US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5535

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005535 
 
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 27, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Penal code approved without adultery clause - Hurriyet 
Rumsfeld signals US may withdraw from Iraq - Sabah 9/26 
Angered at parliament, Khatami postpones Turkey visit - 
Milliyet 
Greek Cypritos expect UN to launch new Cyprus initiative - 
Hurriyet 9/26 
US launches Zarkawi operation in Fallujah - Milliyet 9/26 
British captive Bigley allegedly killed in Iraq - Hurriyet 
9/26 
TIME poll shows Bush leading Kerry by 6 points - Milliyet 
9/26 
"The Guardian" reveals grandfather Bush's Nazi ties - 
Hurriyet 9/26 
Iran tests strategic missile - Milliyet 9/26 
Israeli media boss wants to buy Al-Jazeera - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Violence never ends in Iraq: 23 killed - Zaman 
Fallujah a ruined city - Radikal 9/26 
Truckers targeted in Iraq: 10 killed - Cumhuriyet 
Bush, Allawi plan Iraq conference - Zaman 9/26 
Iraqi Shiite provinces demand autonomy - Zaman 9/26 
EU rapporteur: Turkey not ready for entry talks - Cumhuriyet 
9/26 
Israel assassinates Hamas leader in Damascus - Zaman 
Israel strikes Hamas in Damascus - Cumhuriyet 
Israel expands occupation of West Bank - Yeni Safak 
Greek Cypriot official blames `TRNC' for training Chechen 
terrorists - Radikal 
UN: Sudan ready to grant autonomy for Darfur - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Parliament passes penal code reform:  The Turkish Parliament 
adopted a major penal code reform on Sunday, clearing a 
major obstacle to Ankara's bid to start accession talks with 
the European Union.  The law, which amends Turkey's 78-year- 
old penal code, is seen as the last legal reform required to 
align Turkish legislation with basic EU political norms. 
The Parliament was recalled from summer recess for Sunday's 
session after PM Erdogan agreed to drop plans to criminalize 
adultery in talks with EU officials in Brussels on Thursday. 
The new penal code expands freedom of expression, grants 
greater individual freedoms, and increases penalties for 
rights abusers and torturers.  The law will be submitted to 
President Sezer for approval. 
 
Brzezinski visits Ankara:  On Friday, US Deputy Assistant 
Secretary Ian Brzezinski discussed cooperation on defense 
 
SIPDIS 
issues with Turkish military officials in Ankara.  The US 
side raised with the Turkish General Staff (TGS) the 
possible redeployment of 48 F-16s from Germany to Incirlik 
Air base.  The Turkish side raised the issue of the PKK 
presence in northern Iraq.  The meeting was held as 
preparation for the Turkish-American high level defense 
group meetings to be held late this year. 
 
Gul meets Powell:  FM Abdullah Gul discussed Iraq, the PKK, 
and the safety of Turkish truckers in Iraq at a meting with 
Secretary Powell in New York last Friday.  Gul stressed that 
 
SIPDIS 
Turkey and the US are long-time allies who have been 
cooperating on many issues, not only in Iraq.  `Cooperation 
between our two countries can be seen from Afghanistan to 
the Balkans, from energy issues to the fight against 
terrorism,' Gul recalled, noting that US-Turkish cooperation 
is not just in the military field.  Secretary Powell pledged 
continued US attention to Turkish concerns including Kirkuk, 
trucker security, and the PKK.  Gul is scheduled to meet 
with his Armenian and Chinese counterparts on Monday. 
 
Khatemi postpones Turkey visit:  President Mohammad Khatami 
has postponed a scheduled visit to Turkey after the Iranian 
parliament blocked two major contracts signed with Turkish 
companies.  Khatemi's political rivals in parliament passed 
a bill giving them veto power over a deal signed with 
Turkcell, Turkey's biggest mobile phone operator, to set up 
the first Iranian private mobile phone network.  The law 
passed by the Iranian parliament also targets a $200 million 
contract with the Turkish-Austrian consortium TAV for 
construction and operations at Khomeini International 
Airport. 
 
Peace Monitoring Force to end Mission in Iraq:  "Cumhuriyet" 
reports that the Peace Monitoring Force, established in 1997 
to ensure peace between rival Kurdish groups in northern 
Iraq, will be officially disbanded in October.  Turkish 
members of the monitoring group will be pulled back to 
Turkey. 
 
Turkish Red Crescent Employee Evacuated to Ankara: 
"Cumhuriyet" reports that Turkish Red Crescent employee 
Mustafa Pekcan, who had been critically wounded in a 
terrorist attack against a humanitarian convoy near Mosul 
last week has been successfully evacuated to an Ankara 
military hospital by US forces.  The paper reports that 
Pekcan received care in Mosul by both Iraqi and US military 
doctors. 
 
Kurdish lawmakers due in Brussels:  Former DEP lawmaker 
Leyla Zana is to go to Brussels on October 12 to lobby for 
amnesty for members of the PKK/Kongra Gel.  Papers speculate 
that Zana will try to persuade the EU to force Ankara to 
grant a `political amnesty' to PKK members.  Zana, 
accompanied by three other Kurdish lawmakers, will address 
the European Parliament and receive the Sakharov Prize in 
Brussels.  Zana's request for a meeting with EU expansion 
commissioner Guenther Verheugen has not yet been confirmed. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq; Iran's Nuclear Program 
 
"President Bush's Maneuver on Iraq" 
Yasemin Congar wrote from Washington in the mass appeal 
"Milliyet" (9/27):  "On one hand, Washington is working 
diplomatically to secure more foreign troops in Iraq from 
countries such as Romania, Georgia and Fiji.  But on the 
other hand, Washington has started making plans for a 
possible pull out from Iraq.  There is strong speculation in 
Washington about a relatively quick withdrawal from Iraq in 
the event that President Bush is reelected.  This argument 
is based on the observation that the neo-cons have realized 
that forming a stable democracy in Iraq remains a far- 
fetched dream. . The administration is looking at this 
argument, but has not yet come to the same conclusion. 
President Bush has repeatedly said that the US is not 
looking to `escape' from Iraq, while Kerry promises a 
complete withdrawal by 2008 after establishing peace and 
order there.  Nevertheless, sources close to both Kerry and 
Bush acknowledge the diminishing chances for success in 
Iraq, as they increasingly look at the situation as a `new 
Vietnam.' . In any case, Turkey should be prepared for any 
scenario in Iraq, including the possibility of a US pull-out 
that delegates security to local Iraqi forces before order 
is fully established in the country." 
 
"Iraq was not Enough -- Now it is Iran's Turn" 
Zafer Atay commented in the economic-political Dunya (9/27): 
"Recently, there have been intense discussions in Washington 
about how to end Iran's nuclear research program.  Some say 
that a quick-strike operation will be carried out against 
Iran's 8 nuclear facilities.  After destroying these 
facilities, Iran will either be invaded or a pro-western 
regime will be supported to take over power.  In this way, 
Iran will be `liberated' just like Iraq. .There is no doubt 
that the US, together with the UN and other western 
countries, would like to show that Iran's nuclear weapons 
will not be tolerated.  All developing countries claim that 
the goal of their nuclear research is purely civilian.  Both 
Pakistan and India exploded their atomic bombs at the same 
time they insisted on their commitment to peace.  They then 
applied for membership in the `nuclear club,' which the US 
was trying to maintain as an exclusive group.  Most 
countries involved in nuclear projects open their doors to 
the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  Only a few, including 
North Korea, Israel, and Iran, want to continue their 
research behind closed doors.  We recall that Israel 
attacked an Iraqi nuclear plant in the past.  Did Israel 
have the right to carry out such an attack?  No, it did not, 
because Israel also is carrying out a secret nuclear program 
that is not subject to outside control.  Despite all this 
secrecy, neither the US, nor Britain, France, Germany or the 
UN ever question Israel.  Naturally, the real supporters of 
peace do not want the world turned into a nuclear waste site 
after a possible war.  North Korea, Iran and Israel should 
give up their nuclear programs immediately." 
 
EDELMAN