US embassy cable - 04ANKARA3724

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 003724 
 
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, 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Bush: Turkey a strong, secular democracy - Sabah 
Bush: Turkey a part of Europe - Aksam 
Bush: Freedom will come to Middle East - Milliyet 
Chirac: Turkey's EU process irreversible - Hurriyet 
Powell, Gul stand together against human trafficking - 
Hurriyet 
Bosphorus boat tour enchants leaders' wives - Aksam 
GME split in NATO - Sabah 
Europe halts headscarf - Milliyet 
ECHR says no to headscarf - Aksam 
Allawi a hope for Bush - Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush: Turkey can prevent clash of civilizations - Zaman 
Bush: God bless Turkey - Radikal 
Bush praises Turkey - Referans 
Bush, Schroeder: Turkey deserves to be in EU - Radikal 
Historic summit boosts Turkey EU support - Yeni Safak 
Schroeder to US: You can't win peace on your own - 
Cumhuriyet 
$200,000 Topkapi banquet for NATO leaders - Referans 
Turkey to take ISAF command next year - Yeni Safak 
Karzai to NATO: Send troops now - Radikal 
Tour operators: Bush Istanbul speech worth $1 billion in 
promotion - Zaman 
ECHR: Headscarf ban not against the law - Radikal 
Iraqis want a powerful leadership, democracy - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
President Bush remarks at Galatasaray University:  Turkey, a 
Muslim and secular country, is very important for the future 
of the broader Middle East region, President Bush said in 
Istanbul on Tuesday.  Speaking at Istanbul's Galatasaray 
University, Bush said that a tolerant Turkish society is a 
bridge between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  Bush said 
that including Turkey in Europe would tear down an 
unnecessary barrier and would be as momentous as the fall of 
the Iron Curtain.  "Including Turkey in the EU would prove 
that Europe is not the exclusive club of a single religion, 
and it would expose the `clash of civilizations' as a 
passing myth of history," Bush said.  President Bush thanked 
Turkey for its role, as a democratic partner, in the Broader 
Middle East initiative.  He acknowledged that reform and 
transformation in the region would not be easy.  However, he 
emphasized his commitment to `finish the work that history 
has given us.'  `The struggle between political extremism 
and civilized values is unfolding in many places,' President 
Bush noted, pointing to ongoing violence in Iraq, Iran, and 
Palestine.  `The long-term stability of any government 
depends on being open to change,' he added.  Bush said that 
Turkey has learned this lesson, and through this process has 
become a great and stable democracy.  He said that America 
wants to see other nations take that path, Bush said. 
 
NATO Istanbul Summit ends:  The NATO Istanbul Summit has 
removed the few remaining obstacles to Turkey's EU 
membership, mainstream papers report.  Dailies highlight not 
only the powerful support voiced by President Bush, but the 
positive attitude of many European members such as Austria 
and the Netherlands, former opponents of Turkey's membership 
in the EU.  Despite positive statements by NATO members with 
regard to the Istanbul summit, "Cumhuriyet" said there was a 
minimum amount of compromise between the members of the 
alliance.  Efforts to sort out an agreement between the US 
and the German-French bloc have not been successful, 
"Cumhuriyet" writes.  Tensions between NATO and Russia have 
increased further, the paper claims.  The only notable 
decision adopted by the summit, according to "Cumhuriyet," 
was the expansion of NATO's mission in Afghanistan.  The 
decision on Iraq is a concession to German and French 
demands, but details of implementation remain unclear.  The 
role of NATO within the Broader Middle East initiative was 
discussed behind closed doors, and a further meeting on this 
issue will be held with Gulf countries December of this 
year, the paper notes. 
 
Powell, Gul open shelter for victims of human trafficking: 
On Tuesday, FM Gul and US Secretary of State Powell attended 
the opening ceremony for a shelter built by the Istanbul 
municipality for victims of human trafficking.  FM Gul said 
that new strategies were needed in the fight against human 
trafficking.  Secretary Powell said Turkey has taken a big 
step in the struggle against trafficking, and called on 
other governments to cooperate in this effort.  The shelter 
will provide legal, psychological and medical assistance to 
people victimized by traffickers. 
 
Court rules against Muslim headscarf:  The European Court of 
Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Turkish university students 
could not claim that the ban on Muslim headscarves violates 
their freedom of religion.  The court rejected two separate 
complaints by Turkish students.  The decision by the 
Strasbourg-based court will set a precedent for national 
courts across Europe and fend off expected lawsuits 
following a heated dispute about banning headscarves in 
schools.  In its first judgment on the headscarf issue, the 
ECHR decided that a ban applied in the name of the 
separation of church and state should be regarded as 
`necessary in a democratic society.'  The court's decision 
is a deep disappointment to proponents of the headscarf, 
including PM Erdogan.  Erdogan refused to comment on the 
matter at a press conference on Tuesday.  Human Rights Watch 
(HRW) said it regretted the ruling, arguing that the 
headscarf ban violated the freedom of religion, expression, 
privacy, and even the right to education. 
 
Turkish captives released in Iraq:  A terrorist group with 
ties to Al-Zarqawi's released the three Turks taken hostage 
in Iraq last Saturday, papers report.  Zarqawi's group said 
that the captives had been released following demonstrations 
against US President Bush and the NATO summit in Turkey. 
The Iraqi resisters voiced satisfaction with the Turkish 
demonstrations which, they said, `displayed Turkey's 
opposition to NATO.' 
EDITORIAL OPINION: POTUS Speech in Istanbul 
 
"The Reason for Sitting Under the Bare Sun" 
Ertugrul Ozkok commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet (6/30): 
"There have been a lot of question marks regarding the venue 
for President Bush's address in Istanbul, particularly 
security concerns and the inconvenience of sitting under the 
bare sun.  However, things were crisp and clear as soon as 
the US President walked to the podium.  The mosque and the 
bridge between Europe and Asia were highlights behind him. 
This symbolic set-up provided a visual background for Bush's 
speech on the Greater Middle East.  Moreover, the open air 
set-up for his speech was like his defiance against 
terrorism. ... As one of the Turkish participants at the 
President's speech commented, the whole atmosphere served as 
a part of Bush's election campaign.  In other words, 
President Bush successfully hit `many birds' by throwing 
only one stone." 
"Bush and American Propaganda" 
Oral Calislar argued in the social democrat-opinion maker 
Cumhuriyet (6/30): "It creates a clear paradox when 
President Bush speaks about democracy and freedom.  Is it 
not because US support keeps the anti-democratic and anti- 
freedom regimes alive in the region?  The US presents the 
democracy issue in a misleading context by showing Syria and 
Iran as the sources of the problem.  It is not a secret how 
many anti-democratic regimes in the Middle East succeed to 
rule with US support. ... President Bush maintained a warm 
and friendly attitude after concluding his speech.  He 
chatted with  guests and his remarks about opposition and 
democracy were impressive.  From the way he responded to 
criticism regarding Iraq policy and its possible negative 
impact on his election campaign, it was evident that he 
believes he will be re-elected." 
 
"Strategic Messages Given At the Bosphorus" 
Ali Aslan wrote in the Islamist-Intellectual Zaman (6/30): 
"President Bush tried to eliminate the Islamic circle's 
concerns for the Middle East reform project with religious 
arguments.  In his speech, the ideal of `justice' in Islamic 
civilizations was emphasized instead of the `freedom' in the 
West.  And he explained that democracy is the best way to 
establish a lawful community.  In the speech he stressed 
that the rights of Muslims could be defended only with the 
supremacy of justice.  The speech also highlighted that 
having democratic values does not mean giving up religion. 
The main message given to Turkey was `You are on the right 
path.  Continue to implement reforms.  Do not believe in 
conspiracy theories.  The US is Turkey's unchangeable friend 
and US national interests require a solid alliance with 
Turkey'.  Most probably, Bush believed this text, which was 
written in Washington, more after seeing the cultural, 
historic and natural richness of Istanbul and the potential 
of Turkey.  In short, Bush's speech proves that the US 
considers Turkey the center for propaganda in injecting 
democracy into the Islamic world." 
 
"Fait-Accompli in Iraq" 
Ergun Babahan commented in the mass appeal Sabah (6/30): 
"The Bush Administration is getting ready to run away from 
Iraq, which was occupied using the democracy argument, as 
soon as possible.  The US was so unsuccessful in Iraq, they 
had to have the sovereignty transfer ceremonies behind 
closed doors.  As a matter of fact, there isn't much the 
Iraqi government can do.  They have neither police nor 
military forces.  They will try to manage a state 
organization that was eliminated with the occupation and 
will try to eliminate the terror and chaos that increase 
with every passing day.  There will be a bomb next to 
Turkey, formed by the Shiite Arabs, Kurds and Sunni Arabs, 
ready to explode.  These groups, being ready to fight on 
every issue from Kirkuk to the administration of Iraq, will 
exist as a continuous threat next to us.  Therefore, let us 
listen to Bush's words calmly, be pleased for the support he 
gave for the European Union, but, never forget what kind of 
geography he left us in." 
 
"Imperial Messages Sent from the Imperial Capital" 
Cengiz Candar wrote in the sensational "DB Tercuman" (6/30): 
"President Bush gave a major policy speech yesterday, and 
everything was well prepared in advance.  Even the transfer 
of authority in Iraq provided a nice background for this 
speech. ... The President's speech was essentially a 
response to the events of 9/11.  The speech highlighted the 
US commitment to the future of the Middle East.  Before the 
Istanbul speech, President Bush has never given such a 
public emphasis on the strategic planning for this project, 
now commonly known as the Broader Middle East Initiative. 
We can make some assumptions, based on the President's 
speech, about US goals for the next 25 years in the Middle 
East region.  NATO has now committed itself to these goals. 
In fact, President Bush made reference to NATO's 
`reincarnation' in the context of the future of the Middle 
East. ...  This is not a short-term policy issue.  This is 
about an important strategy in which Turkey will also play 
an important part.  President Bush mentioned Turkey very 
highly in his speech.  The backdrop for the Istanbul speech 
was designed with careful consideration, underlining 
Turkey's European and Muslim identity. ... It is very 
important that President Bush talked about the elimination 
of the PKK in the context of the future of the Middle East. 
The US determination on this issue has never been more 
clearly.  Following this speech, we can conclude that 
Turkey's present and Turkey's future have been ensured by 
the United States." 
 
"President Bush:  US Policy Will not be Affected by the 
Elections" 
Murat Yetkin opined in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(6/30):  "US President George Bush announced that US 
policies will remain as they are, or perhaps will be pursued 
even more vigorously, after the November 2004 elections. 
Bush said this in reply to a question posed by a `Radikal' 
correspondent after his speech at Galatasaray University. 
This statement proves that, despite the damage he has 
sustained from Iraq and human rights issues, Bush has 
confidence in himself and has no intention of changing his 
policies in his effort to defeat his Democratic rival, John 
Kerry.   In his speech, the President concentrated on the 
Greater Middle East Project and on the democratization of 
the Muslim countries.  Within this framework, he presented 
his allies, including Turkey, with enormously ambitious 
goals.  Bush described Turkey as a `secular and powerful 
democracy,' and stressed his hope that other countries in 
the region would take Turkey as a model.  Bush also made 
oblique criticisms of some countries in the region, such as 
Saudi Arabia, for maintaining their repressive regimes and 
creating more fertile ground for international terrorism. 
We later discussed Bush's speech with the Turkish 
Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee chairman, AKP 
Deputy Mehmet Dulger.  Dulger, like many others, believes 
that even if Kerry emerges as the victor in the election, no 
fundamental changes should be expected in US policy.  In 
light of Bush's statement, no one should make any political 
calculations based on the assumption of major policy changes 
coming from Washington." 
 
"While listening to Bush" 
Taha Akyol opined in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (6/30): 
"President Bush never uttered the phrase 'moderate Islam' in 
his speech.  He stressed the Turkish Republic's 'secular, 
democratic' character.  Turkey is 'a majority Muslim' 
society, he said. ...  It was clear that Bush has grasped 
the sensitivity of President Sezer, the military, and the 
establishment to the US characterization of Turkey. 
President Bush also emphasized that 'democratic societies 
should not fear the participation of the faithful.' 
President Sezer excluded the the spouses of PM Erdogan and 
FM Gul at his reception for NATO leaders.  This is unfair 
discrimination. ...  It is true that 'democratic societies 
should not fear the participation of the faithful,' because 
democracy must be a force for transformation. ...  Turkey 
has a considerable accumulation of social and political 
experience.  A movement with roots in Islam has accelerated 
domestic liberal reforms and Turkey's integration with the 
West.  There is no reason that such a country should fear 
'the participation of the faithful.' ...  Other Middle 
Eastern countries lack Turkey's accumulation of knowledge 
and experience.  The most effective pretext for these 
despotic and authoritarian regimes in the Middle East is 
that democracy would create chaos.  The US President also 
voiced a theme stressed repeatedly by Turkey: 'The future of 
freedom in the Islamic world will be determined by citizens 
of Islamic nations, not by outsiders.' ...  The Istanbul 
NATO Summit has been useful.  Turkey's 'intercontinental' 
function has now come into clearer focus." 
 
EDELMAN