US embassy cable - 04ANKARA2741

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002741 
 
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, MAY 14, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Rumsfeld: Iraqi interrogation in line with Geneva Convention 
- Sabah 
Rummy in the house of torture - Hurriyet 
US Congress debates official interrogation methods - 
Milliyet 
115 AKP lawmakers decline to vote for education bill - 
Hurriyet 
Gen. Wald wants Turkish troops for Afghanistan - Sabah 
FM Gul: If necessary, troops will be sent to Afghanistan - 
Sabah 
Turkish troops to Afghanistan - Milliyet 
OIC says `yes' to northern Cyprus - Milliyet 
Lebanese PM: `TRNC' will be recognized in time - Turkiye 
The return of the Gandhis - Hurriyet 
 
 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Rumsfeld at Abu Ghraib - Cumhuriyet 
US Congressmen shocked by torture photos - Yeni Safak 
Torture not limited to Iraq - Radikal 
Neighbors want an end to torture, occupation in Iraq - Zaman 
Wash. Post: 82 percent of Iraqis want end to occupation - 
Yeni Safak 
EU slient on `Imam Hatip' bill - Cumhuriyet 
Greek Cypriot nationalists threaten Annan Plan supporters - 
Radikal 
Assad rejects US sanctions, supports Palestine - Zaman 
World simply observes ongoing massacre in Palestine - Yeni 
Safak 
Gandhi Dynasty returns - Radikal 
Gandhi Dynasty returns with Italian bride - Zaman 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Parliament approves education reform bill:  The Parliament 
approved a controversial education reform bill on Thursday 
by a vote of 251-4.  Main opposition Republican People's 
Party (CHP) lawmakers left the parliament before the voting. 
The AK Party proposal for easing restrictions on students 
entering universities from religious vocational schools 
(Imam Hatip) had drawn strong criticism from rectors, 
secularist groups, and the military, all of whom fear that 
the legislation will increase the influence of Islam in 
education.  Papers speculate that President Sezer will 
likely veto the reform.  If he does, the AK Party will 
probably resubmit the bill to Sezer unmodified, and the law 
will take effect.  The President could then apply to the 
Constitutional Court for annulment of the bill. 
"Cumhuriyet" says that the education law is a counter- 
revolutionary measure that discriminates in favor of 
religious education schools.  Pro-Islamic "Yeni Safak" says 
the government is trying to reduce the injustice in the 
education system through the law. 
 
 
General Wald visits Turkey:  FM Abdullah Gul said that 
Turkey will send more troops to Afghanistan if necessary. 
Gul made the comment during the visit of EUCOM deputy chief, 
General Charles Wald.  Ankara is evaluating General Wald's 
request for the deployment of 300 Turkish troops for the 
September elections in Afghanistan.  In addition, the 
Council of Ministers will decide next week whether to send a 
team of military technicians and civilian city planning 
experts to Afghanistan in early July in order to establish a 
Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan's northeastern 
region of Takhar. 
 
 
Torture in custody a `common practice' in Turkey:  Turks 
from various strata have voiced strong criticism of the 
abuses against Iraqi captives, but they have remained silent 
in the face of ongoing mistreatment of detainees at home, 
"Milliyet" reports.  According to statistics compiled by the 
Human Rights Foundation, 770 detainees were tortured in 
Turkey in 2003 alone, but legal action was launched against 
just 33 policemen.  Charges against 18 of the 33 were 
subsequently dropped.  Meanwhile, Turkish dailies cite a New 
York Times story claiming that the CIA set up `torture 
centers' in peripheral countries like Turkey, Egypt, India, 
Jordan, and Sudan for the interrogation of high-level Al- 
Qaeda militants in an effort to avoid the constraints of US 
law.  Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that detainees in 
Afghanistan have also been `systematically' mistreated by 
American soldiers. 
 
 
Cyprus:  The Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) has 
decided to address the Turkish Cypriots as the `State of 
Northern Cyprus' and to invite Turkish Cypriot 
representatives to meetings at the highest level.  The 
decision, which will be formally adopted at the upcoming OIC 
ministers' meeting in Istanbul, will mean official 
recognition of the `TRNC.'  However, the Greek Foreign 
Ministry has asked ambassadors of Islamic countries in 
Athens to refrain from recognizing the `TRNC,' "Cumhuriyet" 
reports." 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Rumsfeld in Iraq 
 
 
"War, Occupation and Torture" 
Erdal Guven opined in the liberal-intellectual Radikal 
(5/14): "As a follower of developments in Iraq, I supported 
the Iraq war and the occupation.  I thought the war would 
not only end a terrible period -- the Saddam era -- but also 
would provide hope for Iraq's future based on America's 
commitment to democracy and stability.  This was enough to 
keep up my hopes, because it could have paved the way for a 
democratization process across the Middle East.  . There 
were some `tolerable' mistakes along the way as the US 
occupation went on in Iraq, including the inadequate 
planning for post-war Iraq.  . However, the recent photos 
from Iraqi prisons simply cannot be tolerated.  This is not 
abuse carried out by a few crazed US soldiers.  This is 
systematic torture as stated in the official reports. . 
Rumsfeld is wrong to say that publishing torture photos is a 
violation of the Geneva Conventions.  The Geneva Conventions 
are about preventing torture and abuse, not about preventing 
media coverage.  Rumsfeld's approach to the torture issue is 
a clear indication that the Administration is turning its 
back on American values." 
 
 
"Could This Be Happening in the 21st Century?" 
Sami Kohen observed in the mass appeal Milliyet (5/14): 
"Lately, I find it impossible to watch the news on TV.The 
pictures and videos from Iraq are horrifying, startling and 
very depressing for the future.  Is this really the world of 
the 21st century?  What happened to compassion and tolerance 
for humanity?  Where is international brotherhood and 
friendship?  Doesn't this savagery take humanity back to the 
darkness of  the middle ages?  Watching these ugly incidents 
in Iraq (or elsewhere) on TV arouses indignation and shock 
among ordinary people.  But it encourages people to think 
together and react together when all the news is open to the 
world.  At least this is what happens in democracies.  The 
American people are still suffering from the shock of these 
recent incidents.  But at the same time, they are listening 
to their consciences.  The impact of this will definitely 
shake the Bush Administration, and hopefully force 
Washington to reevaluate its policies." 
EDELMAN