US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5830

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005830 
 
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 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Zana demands constitutional guarantees for Turkey's Kurds - 
Hurriyet 
Zana defends Turkey in Europe - Sabah 
Schroder fully supports Turkey in EU - Turkiye 
American photo-reporter Taggart released in Baghdad - 
Milliyet 
Saddam's `killing fields' - Aksam 
Saddam has killed babies - Milliyet 
Infant corpses found in Saddam's killing fields - Sabah 
Saddam's nuclear material may be in Turkey - Hurriyet 
Task Force 121 to hunt Zarkawi in Iraq - Milliyet 10/13 
Israel apprehends Hamas bomber - Sabah 
Bush leads Kerry by 3 points - Milliyet 10/13 
Russia warns to strike Arab nations supporting Chechens - 
Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Jewish lobby: We trust PM Erdogan - Radikal 10/13 
David Harris: No Middle East peace without Turkey - Zaman 
10/13 
German tanks for Turkey - Cumhuriyet 10/13 
Metin Kaplan extradited to Turkey - Zaman 10/13 
Zana supports Turkey's EU drive - Yeni Safak 
French parliament to hold critical meeting on Turkey - 
Cumhuriyet 
Greek Cypriots will ask Turkey for recognition - Radikal 
Ethnic tension rising in Kirkuk - Cumhuriyet 
Al-Qaida gives South Korea two weeks to withdraw from Iraq - 
Yeni Safak 10/13 
The Guardian: Stolen Iraqi nuclear material in Turkey - 
Cumhuriyet 
FBI wants more operatives for security of US Presidential 
elections - Yeni Safak 
Gorbachev: Russia must give Chechnya special status - Yeni 
Safak 10/13 
Chechens infiltrate US - Cumhuriyet 
French-US competition fans Darfur crisis - Zaman 10/13 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
US Jewish representatives meet PM Erdogan:  On Tuesday, PM 
Erdogan received the head of the American Jewish Committee 
David Harris, director for strategic relations Barry Jacobs, 
and accompanying American Jewish lobby members, Turkish 
papers report.  Haris and Jacobs urged Erdogan's support for 
peace in the Middle East.  Erdogan reitereated his criticism 
of Ariel Sharon's policies in Palestine, and called on the 
Israelis and Palestinians to take concrete steps toward 
peace.  The Israeli security fence in West Bank will not 
help efforts for a peaceful solution, Erdogan added. 
Erdogan noted that he could visit Israel if conditions are 
right. 
 
US jetfighters target Iraqi civilians:  Turkish papers and 
TV channels reported Wednesday on a 30-second video footage 
of a US F-16 jetfighter pilots targeting civilians on the 
streets of Fallujah.  The footage, filmed on April 10, is 
posted on the Internet.  `Lots of people below, shall I 
clean them?' asks the pilot, responded by a US marine on 
ground: `Clean!'  The footage shows how US forces carry out 
`precision strikes,' says "Yeni Safak." 
US to `classify' nations regarding anti-Semitism:  US 
Congress has approved a bill which will establish a special 
committee to monitor anti-Jewish actions worldwide, reports 
"Cumhuriyet."  The `Global Anti-Semitism Awareness Act' is 
drafted by Tom Lantos, the only American Congressman who has 
witnessed Genocide, against rising anti-Semitism in Europe 
and the Middle East, says "Cumhuriyet." 
 
Germany to sell tanks to Turkey:  Germany wants to sell 
about 250-300 heavy battle tanks to Turkey, in a major 
change of recent defense policy, papers report.  The sale of 
the Leopard II tanks is expected to be pushed ahead if EU 
leaders decide in December that Turkey has undertaken enough 
democratic reforms to begin EU membership talks.  German 
Defense Minister Peter Struck is planning to travel to 
Turkey next month to discuss the sale with his counterpart 
Vecdi Gonul.  Turkey receive second-hand tanks rather than 
new ones at an estimated value of up to seven billion Euros 
(8.6 billion dollars).  Germany was prepared in 1999 to sell 
around 1,000 tanks to Turkey, but opposition from the Green 
party, fearing that the tanks might be used against the 
Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey, brought the deal to 
an end. 
 
Germany extradites fundamentalist Turk:  A leading Turkish 
Islamic militant known as the `Caliph of Cologne' was 
formally charged by a court in Istanbul on Wednesday and 
sent to jail pending trial a day after he was deported from 
Germany.  The court charged Metin Kaplan with `attempting to 
overthrow the secular order by use of arms.'  Kaplan's 
organization aims to create an Islamic state in Turkey under 
the leadership of a Caliph.  The group has mounted a hate 
campaign against Jews and Turkey and Israel. 
 
Barzani softens tone on Kirkuk:  Following meetings in 
Ankara earlier this week, Barzani said on his way home that 
Kirkuk is an Iraqi city with a Kurdish identity.  `Kirkuk is 
a symbol of cohabitation and it is important that people 
live in peace and harmony there,' said the KDP leader. 
Barzani emphasized that agreed with PM Erdogan and FM Gul on 
many issues, and criticized the press for reporting the 
talks as other than `friendly and positive.' 
 
Cyprus:  Foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan told the press 
on Wednesday that the Greek Cypriots are `trying to shrug 
off responsibility for the failure of efforts to resolve the 
Cyprus conflict.'  `It is obvious who bears the 
responsibility, and the whole international community knows 
that,' Tan said, referring to a failed April referendum to 
end the island's decades-long division.  Greek President 
Costis Stephanopoulos warned over the weekend that `Turkey 
cannot join the EU if it does not normalize its relations 
with Greece, recognize the Republic of Cyprus, and 
contribute to a solution to the Cyprus problem.'  Greek 
Cypriot FM George Iacovou said Tuesday that Ankara would not 
be allowed to enter membership negotiations with the EU 
before recognizing the Greek Cypriot administration. 
Iacovou also called on Ankara to open Turkey's ports and 
airspace to Greek Cypriot vessels and airplanes. 
 
Zana receives Sakharov Prize:  Former Kurdish lawmaker Leyla 
Zana finally received the European Parliament's Sakharov 
Peace Prize Wednesday after being released in June from a 
decade in prison.  Zana had been awarded the high-profile 
prize in 1995.  Addressing the European Parliament's foreign 
affairs committee, Zana praised the Turkish government for 
pushing through `revolutionary changes' in its bid to win a 
date to launch EU accession negotiations.  She noted that 
systematic torture no longer existed in Turkey.  Zana also 
said a new constitution was necessary for Turkey so that 
minorities such as the Kurds and non-Muslims can express 
themselves freely. 
 
Turkish troops to Afghanistan:  Turkey, slated to take the 
command of ISAF in February next year, will deploy 1800 
troops to Afghanistan.  NATO's top civilian representative 
in Afghanistan, former Turkish lawmaker Hikmet Cetin's 
mandate had been extended for one year. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Afghanistan; EU-Turkey 
 
"Afghanistan" 
Melih Asik commented in the mass appeal Milliyet (10/14): 
"The Afghanistan election was like a photo exhibit, 
particularly regarding completely veiled women voters at the 
ballots.  Such images were presented as a proof of the 
liberation of Afghan women.  In fact, the pictures were no 
different from the Taliban era.  Foreigners who were in 
Afghanistan during the Russian occupation still remember 
that Afghan women at that time did not even wear 
headscarves, yet alone the `burka.`  The US helped develop 
the Taliban against Russia, which led Afghanistan to a 
complete fundamentalist order.  Today the Taliban is gone, 
but the religious fundamentalist system is still in place. 
This is because that is the US's desire.  And the US wants a 
moderate version of it for Turkey as well." 
 
"Turkish Image in Europe" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative Turkiye (10/14): 
"The EU Commissioner Verheugen underlined the importance of 
Turkey's accession to the EU by highlighting that the EU 
would become a global super power.  Europeans in general, 
however, do not have such a vision. Their main concern 
revolves around the possible cost of Turkey's membership. 
In addition, Turkey's image in Europe is not good.  The 
labor force from Turkey which went to Europe many years ago 
failed to establish a positive image vis--vis the 
Europeans.  People from very conservative and remote parts 
of Turkey went to Europe to work and influenced the people 
negatively.  The few Turks in the labor force in Europe with 
high qualifications have not made a significant difference 
to correct the image. . In such a short period Turkey has to 
exert every effort to correct this image.  When we send 
delegations to European capitals, we should even think of 
excluding repellant characters." 
 
EDELMAN