US embassy cable - 04ANKARA3033

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003033 
 
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, 
TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Government puts education bill in deep freeze - Sabah 
Soros obsessed with Bush - Hurriyet 
`Rolling Thunder' bikers back Bush - Hurriyet 
Harley bikers meet with `Commander in-Chief' - Milliyet 
PM Erdogan may visit Tehran in June - Turkiye 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
US, El-Sadr break cease fire: 23 killed - Zaman 
UN's Brahimi stuck between Americans and Iraqis - Zaman 
Washington, IGC at odds over new Iraqi president - 
Cumhuriyet 
Tension between Bremer, IGC - Yeni Safak 
Saudi Arabia pledges full support to `TRNC' - Zaman 
FM Gul seeks support for `TRNC' at OIC - Radikal 
Egypt supports Sharon's withdrawal plan - Cumhuriyet 
Soros determined to topple Bush - Yeni Safak 
Weekly Standard: 70 percent of US media liberal - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkey and the Greater Middle East initiative:  "Radikal" 
expects PM Erdogan to criticize the US Greater Middle East 
initiative at the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia, to 
which Erdogan is being invited as a `democratic partner.' 
Erdogan will tell the summit that democracy cannot be 
imposed through force, and will also suggest greater EU 
involvement in the process.  "Cumhuriyet" writes that 
Turkish and US diplomats will meet this week to discuss 
Ankara's contribution to the US initiative.  Ankara will 
support the project by sharing its free market and democracy 
experience with regional countries.  Ankara reacted strongly 
at being lumped in the same category with the countries to 
be transformed.  This reaction forced Washington to shift 
its characterization of Turkey to that of a `democratic 
ally,' "Cumhuriyet" claims. 
 
 
`The case of Turkish Al-Qaida':  The trial of 69 Turks 
suspected in the Istanbul suicide bombings, which have been 
linked to al-Qaeda, opened on Monday.  However, judges in 
the case immediately broke off the proceedings because the 
State Security Court (SSC) system has been abolished as part 
of recent judicial reforms.  Turkey's parliament abolished 
the controversial tribunals, which have handled political 
and terrorism cases, in an amendment to the Cosntitution. 
Legislation to replace the SSC system with Heavy Penal 
Courts has not yet been passed by Parliament.  Four truck 
bombs killed 61 people and wounded 750 in attacks on two 
Istanbul synagogues, the British consulate and the local 
headquarters of British-owned HSBC bank last November. 
After the hearing, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said the 
government planned to send draft legislation to Parliament 
on Tuesday that transfers security-related cases to new 
civilian courts. 
 
 
Higher education reform bill shelved:  The higher education 
reform bill is to be shelved by the Government until the end 
of the year when the ruling AK Party government will seek to 
implement it once again.  The AK Party is also considering a 
plan to introduce optional Koran courses in elementary and 
secondary schools.  Mainstream dailies expect the AK Party 
not to press ahead with the controversial bill that has been 
criticized by the TGS and secularist groups.  PM Erdogan 
told a party group meeting on Monday that the government's 
planned education reform cannot be implemented now, and that 
the party should avoid creating tension by forcing the 
issue.  Erdogan said his government would review the bill 
after President Sezer vetoed it on Friday. 
 
 
Turkey may take over ISAF command:  PM Erdogan signaled on 
Saturday that Turkey could send more troops and take over 
command of NATO's peacekeeping force in Afghanistan next 
year.  "As a NATO member we have the opportunity to renew 
the mission we carried out for ISAF previously.  We are 
aware of our duties as a member of this alliance," he told a 
news conference in London, adding that he did not believe 
that such a deployment would require parliamentary approval. 
If it is agreed, Turkey could take command of ISAF in 
February 2005.  This would boost the number of Turkish 
troops in Afghanistan from 155 to around 1,500. 
 
 
PM Erdogan accuses Sharon:  "Sharon should have helped us, 
but he did not.  Assassinations and recent attacks by Israel 
left no room for Turkey's peace efforts," PM Erdogan told an 
international conference of the World Association of 
Newspapers (WAN) in Istanbul on Monday.  Erdogan, who had 
previously offered Turkey as a mediator between Israel and 
its neighbors, accused Israel in March of "state terrorism" 
after the killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. 
Erdogan told the conference that Turkey would maintain and 
develop its economic ties with Israel, but emphasized that 
Turkey strongly disapproves of the "unlawful" assassinations 
of Palestinian leaders and the raid on the Rafah refugee 
camp in Gaza. 
 
 
Air Force wants Israeli arms:  Turkeys' Air Forces Command 
has presented the AK Party government a list outlining its 
`emergency' arms requirements, "Milliyet" reports.  The list 
outlines a proposed weapons purchase agreement with Israel 
that amounts to $800 million.  The Air Force wants to 
purchase Israeli `smart' missiles, mini-assassination planes 
and electronic equipment for F-16 night flights.  The list 
also includes a deal for modernization of F-4 jetfighters. 
 
 
DEHAP warns of increasing armed conflict in SE Turkey: 
Tuncer Bakirhan, leader of the pro-Kurdish party DEHAP, 
warned in a letter to PM Erdogan about increasing clashes 
between PKK members and Turkish security forces in the 
country's southeast.  Bakirhan said that increased conflict 
and casualties pose a threat to peace and democracy in the 
region.  He blamed the government for failing to discuss a 
democratic solution to the Kurdish problem since the 
unilateral cease-fire was declared by the PKK five years 
ago. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
 
a)   Iraq 
b)   Global Defense Posture Review 
 
 
 
 
"An Apology" 
Melih Asik observed in the mass appeal Milliyet (6/1): "The 
US press has started making efforts to redeem itself to its 
readers for disseminating the lies produced by the Bush 
administration.  Yet the style of the apology is far from 
satisfactory.  When you notice the way the crimes against 
humanity in Abu Ghraib are being dealt with in the American 
press, you see that there is no reference to torture.  The 
term `torture' is replaced by `individual psychopath,' 
`rape' and `abuse.'  How can we talk about a free press when 
torture cannot be called by its name.  It seems that 
democracy is not working in America, even while the US 
claims to be bringing democracy to the Middle East.  One 
wonders what type of democracy that would be?" 
 
 
"The US Global Defense Posture" 
Fikret Ertan noted in the Islamist-intellectual Zaman (6/1): 
"As a matter of fact, the US intended to restructure its 
military presence around the world right after the end of 
Cold War.  Yet the last 10 years have gone by without any 
concrete action.  The restructuring initiative on this began 
after 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  . The US 
Global Defense Posture Review is designed to reduce the 
number of large bases such as those in Germany, and redeploy 
to smaller bases in countries such as Poland, Hungary, 
Bulgaria and Romania.  These countries are expected to be 
the new hosts for small American bases to be developed over 
the next 5 or 6 years. . The US bases, both new and old, 
will be the main centers for fighting against the new enemy 
- international terrorism.  Militarily speaking, the bases 
will be designed to launch quick responses to terrorist 
actions or enemy states.  The US appears to be asking for 
some bases and certain military privileges from Turkey. 
These requests are obviously part of the Global Defense 
Posture Review.  Turkey is not the only country on the list, 
so we should not maintain the unrealistic position that if 
Turkey rejects the US demands, the restructuring will not be 
implemented.  That approach would be wrong, because the US 
can move forward with its restructuring with or without 
Turkey's contribution.  Let's keep in mind that if Turkey 
stays out of the new US strategy, there will be a price to 
pay because many bases will be established in countries 
around Turkey." 
 
 
"The US is in Search of  A New Adventure" 
Zafer Atay commented in the economic-political Dunya (6/1): 
"It was rumored that the US would open small bases for rapid 
reaction forces in the Balkans, mainly in new NATO member 
countries such as Bulgaria and Romania.  Such bases have 
been considered in Hungary, Poland and the Caucasus as well. 
Under this scenario, Incirlik airbase in Turkey would not be 
closed, but would be downsized.  After the Iraq war began, 
Washington withdrew its planes that had been used for 
Operation Northern Watch" from Incirlik  because the 
operation was no longer necessary.  Of course, all of this 
happened before the US started having problems in Iraq. 
Lately, the US has pushed the idea of opening new bases and 
intensifying its use of Incirlik.  Washington wants to 
reinforce its air power at Incirlik with 48 new planes. 
Moreover, it has requested to use the base in Konya.  It 
does not end there. The US is taking the pulse in Turkey for 
the possibility of deploying U-2 spy planes at Incirlik too. 
Of course, there is also a proposal for new US bases in 
Samsun and Trabzon on the Black Sea.  Some of these 
proposals fall within the scope of the defense cooperation 
agreement between Turkey and the US, and can be agreed 
without problems.  The main problem is with the U-2 planes. 
There are bad memories about them in Turkey.  In 1960, a U-2 
plane that took off from Adana was downed by the USSR in 
Russian airspace.  The pilot, Gary Powers, was arrested. 
The Soviet leader exhibited the pilot and the wreckage of 
the plane to the world after Ankara and Washington denied 
the incident.  Turkey had a hard time because it had not 
been informed about this flight by the US. .Why does the US 
wants these bases?  There is no clear answer to that.  Some 
think the US will use all of its power in the near future to 
break the resistance in Iraq.  The situation in Afghanistan 
is not any better.  Although the command belongs to NATO 
there, the US is reportedly preparing for wider operations 
in Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama Bin-Laden.  Who 
knows, maybe the US will start thinking about bringing 
democracy (!) to another country in the region." 
 
 
EDELMAN