US embassy cable - 04ANKARA3589

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 003589 
 
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 24, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
CIA official: US losing war against terror - Aksam 
Istanbul `closed' for NATO Summit - Vatan 
Papadopoulos promises not to block Turkey's EU negotiations 
- Milliyet 
Talabani sees no reason for tension in Kirkuk - Aksam 
Osman Ocalan criticizes PKK for ending cease-fire - Hurriyet 
Afghan troops decapitate four Taliban - Milliyet 
Chechen fighters catch Russian army off-guard - Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush wants all of Turkey - Cumhuriyet 
Turkey expects Cyprus gesture from Bush - Yeni Safak 
Northern Iraqi Kurds preparing for June 30 - Cumhuriyet 
Turkmen: An ethnic federation will divide Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Abu Ghraib `rehearsal' made in Guantanamo - Zaman 
Iran to release British captives - Zaman 
Tehran cuts British captive crisis short - Radikal 
Zarkawi threatens Allawi - Radikal 
Iraq furor in South Korea - Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
President Bush's upcoming Turkey visit:  President Bush will 
give Turks a `comprehensive' list of demands during his stay 
in Ankara June 26- 27 says "Cumhuriyet."  US wants to set up 
a base in Thrace, two naval bases in Samsun and Trabzon, and 
one in Iskenderun; wants to deploy 18,000 troops at six 
logistical stations alongside the Mardin-Batman route in 
southeast Turkey; and wants unfettered passage rights 
through the Straits, "Cumhuriyet" claims.  The paper 
speculates that US wants to set itself up `permanently' in 
Turkey, and wants the work done through bilateral 
agreements.  Ankara expects Bush to announce palpable US 
measures in support of the Turkish Cypriots, writes 
"Milliyet."  Turkey's hopes with regard to a US military 
operation to remove the PKK presence in northern Iraq have 
diminished, and Ankara regards Cyprus as the remaining issue 
in which progress is considered possible from a bilateral 
point of view, according to "Milliyet."  "Cumhuriyet" quotes 
an unidentified Turkish diplomat as holding the US, the 
occupier of Iraq, responsible for leaving the PKK problem 
unresolved. 
Talabani meets PM Erdogan:  Patriotic Union of Iraqi 
Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani said after a meeting 
with PM Erdogan yesterday that the Kurds respected Turkey's 
sensitivity with regard to regional terrorism and the 
Turkmen in northern Iraq.  Kirkuk can be a city where Arabs, 
Kurds and the Turkmen live together in peace, Talabani 
stressed.  We have deeply rooted historical relations with 
Turkey, said the PUK leader and added that Turkey's 
influence is being felt in the regional economy and 
politics.  Erdogan voiced Talabani's dissatisfaction over 
the level of representation of Turkmens in the interim Iraqi 
government.  Erdogan also reiterated that a federal Iraq 
based on ethnic grounds would be unacceptable for Turkey. 
Armenia wants good relations with Turkey:  Armenian 
President Robert Kocharian said at a Council of Europe 
meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday that the EU must set for 
Turkey a condition for `good neighborly relations with 
Armenia' before granting Ankara a date for entry talks. 
Armenians are ready to start meetings over cooperation 
without setting any conditions, Kocharian said.  A dialogue 
with Azerbaijan is necessary without any mediation by a 
third country, the Armenian President stressed. 
Government seeking ways to reopen Halki Seminary:  Turkey 
will tell President Bush during his visit to Ankara that the 
Halki Seminary, which has been kept closed for 33 years, 
would be reopened soon, says "Milliyet."  The Seminary will 
not be linked to the Higher Education Board (YOK) but will 
be given a private college status under the control of the 
Ministry of Education.  If the formula is worked out, the 
school will regain the status it had in 1971. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
"How Will Unity be Established?" 
Sami Kohen opined in the mass appeal Milliyet (6/24):  "It 
is not possible for a project with an undecided name to be 
discussed seriously at the NATO summit.  However, this is 
not an obstacle for President Bush to bring this issue to 
the summit and present it in broader detail.   This issue 
will be discussed at NATO, and the project will be called 
the `Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.'  Is NATO going to 
take on such a project?  It is clear that France does not 
support the project.  The Chirac administration is against 
NATO taking such responsibilities.  The picture of a bridge 
on the NATO summit logo represents the alliance's connection 
with the world.  However, first of all NATO needs to build a 
unity bridge within its own structure." 
 
"A love that is worth war" 
Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamist/opinion maker "Yeni Safak" 
(6/24):  "Israel thinks it is insufficient to see an Iraq 
devoid of a significant military power in the region. 
Israel wants a satellite country under Israeli control. 
Such a result could not be achieved due to the deficiency of 
coalition forces, so Israel had to act on its own.  Since 
the UN Security Council's latest resolution envisages the 
protection of Iraq's territorial integrity, Israel aims to 
break northern Iraq away from Baghdad.  Oil-rich Kirkuk is a 
mere tool to wet the appetite of the Kurds.  However, 
Ankara's stern attitude with regard to recent developments 
has disrupted that plan.  It seems that the plan to 
establish a state on Turkey's borders with a certain 
resemblance to the Israeli state, which is ready to shed 
blood all over the region, has failed.  We hope that Israel 
is reading correctly the message given by Ankara.  The 
Washington power elite's love for Israel has caused great 
trouble for the US.  If Israel's calculations are realized, 
that love is sure to cause even greater trouble for the 
world.  Turkey is doing its best to contain the problem. 
The next step will be the responsibility of the American 
voters." 
 
EDELMAN