US embassy cable - 04ANKARA3458

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 003458 
 
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, JUNE 17, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
`TRNC' community now a state - Hurriyet 
Istanbul ready for NATO Summit - Sabah 
Human Rights Watch praises, criticizes Turkey - Milliyet 
Al-Qaeda threatens to kill captive American - Milliyet 
No evidence of Saddam, Al-Qaeda tie - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
`TRNC' becomes `Turkish Cypriot State' - Radikal 
Turkey gains support of Islamic countries - Zaman 
NATO sends AWACS for Istanbul summit - Cumhuriyet 
Scheffer: Istanbul Summit a turning point for NATO - Yeni 
Safak 
Greek Cypriot FM: Turkey may withdraw 5,000 troops from 
Cyprus - Cumhuriyet 
81 percent of Iraqis support Moqtada al-Sadr resistance - 
Yeni Safak 
al-Sadr urges Najaf resisters to go home - Yeni Safak 
Huntington: US to become `more Christian' - Cumhuriyet 
Human Rights Watch praises Turkey's progress - Radikal 
Israel angered by Erdogan's `anti-Semitism' remarks - 
Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
OIC Istanbul Summit:  Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told 
members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) 
not to use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an excuse for 
delaying crucial domestic political and economic reform.  At 
the end of the three-day foreign ministers' meeting of the 
57-nation OIC, Turkey said that the body's new, Turkish 
secretary-general would promote democracy and dialogue with 
 
SIPDIS 
the West.  "This points to a new transformation of the OIC," 
Gul said, noting that this was the first secretary-general 
to be elected democratically by member countries.  Ankara 
also won a diplomatic success with the OIC decision to 
recognize the Turkish Cypriot enclave in Cyprus (`TRNC') as 
a "state" rather than just a "community" in its OIC 
representation.  The OIC countries did not grant full 
diplomatic recognition to the `TRNC,' but they agreed to 
lift all economic restrictions against northern Cyprus.  In 
a joint communique, the 57 OIC countries expressed strong 
support for the new Iraqi transitional government and for an 
end to the occupation there. 
 
Bloomfield due in Ankara:  US Assistant Secretary of State 
Lincoln Bloomfield is to discuss with the Turks US plans for 
the American military presence in Turkey and Washington's 
new Global Defense Posture, "Cumhuriyet" reports. 
Washington is considering a more central role for Turkey 
within its plans for a global redeployment of US forces. 
The US will unofficially discuss with Ankara the prospects 
for building American bases on the Black Sea.  Bloomfield is 
to visit Moscow after Ankara in an effort to eliminate 
Russian concerns with regard to the new US strategy, 
according to "Cumhuriyet." 
 
Human Rights Watch on Turkey:  Despite significant human 
rights reforms, the Turkish government must further improve 
its record in some areas, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a 
June 15 statement.  HRW said that freedom of expression, 
torture, and freedom of assembly are all areas where 
significant additional efforts are needed.  Turkish 
authorities made two historic advances last week with the 
first television broadcasts in minority languages, including 
Kurdish, and the release of four Kurdish parliamentarians 
imprisoned since 1994.  "The remaining human rights problems 
are serious," said HRW.  The June 28 and 29 NATO summit in 
Istanbul promises to be a demanding test of the Turkish 
police's ability to maintain security while preserving full 
respect for human rights, the report stressed. 
 
Kurdish ex-MPs on Southeast tour:  Former DEP lawmakers 
Leyla Zana, Selim Sadak, Orhan Dogan and Hatip Dicle are 
touring Turkey's southeast in an effort to decrease tension 
in the region.  Dicle said Wednesday in Siirt province that 
it was time to seek a lasting, democratic solution to the 
Kurdish problem.  `We will accept the Republic of Turkey as 
our state as long as Turkey protects Kurds' cultural 
rights,' Dicle said.  Meanwhile, the Turkish military went 
on `yellow alert' in the southeast Turkey in the face of 
intensified attacks by PKK/Kongra-Gel militants. 
 
EU Summit in Brussels:  Dailies expect EU leaders to urge 
Turkey to include the Greek Cypriots in Ankara's Customs 
Union (CU) agreement with the EU at the EU Summit in 
Brussels Thursday.  An unidentified European Commission 
official said Turkey should be prepared to recognize south 
Cyprus, another step that will have to be taken by Ankara 
before receiving a date for EU entry talks.  The EU sees 
ongoing problems in judicial independence, basic freedoms, 
cultural rights, and military-civilian relations in Turkey, 
papers report. 
 
Armenia requests transit passage for imports:  Ankara is 
considering the possibility of opening its border with 
Armenia for transit passage by third countries, "Aksam" 
reports.  If the border gate is opened, the dispatch of 
European goods to Armenia will be made through Turkey 
instead of through Iran or Georgia.  The MFA said that 
trucks carrying goods to Armenia through Iran and Georgia 
had been granted transit passage through Turkey, but that no 
further step had been taken. 
 
EDELMAN