US embassy cable - 04ANKARA4878

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004878 
 
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, 
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Chief Prosecutor Urges Appeals Court Chairman to Resign - 
Hurriyet 
Shiite Massacre in Iraq - Hurriyet 
Ambassador Edelman: "Turkey Working Hard for EU Entry" - 
Hurriyet 
Sistani Convinces al-Sadr for Peace - Sabah 
Massacre in Kufa Mosque, 74 Dead - Sabah 
Ankara Freezes Halki Seminary Issue - Sabah 
Chief of General Staff Ozkok Likens Iraq to Vietnam - 
Milliyet 
Mortar Bomb Strikes Mosque in Iraq - Turkiye 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
MFA: Halki Seminary not Part of a EU Criteria -- Cumhuriyet 
Bloody Obstacle to Peace March in Iraq - Radikal 
Iraq War Costs US $177 Million per Day - Yeni Safak 
Sistani and al-Sadr Agree on Cease-Fire - Yeni Safak 
Bloody Day in Najaf Ends With Peace Agreement - Zaman 
Harsh Criticism to Appeals Chairman From Chief Prosecutor - 
Zaman 
 
BRIEFING 
Ambassador Edelman Comments:  Anatolian News Agency reports 
that Ambassador Edelman, responding to a journalist's 
question in the Black Sea city of Giresun, said that Turkey 
has a potentially important role to play in the Greater 
Middle East Initiative. `Now we have widened the scope of 
this project,' the Ambassador said, `so it is now called the 
Greater Middle East and North Africa Initiative.'  `For us, 
Turkey is a model country,' he continued. `Although its 
population is overwhelmingly Muslim,' the Ambassador said, 
`it has applied democracy very successfully.' `Turkey has 
also been reforming its economy for the last 50-60 years,' 
he said.  In response to a question about the acquisition of 
property by foreigners in Turkey, Edelman said, `I don't 
want to interfere in an internal matter in Turkey,' `so I 
can only say that Turkey has been working hard to meet EU 
over the past few years.' `I believe that Turkey will 
successfully maintain these efforts. I also believe that 
this EU membership process will be beneficial not only to 
Turkey and the Turkish people, but also to the EU,' he 
concluded. 
Ankara `Freezes' Halki Seminary Issue:  "Cumhuriyet" cites 
Turkish Foreign Ministry sources as saying that the 
reopening of Halki Seminary is not an urgent matter and is 
not part of criteria for Turkey's EU accession.  Serious 
discussion of the issue has therefore been postponed until 
December.  An unnamed MFA official said that the seminary 
could only be reopened within the framework of `reciprocity' 
with Greece with regard to Islamic schools and mosques in 
Western Thrace. 
 
Prime Minister's Advisors to Visit Israel:  "Hurriyet" 
reports that three of Prime Minister Erdogan's top foreign 
policy advisors - Egemen Bagis, Omer Celik, and Saban Disli 
- will visit Israel on August 30 in an effort to repair 
strained Turkish-Israeli ties.  Unless there is a change in 
the delegation's program, the report claims, they do not 
intend to meet with Palestinian representatives. 
 
Putin to Push Russian Helicopters for Turkey:  "Milliyet" 
reports from Moscow that Russian President Putin plans to 
push hard for the sale of Russian helicopters to Turkey 
during his September 2-3 visit to Ankara.  The report claims 
that the Russians are prepared to offer significant 
incentives for the deal, including licensed production of 
the helicopters in Turkey and permission to export to third 
countries.  "Milliyet" notes that in the recently canceled 
tender process, a US offer of helicopters was rated highest, 
but the Turkish side was bothered that the Americans refused 
to offer production of the US helicopters in Turkey. 
 
Allawi Postpones His Trip to Turkey, Hatemi due in 
September:  Papers report that Iraqi interim Prime Minister 
Iyad Allawi  has postponed his visit to Turkey.  The visit 
had been scheduled for the beginning of September.  Sources 
said that Allawi may now visit Ankara in early October. 
Iranian President Hatemi is also expected to come to Turkey 
in late September. 
 
General Staff Chief Ozkok Discusses Iraq, PKK :  "Milliyet" 
reports that during a reception following the change of 
command ceremony at jandarma headquarters yesterday, Chief 
of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok told reporters that `the 
military is closely following developments in Iraq.' `The 
Iraqi resistance is very similar to the resistance the US 
encountered in Vietnam,' he continued, `though the terrain 
and circumstances are very different.'  Ozkok said that 
Turkey's March 1, 2003 decision to remain outside the 
operation in Iraq had proven to be wise. `The wisdom of a 
decision is determined by subsequent events,' he said, `and 
with the exception of the PKK issue, we are pleased  (by our 
decision).'  Ozkok said that although Turkey would like to 
see a US military action against the PKK in Iraq, he is not 
expecting such an action. `They are trying other ways - 
political means - first,' he concluded. 
 
Chief Prosecutor Urges Appeals Court Chairman to Resign: 
"Hurriyet" reports that Chief Prosecutor Nuri Ok urged 
Appeals Court chairman Ozkaya to resign before the new 
judicial year opens on September 6.  Ok stressed that other 
members of the judiciary will not hesitate to express their 
reactions if Ozkaya insists on speaking at the opening 
ceremony.  Ozkaya has been accused of having contacts with a 
Turkish intelligence (MIT) official concerning the case of 
Alaatin Cakici, a well-known underworld figure.   "Milliyet" 
highlights President Sezer's comments on the judiciary-mafia 
link.  Sezer described the scandal as `linked to personal 
mistakes, not to the mistakes of the judiciary as an 
institution.' 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: :  Situation in Iraq 
 
"Iraq moves toward national resistance" 
Hasan Unal argued in the Islamist-intellectual "Zaman" 
(8/27): "The current situation in Iraq shows a clear 
miscalculation by the US side.  Even in the beginning, there 
were no Iraqis to greet US forces with roses and cheers. 
The US plan to bring democracy to Iraq is also far from 
convincing.  This is an act of occupation, which is losing 
international support with every passing day. . The growing 
resistance in Iraq is beginning to look like a national 
movement.  It has the potential to begin a trend toward 
nationalization throughout the Arab world.  It is quite 
possible to see a nationalist process in all of the Arab 
countries, especially if and when the US launches its 
Greater Middle East and North Africa project. . Unlike the 
Balkans, the concepts of the nation state and nationhood did 
not take root in the Middle East geography.  The Arab 
countries became independent in the post-World War II 
period, but very few of them fought for independence like 
Algeria did against the French.  Nationalist feelings were 
always suspended under totalitarian regimes.  But there are 
now signs that a national resistance movement, taking 
advantage of the US weakness in Iraq, might change the fate 
of the Middle East." 
"Underestimating the Shiites" 
Hakan Celik commented in the mass appeal-sensational "Posta" 
(8/27): "The US has made many miscalculations about Iraq. 
The underestimation of the Shiite resistance is one of the 
biggest ones.  US forces are having a very hard time 
controlling the Najaf uprising.  The loss of civilian lives 
because of American operations there is certainly a major 
reason for the growing outrage among Shiites.  The worst 
part is the fact that the outrage is not limited to 
militants, but extends to ordinary Iraqis as well.  American 
forces continue their operations near sacred Shiite shrines, 
which is a big risk.  Shiite militants are also capable of 
trapping the Americans by dragging them toward the sacred 
areas so that they manage to provoke more Iraqis against US 
forces.  The current American image in Iraq is very 
negative, and includes the perception that US forces are 
willing to bomb shrines and mosques in pursuit of their 
goals.  This is a very ominous development for Washington." 
EDELMAN