating situation in Iraq.  The 
Karzai administration does not have control over 
Afghanistan.  The fact that Karzai survives in Kabul is due 
to the support he receives from NATO forces.  Outside of 
Kabul is another story.  Security in the outlying regions is 
zero.  Al-Qaeda is still operating in the mountains of 
Afghanistan, and apparently Usama Bin Ladin is free enough 
to shuttle between Afghanistan and Pakistan. . In this very 
chaotic situation, the Bush administration is making an 
incredible proposition to NATO, and particularly to Turkey, 
by asking for more troops to serve in Afghanistan.  Sending 
Turkish troops to Afghanistan, even if their mission is 
designed as operational, is totally unacceptable.  Under 
current circumstances, there is no way to justify such a 
mission." 
 
 
"Getting out of Iraq will be Harder than Going in" 
Mustafa Balbay argued in the social democrat-opinion maker 
Cumhuriyet (4/30): "One year has been since President Bush's 
announcement that the Iraq war had ended, yet the situation 
is only worsening day by day.  It is interesting that even 
staunch US supporters like the UK and Poland are now calling 
on the Bush administration for either a complete reversal of 
its current Iraq policy or at least for the formulation of 
more realistic policies.  . The Prime Minister of Poland was 
forced to resign amid heavy criticism of his policiy in 
Iraq.  Poland stands as the primary US ally in Central 
Europe, but only 29 percent of the Polish people support the 
country's military presence in Iraq.  Iraq, on the other 
hand, has been divided into three regions.  The north has 
become strongly pro-American, and the center and south 
strongly anti-American. . Things in Iraq are going in a very 
problematic direction for the US.  It looks leaving Iraq 
will not be as easy as it was to go in.  The US made a very 
detailed plan for toppling Saddam and occupying the country, 
but it seems to have overlooked one fine detail -- the 
people of Iraq." 
 
 
"The Union Expands, But How Far" 
Sami Kohen opined in the mass appeal `Milliyet' (4/30): 
"One of the reasons that EU administrators have accepted the 
EU's `expansion policy' has been to increase the union's 
political power through the inclusion of countries that will 
support democracy, peace, and prosperity in the European 
geography.  Such an entity might one day emerge as a kind of 
superpower.  One other reason for the expansion policy is to 
include the Eastern and Northern European countries that 
were run by communist regimes for decades.  A final reason 
is connected with the economic benefits reaped by the rich 
and powerful European countries.  After all, there is a new 
internal market of 75 million people about to be added to 
the union. .The economic factor is paramount for the 10 new 
members states.  Since most of these are developing 
countries, they are hoping to reach higher European 
standards through their membership.  On top of this, the ex- 
communist countries will become members of a powerful union 
that will provide them political support and security 
guarantees. Will Europe continue to expand beyond these 10 
new members?  There are many countries still on the waiting 
list.  Bulgaria and Romania are at the front of the line. 
Then comes Turkey, which is waiting for a negotiation date. 
Other willing nominees include Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, 
and Croatia.At the moment, the debate is continuing in the 
EU -- some say `let us stop here,' while others say the 
expansion should continue. 
"EDELMAN