US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5370

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005370 
 
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, 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Belgian PM Invites PM Erdogan for Breakfast -Hurriyet 
New Attacks Against Turkish Drivers in Iraq - Hurriyet 
12 Turks Missing in Iraq - Sabah 
PM Erdogan Sees No Problem in Ties With EU - Sabah 
PM Erdogan: Turkey-EU Relations Running Smoothly - Milliyet 
Verheugen: No Accession Talks Before Penal Code Reforms - 
Milliyet 
Twelve Turkish Truck Drivers Allegedly Killed in Iraq - 
Turkiye 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
EU Warned Turkey Three Months Ago on Penal Code - Radikal 
Adultery is not the Only Trouble in Penal Code - Radikal 
US Acknowledges Its Mistake in Tal Afar - Cumhuriyet 
Adultery the Critical Knot in EU Entry Talks - Cumhuriyet 
Verheugen Says Reforms Essential in Penal Code - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Penal code/adultery debate:  EU expansion commissioner 
Guenter Verheugen's office announced over the weekend that 
Ankara has to pass the penal code reforms before October 6. 
PM Erdogan gave a harsh response to the EU, saying that 
nobody had a right to interfere in Turkey's internal 
affairs, and that EU membership is not anything that Turks 
cannot do without.  Monday papers report Verheugen as saying 
that EU-Turkey full membership talks would not be opened if 
`adultery' is added to the penal code bill.  Turkey should 
display the will to bring together traditional Turkish 
values with European values, Verheugen said, and stressed 
that European values are not open to discussion.  Erdogan is 
expected to visit Brussels on September 22 in an effort to 
defuse the strain in EU-Turkey ties, say papers.  German 
Chancellor Schroeder's office called Ankara over the weekend 
to remind the government that Erdogan was supposed to 
receive the `Quadriga' friendship award in Berlin October 3. 
Erdogan has put his image as a `European leader' at risk, 
Schroeder's office told the Turkish prime minister's office, 
but noted that Erdogan could still receive the award if the 
penal code is passed before early October.  On the other 
hand, Monday "Radikal" reports that adultery issue was not 
the only controversial provision restricting freedoms in the 
penal code bill.  The bill contains heavy penalties for 
defending views contrary to Turkey's national independence, 
territorial integrity and national security.  For example, 
Article 306 of the bill brings heavy prison terms for asking 
for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus, or for 
defending Armenian genocide claims, says "Radikal."  Weekend 
papers speculate that Erdogan would wait to see the October 
6 EU progress report on Turkey before doing anything with 
the penal code reform bill. 
 
Tal Afar:  Following the US assault that claimed 67 lives in 
the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar, a `senior US official' 
in Iraq acknowledged that the number of foreign fighters in 
the town had been `very few,' "Cumhuriyet" cites 
international wires.  US Lieutenant Colonel Paul Hastings 
reportedly said the operation had been initiated upon the 
request of Tal Afar residents complaining about foreign 
militants and supporters of Saddam Hussein who took control 
of the northern Iraqi town.  A tribal leader said despite 
the fact that they had made the insurgents leave Tal Afar on 
September 8, US forces attacked the town on September 12. 
Meanwhile, a Turkish Red Crescent's humanitarian aid convoy 
arrived in Tal Afar Sunday.  The aid will be given to Tal 
Afar residents today.  Monday "Milliyet" reports two 
journalists working for "Milliyet" had been detained by US 
forces in Mosul while en route Tal Afar together with the 
aid convoy.  The reporters were handcuffed and hooded by 
snow masks before being interrogated `for hours.'  The 
journalists were later released and handed over to the Iraqi 
Turkmen Front.  US forces have treated Turkish journalists 
as terrorists, writes "Milliyet." 
 
Turks missing in Iraq:  Turkish papers report 12 Turkish 
truck drivers killed or abducted in the Balad province near 
Baghdad.  Al-Jazeera reported Saturday night that Iraqi 
insurgents abducted 10 workers of a Turkish-American company 
in Iraq, and had threatened to kill them unless their 
company leaves the country in 72 hours.  Two Hundred Turkish 
companies are currently working in Iraq. 
 
US nationals may ask reparation from `TRNC':  The Greek 
lobby in the US has submitted a bill to the House of 
Representatives asking for compensation for the real estate 
which was confiscated after Turkey's occupation of north 
Cyprus in 1974, Sunday "Zaman" reports.  Most of the real 
estate seized belonged to Greek Cypriot Americans.  If 
enacted, the bill authorizes US courts to follow up on the 
issue.  The Armenian lobby in the US has supported the bill, 
claims "Zaman." 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
"Bargaining With Brussels" 
Ferai Tinc commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet (9/20): 
"PM Erdogan is going to Brussels this week.  I wouldn't like 
to be in his shoes, because, even I was fed up with the 
foreign press's questions on the Turkish Penal Code.  Some 
journalists asked me if Turkish family structure could 
harmonize with the European family structure.  Some others 
said `in Turkey honor killings are widely tolerated.  Do you 
think this is in harmony with Europe?'  None of these is 
true,however, and we don't deserve this prejudiced thinking. 
However, we are so successful in giving wrong messages that 
we just cannot give the right ones.  I would like to give 
the foreign journalists the story of the two female mayors 
in the southeast whom I met last week and explain how hard 
they are working to defend women's rights, to better 
education, and explain how they are doing real good work in 
many other areas.  PM Erdogan is going to Brussels on 
September 23.  He is going to give the message that Turkey 
fulfilled the Copenhagen Criteria.  But, if he decides to 
bargain in a conservative manner with Brussels with the 
examples that abortion is not available in Ireland or some 
other country negotiates gay marriages, etc., then he has no 
chances for success in bargaining with the EU." 
 
"US' Religious Freedom Report" 
Zeynep Gurcanli wrote in the State controlled Star (9/18): 
"Lately, the US is always on the top of the Turkish 
government's agenda.  Because of the Tal Afar bombings, 
Kurdish migration to Kirkuk etc., Turkish government members 
often criticizes US policies.  While this `anti-American' 
atmosphere continues in the Turkish government, AKP received 
unexpected support from the US in its internal issues.  The 
support came on the `head scarf and the public areas' issue. 
Instead of giving support directly, the US carried the issue 
in its annual `Religious Freedom Report'.  According to the 
report, during his visit to Turkey, President Bush talked 
with President Sezer on the issue of religious freedom and 
delivered the message that the custom of religious freedom 
in Turkey should continue, and different religions should be 
recognized and protected.  Also, in the report, the fact 
that ministers' wives wearing head scarves are not allowed 
in the Presidential Palace was given as an example of 
violations of freedom.  The report supports secularism in 
Turkey, and indirectly supports the opposite section too. 
The report also says that despite all the efforts by the 
Patriarch, the Halki Seminary couldn't re-open.  But the AKP 
government does not stop the Ecumenical activities of the 
Fener Patriarch either.  And the most interesting part of 
the report is that all US Diplomats including Ambassador 
Edelman discussed these issues during their private meetings 
with the Turkish cabinet members and even invited the 
government members to `Religious dinners". 
 
EDELMAN