US embassy cable - 04ANKARA3621

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003621 
 
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, 
SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Bush coming with several requests - Milliyet 
Bush to give warm messages on PKK, Cyprus - Aksam 
Dr. Rice: President Bush looking forward to Turkey visit - 
Aksam 
Bush will urge Ankara on `better' relations with Israel - 
Sabah 
Entire district closed for Bush arrival - Hurriyet 
Bush's `friendship' gesture for Erdogan - DB-Tercuman 
NATO to train Iraqi army - Hurriyet 
6,000 Irish police guard Bush - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush: Turkey a model country - Cumhuriyet 
Iraq `questioning' awaits Bush in Ankara - Radikal 
World is safer today, Bush says in Ireland - Radikal 
Bush promises struggle against the PKK - Zaman 
Washington to give Ankara message on `religion' - Cumhuriyet 
`Double limousines' for Bush security - Yeni Safak 
Bush arrival will turn daily Ankara life into `nightmare' - 
Birgun 
US `Sheriff' arrives - Birgun 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
President Bush due in Turkey:  Turkish papers report on 
President Bush's interview with Turkey's all-news channel 
NTV.  The interview was aired on Friday.  President Bush 
pledged that the American administration would work both 
with the Turkish government and the new Iraqi government to 
eliminate the terrorist PKK presence in northern Iraq.  The 
President noted that Turkey and the US have significant 
historic relations.  `During my visit,' he said, `we will 
discuss the economy, the war against terrorism, and our 
relations with Turkey's neighbors.'  `We are on the same 
side as Turkey with regard to Cyprus,' President Bush added. 
He praised the Turkish Cypriots for approving the Annan Plan 
for reunification of the island.  The President noted that 
Turkey is a model country for the Middle East, because it 
provides its citizens with freedom, hope and opportunities. 
All Turkish papers expect Ankara to ask President Bush to 
authorize US military action to eliminate the PKK presence 
in northern Iraq.  Ankara will convey to the Americans 
Turkish sensitivities about Kirkuk, and will ask for greater 
representation for the Turkmen in the new Iraqi 
administration.  The Turks will also ask President Bush to 
follow through on American pledges made to support the 
Turkish Cypriots.  Papers expect Bush to announce a US 
financial support package for the `TRNC.' 
"Cumhuriyet" regards the Bush reception for religious 
leaders during the US President's Istanbul visit June 27 as 
a significant message for Turkey.  Turkey was criticized in 
the annual US report on religious freedom, the paper notes. 
While praising the Turkish government's activities within a 
moderate Islamic framework as a model for other countries, 
the US has continued to press Turkey to allow freedom of 
worship for non-Muslims, particularly for Christians, 
"Cumhuriyet" notes.  The Greek and Armenian Patriarchs are 
expected to voice to the US President their concern over the 
closure of schools that provide religious education to non- 
Muslim communities in Turkey.  The reopening of the Halki 
Seminary may be raised during the Bush-Erdogan meeting in 
Ankara, "Cumhuriyet" speculates. 
Dailies expect President Bush to ask for Turkey's support 
for the US Greater Middle East (GME) Initiative.  Ankara 
will tell Bush that the GME will become a reality only 
through the `voluntary' participation of the relevant 
countries, "Radikal" reports.  The paper claims that Turkey 
is reluctant to be posed as a model for the region, but will 
contribute to the GME by all possible means. 
"Milliyet" and "Sabah" expect President Bush to officially 
present US requests for the reopening of Halki Seminary, an 
improvement in Turkish-Israeli relations, and Turkey's 
support for the global redeployment of US forces. 
The Jewish lobby in the US has been extremely disturbed by 
recent comments by PM Erdogan, who claimed that the policies 
pursued by the Sharon government have given rise to anti- 
Semitism, both in the world and in Turkey, "Sabah" writes. 
The Jewish lobby in the US believes that Turkey's PM has 
toughened its stance against Israel with no justification. 
Pressed by the Jewish lobby, President Bush will ask Turkish 
leaders to mend fences with Israel, the paper speculates. 
"DB-Tercuman" claims that President Bush will ignore 
diplomatic protocol by visiting Erdogan at his residence 
instead of the usual practice of receiving Erdogan at the 
President's hotel.  The paper notes that the President's 
counterpart in Turkey should be President Sezer rather than 
the Prime Minister.  The paper regards Bush calling on the 
Turkish PM at his residence as a gesture to Erdogan, whom 
the US President has referred to as `my friend.' 
President Bush will consult with PM Erdogan about how to 
achieve further progress in Cyprus, reports the pro- 
Islamic/intellectual "Zaman."  Bush earlier referred to 
Turkey as an `exemplary and modern Muslim country,' the 
paper notes.  "Zaman" reports that Dr. Rice said the Bush 
call on religious leaders in Istanbul would show that all 
religions exist together in an atmosphere of tolerance in 
Turkey.  `President Bush is looking forward to the 
opportunity of strengthening our strategic relationship with 
the leading secular democracy of the Muslim world,' Dr. Rice 
added. 
The Ankara meetings between Turks and Americans will be 
dominated by the issues of terrorism and Iraq, claims the 
Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak."  Like other Islamist- 
oriented papers, "Yeni Safak" expects President Bush to 
announce a package of US measures to provide financial 
assistance to the `TRNC.'  NATO leaders are aiming to lay 
the groundwork for the establishment of a security bridge 
between East and West at the Istanbul summit, "Yeni Safak" 
reports.  This bridge was to have been established within 
the framework of the Greater Middle East project, but NATO 
countries could not reach agreement on the issue, the paper 
claims. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
POTUS Visit & NATO Summit 
 
"First messages from President Bush" 
Sami Kohen wrote in the mass appeal Milliyet (5/26): 
"President Bush gave some indications about his visit during 
the NTV interview, but the real substance will come during 
his official meetings in Ankara and in the speech he is 
going to make in Istanbul.   ... In his NTV interview, he 
touched upon the main issues such as Iraq, the PKK, the 
Greater Middle East, and Cyprus, but he mentioned each issue 
only briefly.  ... The visit of President Bush to Turkey 
takes place at a critical time.  The state of Turkish- 
American relations as well as world affairs is far different 
from what they were during the Clinton visit five years ago. 
Clinton's leadership style was also different, and he was a 
figure very much liked by the Turkish public.  Yet President 
Bush is disliked not only in Turkey but in many other parts 
of the world as well.  Nevertheless, official visit by US 
Presidents to Turkey are important events in themselves. 
They are also important for the future of Turkish-American 
mutual interests.  The visit provides a chance to discuss 
bilateral relations and to put them on the right track." 
"Istanbul Meeting Marks the End of a Unipolar World" 
Ibrahim Karagul argued in the Islamist-opinon maker Yeni 
Safak (5/26): "The Istanbul summit will not only shape the 
future of Turkey and the Islamic world, but also will 
determine where US-EU relations are headed.  The summit is 
about enhancing the global system that has been established 
in the post-9/11 era.  The summit will tell us whether the 
global system is to be designed unilaterally by the US, or 
whether the EU will be able to emerge as the new superpower. 
This summit is also about whether NATO will turn into a 
world policeman and will consider the Islamic geography as 
its new area of operations. ... Most importantly of all, the 
Istanbul summit is about the future of NATO itself.  After 
the cold war, the NATO alliance lost many of its original 
functions.  Efforts to keep this giant military force alive 
were boosted by paranoia about terrorism.  Yet the 
Afghanistan experience continues to be an enormous challenge 
for NATO.  Any failure there will deepen the already evident 
split within the alliance.  That is why the US is insisting 
on dragging NATO into the Iraq business.  This will be a 
more dangerous experience for the alliance than NATO's 
involvement in Afghanistan." 
 
"Putting the NATO summit in the right context" 
Ismail Kapan commented in the conservative Turkiye (5/26): 
"The NATO summit is high on Turkey's agenda, but it has been 
placed in the wrong context.  There has been far too much 
attention paid to tight security measures, roads closed to 
traffic, and anti-NATO demonstrations. ... The real agenda 
for the summit is about defining new roles and new missions 
for the Atlantic Alliance.  NATO will decide in Istanbul 
whether its new missions will include operations in regions 
outside of Europe. ... On the other hand, differences 
between the US and the EU will most likely shape the outcome 
of the discussions.  The split between the US and EU is so 
deep that the Istanbul summit might not be sufficient to 
repair it." 
 
"While Waiting for President Bush" 
Cuneyt Ulsever commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet (6/26): 
"The basic goal of US foreign policy in the 21st century is 
to continue to be the most powerful country in the world. 
In order to keep this power, the US seeks control of the 
world's oil reserves and a world system suited to its needs. 
Despite the fact that the US created the threat of Islamic 
terrorism by its own hand, now it is obliged to fight to 
eliminate it.  The persistent irritants in the US bilateral 
relationship with Turkey are Turkey's rejection of a US 
troop deployment on March 1, 2003, and US support for the 
Kurds to establish a federation in Northern Iraq.  During 
this period the US has realized its own vulnerabilities and 
has understood that it is not strong enough to rule and re- 
arrange the world on its own.  Therefore, the US should 
maintain control over the oil but should also share it.  In 
my opinion, Turkey is in a position to tell President Bush 
that Turkey can help the Americans in Iraq under the UN 
umbrella.  Turkey could then seek support for its own 
requests from the United States in exchange for this 
assistance." 
 
"NATO Troops Will Come to Turkey, Not US Troops" 
Zeynep Gurcanli opined in the tabloid Star (6/26):  "The 
most important result to emerge from President Bush's visit 
to Ankara and the NATO summit will be that NATO troops will 
come to Turkey instead of the expected US troops.  Of 
course, the majority of these NATO troops will be Americans. 
The US has been working on this plan for a long time. 
Before the Iraq war the US had wanted to deploy its troops 
to Turkey, but the Turkish Parliament rejected the request 
and the US plan was not realized.  Following this plan, the 
US has started testing the waters, through last year's visit 
of Assistant Secretary Marc Grossman, on the issue of new 
bases in Turkey for use in regional operations.  However, 
the Turkish government did not give a blank check to the US 
due to negative public reaction.  For now, the US has put 
the idea on ice.  This weekend, President Bush will bring 
the issue to the agenda in Ankara.  Then the US will push 
for a `joint NATO decision' in Istanbul.  The infrastructure 
for this plan is in place..The request will come not from 
the occupation forces or from Washington, but directly from 
Iyad Allavi, the president of the Iraqi Interim Government, 
who will take over power in Iraq on June 30.  Allavi already 
sent an official request to NATO on this issue last week. 
In short, it is not expected that US troops will be deployed 
in Turkey in the near future.  However, a NATO troop 
deployment is most likely.  This is the game plan.  Of 
course, it is not impossible to guess that the majority of 
the NATO troops coming to train the Iraqi army will be 
Americans." 
 
EDELMAN