US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5596

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005596 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEALS 
FM Gul to Annan: Kirkuk like a time bomb - Aksam 
Armitage: Peshmerge will join Iraqi army - Aksam 
First round between Bush, Kerry tomorrow - Sabah 
Turkish trucker killed in Iraq - Milliyet 
56 percent of French oppose Turkey's EU membership - 
Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Ankara tension with EU over EU-OIC summit - Cumhuriyet 
Regional Iraq conference to be held in Egypt in November - 
Zaman 
Jordan King: Iraqi elections will increase insurgency - 
Radikal 
US bombs Sadr City, Fallujah - Yeni Safak 
Bush leads Kerry by 6 points - Cumhuriyet 
Washington urges Athens to take US weapons back from Cyprus 
- Zaman 
French don't want Turkey in the EU - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
FM Gul ends US visit:  FM Abdullah Gul warned Tuesday at a 
press conference after meeting UN Secretary General Kofi 
Annan that a new TalAfar crisis in northern Iraq would lead 
to a `catastrophe.'  Gul said that coalition forces in Iraq 
should to work hard to win the sympathy of the local people, 
and he voiced Turkey's readiness to back efforts for 
democracy, freedom and stability in Iraq.  Gul also 
reiterated Ankara's expectation that the UN take action to 
remove international sanctions on Turkish Cypriots. 
"Hurriyet" claims that Gul rejected a proposal by his 
Armenian counterpart, Vartan Oskanyan, to open the border 
gate between Turkey and Armenia, saying new steps would not 
be taken until a solution is found to the Nagorno-Karabakh 
dispute.  Gul returned to Turkey from New York on Wednesday. 
 
Armitage on Kirkuk, Kurds:  Mass appeal "Aksam" quotes US 
State Department U/S Richard Armitage as warning that if 
property disputes between northern Iraqi ethnic groups 
intensify to a critical point, Kirkuk might become a crisis 
zone.  Armitage noted that some areas have been taken back 
from Arabs to be given to their original Kurdish owners, who 
had been exiled by the regime of Saddam Hussein.  `I don't 
think the Iraqi Kurds are seeking sovereignty,' Armitage 
said. `I think the Kurds are smart enough not to risk their 
relationship with Turkey.' 
 
Turkish driver killed in Iraq:  Another Turkish driver has 
been killed by insurgents in Iraq, bringing the total number 
of killed to 14.  Nizamettin Bilir, 46, was delivering fuel 
to US forces in Iraq when the attack occurred near Mosul. 
Turkish truckers have increasingly become the target of 
Iraqi insurgents.  Most Turkish hostages taken in Iraq have 
been released after their companies have pledged to end 
operations in Iraq or pay ransom money for their release. 
However, 40,000 drivers continue to travel to Iraq each 
month, according to "Cumhuriyet."  The Turkish government 
declined to provide official figures regarding the number of 
missing Turks in Iraq. 
 
DEA joins international narcotics conference:  A conference 
on the `International Initiative Against Smuggling of Drugs 
and Money Laundering,' organized by Turkish Police and the 
US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was opened Tuesday in 
Istanbul.  Turkish and DEA officials stressed the need for a 
more systematic cooperation in the struggle against drug 
smuggling and money laundering.  DEA Administrator Karen P. 
Tandy said the DEA has offices in 60 countries, and 
underlined the significance of Turkey as a powerful partner 
in the fight against drug trafficking. 
 
Simultaneous sounds bombs explosions in Turkish cities: 
Sound bombs exploded almost simultaneously in front of 
branches of the British-based HSBC Bank in Istanbul, Izmir, 
and Adana Tuesday evening.  A percussion bomb went off at 
about the same time in Ankara in the garden of the Turkish- 
American Association, causing slight damage to the building, 
the Anatolian news agency (AA) reported.  The explosions did 
not cause any injuries.  NTV reported that the Ankara 
explosion was also targeting HSBC, which has a bank branch 
located 100 meters from the Turkish American Association. 
No group claimed immediate responsibility for the blasts. 
 
Upcoming EU-OIC summit:  Despite strong objections from 
Greece and Cyprus, Ankara told EU missions in Turkey that 
northern Cypriots would join the upcoming forum of EU and 
the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) foreign 
ministers under the name `Turkish Cypriot State,' 
"Cumhuriyet" reports.  Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
said the meeting will be held as scheduled on October 4-5 in 
Istanbul.  "Cumhuriyet" expects some EU countries to send 
lower level participants to the meeting.  Cyprus has 
threatened to boycott the gathering, and has encouraged 
other EU countries to follow suit. 
 
Human rights symposium in Ankara:  500 human rights 
activists from around the world will be meeting in Ankara 
for a 5-day symposium beginning today to discuss new tactics 
against violations of human rights, "Milliyet" reports.  The 
`New Strategies in Human Rights International Symposium' 
sponsored by Turkey, the US, the UK and the Netherlands will 
be held from September 29-October 2.  General Manager of the 
`American Center for the Victims of Torture,' Douglas 
Johnson, told "Aksam" that a `culture of fear' has prevailed 
in the US following the September 11 attacks.  `Following 
9/11, America's leaders have deemed all methods 
`permissible' in obtaining intelligence information,' 
Johnson said, noting that `such an approach has inflicted 
substantial damage on US values and laws.' 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq; Turkey-EU 
 
"Tension will grow in Iraq" 
Kemal Yavuz warned in the sensational-mass appeal "Aksam" 
(9/29): "Iraq is on the verge of more tension in the days 
ahead.  Thanks to Ankara's determined stance, the situation 
in Tal Afar, despite recent incidents, is now quiet. 
However, the city administration has been transferred to 
anti-Turkmen groups following the military operation.  There 
is speculation that about 2,500 armed Kurdish militiamen 
have been placed in the area, taking advantage of the 
chaotic atmosphere when US forces conducted their operation. 
If this is the case, an ethnic-based conflict in this area 
seems imminent.  On the other hand, Kirkuk seems to have the 
most serious potential as an area of conflict.  There has 
been a well-planned and intentional Kurdish migration to 
Kirkuk over the past year.  American military officials also 
voice concern regarding this issue. . The US is having a 
very bad experience in Iraq.  If the census and general 
elections do not go as planned, as seems likely, US prestige 
and influence in the region will be reduced to zero." 
"Who is This Murderer?" 
Zafer Atay commented in the economic-political "Dunya" 
(9/29):  "His name is Ahmet Haleyle.For now, he is known as 
Ebu Mus'ab el Zarkawi.  Ahmet Fadil Halilyah, Ebu Ahmet, Ebu 
Muhammet Sakir, and Ebu Suvayd are among the names he uses 
time to time.  Now he is the leader of a terrorist 
organization.  Zarkawi and his team love to kill.  There are 
times when even Islamic theologians rebel against his 
actions.  When any of these religious people criticize his 
violent actions, such as the beheading of hostages, Zarkawi 
immediately brands them as enemies or cowards.  To defend 
his terrorist actions, he tells lies and even claims that 
the prophet Muhammed had given similar orders in the past. 
He misinterprets the Koran to justify his murders. 
Recently, he has been holding many Turks as hostages.  Let's 
not allow anyone to claim that Zarkawi is fighting against 
the enemy to defend his rights.  It would be a great insult 
to real patriots and heroes to regard Zarkawi and his men as 
`resisters,' when they really only get pleasure out of 
killing innocent." 
 
"The Fight Over Turkey in the EU" 
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (9/29):  "It 
seems France is having the most heated debate about Turkey's 
accession to the EU.  A recent opinion poll in the French 
`Le Figaro' shows 36 percent popular support for Turkey's 
EU, with 56 percent opposed. . This anti-Turkish sentiment 
among the French public has declined slightly from the 61 
percent recorded last June.  Moreover, the percentage of 
those who say they might support Turkey's EU accession in 
the future is 63 -- a good indication of growing pro-Turkish 
sentiment once the negotiation process moves further.  . 
Turkey will be at the top of the EU's agenda not only during 
the upcoming December summit, but also throughout 2005. 
Turkey should be well aware of the fact that people and 
politicians in the EU will debate the Turkey issue almost 
constantly in the days ahead." 
 
EDELMAN