US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5908

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005908 
 
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, OCTOBER 18, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
German FM expects a `Yes' for Turkey's EU drive - Hurriyet 
Solana: EU security requires Turkey's membership - Milliyet 
Italy wants referendum on Turkey in EU - Sabah 10/17 
German racists campaign against Turkey - Aksam 10/17 
Tens of thousands call for an end to Iraq war - Aksam 
NYT openly supports Kerry - Aksam 
Guantanamo torture with `rap' music - Hurriyet 
Israel ends Gaza operation: 109 dead, 100 injured - Sabah 
10/17 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
FM Gul seeks EU support in Berlin - Radikal 
Greek FM: Turkey must become an EU member - Yeni Safak 
Barzani: Kirkuk Iraq's internal problem - Zaman 
New York Times' choice Kerry - Zaman 
Iraq war protesters march in London - Zaman 
`Top secret' US-UK missile agreement - Yeni Safak 
NYT reports systematic torture in Guantanamo - Yeni Safak 
Russia presses Iran not to enrich uranium - Cumhuriyet 
Russia sets up permanent military base in Tajikistan - 
Radikal 
`Boss' returns to Tajikistan - Cumhuriyet 
Israel destroys Gaza - Cumhuriyet 10/17 
UN: 10,000 die in Darfur every month - Zaman 10/17 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
FM Gul in Germany:  FM Abdullah Gul, in Berlin as the 
official guest of his German counterpart Joschka Fischer, on 
Sunday praised Germany as a staunch supporter of Turkey's 
efforts to join the EU and expressed confidence that Berlin 
would help in overcoming French objections to Ankara's 
accession bid.  Gul will be meeting with German leaders and 
non-governmental organizations on Monday and Tuesday.  Gul's 
trip to Germany is the first in a series of visits that 
Turkish leaders will make to European capitals to build 
support for their country in the run-up to a crucial 
December 17 decision by EU leaders on whether to start 
accession talks with Turkey.  Gul is scheduled to hold talks 
with German Federal Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission 
Chairman Volker Ruhe, Free Democrat Party (FDP) leader Guido 
Westerwelle and Christian Democrat Union (CDU) leader Angela 
Merkel.  Merkel is advocating a `privileged relationship' 
with Turkey rather than full EU membership.  Gul will also 
meet representatives of Turkish associations in Germany.  PM 
Erdogan will discuss the issue with German Chancellor 
Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in 
three-way talks in Berlin on October 26. 
 
Turkey to buy German battle tanks:  Germany and Turkey have 
agreed in principle on the sale of 246 second-hand Leopard 
II battle tanks to Turkey, Monday papers report.  Ankara is 
waiting for the outcome of the December 17 EU summit to sign 
the agreement, papers speculate. 
 
Greek Cypriots won't veto Turkey's EU drive:  Weekend papers 
report Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou as 
saying that Nicosia would not veto the opening of EU entry 
negotiations with Turkey.  However, Iacovou expects Ankara 
to recognize Nicosia before the December 17 EU summit, and 
also urges Turkey to open its airspace and harbors to Greek 
Cypriot planes and vessels. 
 
Report on Turkey's minorities, human rights:  The Prime 
Ministry's Board on Human Rights prepared a report on 
minorities and human rights practices in Turkey five days 
prior to the release of the EU Commission's progress report 
on Turkey, Monday "Sabah" reports.  The report urges Turkey 
to review the situation of its minorities before the EU asks 
for reforms in this area.  The report advises Ankara to 
permit the use of languages other than Turkish.  Non-Muslim 
officials are not employed in state institutions, including 
the military, MFA, police and the intelligence service, the 
report notes.  It also says that closing of Turkish 
political parties had been a violation of democracy.  Ankara 
has to reassess its understanding of `nationals' in order to 
catch up with the civilized world, the document stresses. 
 
`Secret' protocol on Iraqi oil sales to Turkey:  According 
to the Duelfer Report, a secret protocol was signed between 
Ankara and Baghdad in early 2000 for the sale of Iraqi oil 
to Turkey, says Saturday "Milliyet."  The illegal trade went 
on for three years.  Saddam Hussein has deposited $499 
million earned from this sale in Turkey's state-owned 
Halkbank, claims the report.  $157 million remained in 
Halkbank at the end of the war in Iraq.  The US and the 
Iraqi interim government have demanded the money from 
Turkey.  Ankara told both countries that the money will be 
used to pay for exports made by Turkish companies to Iraq, 
according to reports. 
 
A new Kurdish party to be founded in Turkey:  A new Kurdish 
political party is to be founded in Turkey by Dervis Akgul, 
a Turkish Kurd close to the Barzani family in northern Iraq, 
report papers.  The new party will be opposed to the 
PKK/Kongra Gel and affiliates, said its founders. 
 
Turkish detainee to be released from Guantanamo:  Murat 
Kurnaz, a Turkish-German dual national being detained at 
Guantanamo for alleged ties with the Taliban, may be 
released after the US Presidential elections, reports Sunday 
"Sabah" in a story based on a Dere Spiegel magazine 
interview with Kurnaz's family.  Kurnaz, who lives in 
Bremen, Germany, was apprehended at the Afghanistan-Pakistan 
border in 2002. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iran; Iraq 
 
"The Focus Shifts Toward Iran" 
Yasemin Congar observed in the mass appeal Milliyet (10/18): 
"Iran has become a top agenda item for Washington prior to 
the elections.  The Bush administration did not want to take 
up the Iran issue until the U.S. elections were over, but 
Germany, France and the UK have pushed it onto the agenda. 
The G-8 meeting at the State Department reached  agreement 
to propose to Iran a variety of commercial and political 
advantages in exchange of Tehran's immediately stopping the 
production of nuclear fuel.  In fact, the agreement was 
concluded despite the Bush administration's opposition. 
Washington was not convinced about the rationale of the 
terms, but it did not want to be labeled as the one who 
blocked a G-8 initiative..If Iran fully complies with the 
term as well as the spirit of the initiative, it would enjoy 
significant benefits.  However, if Tehran declines to 
comply, the Europeans will take the issue to the U.N. 
Security Council in order to pass a resolution that would 
bring the possibility of sanctions against Iran. . Given 
past events, a UNSC resolution could be a long procedure, 
and sanctions are not easily implemented.  Iran might be 
unwilling to cooperate for similar reasons.  If that comes 
to pass, a military operation against Iran could be an 
immediate agenda item for Washington, regardless of whether 
President Bush or Senator Kerry win the election." 
 
"Iraqi Elections" 
Fikret Bila wrote in the mass appeal Milliyet (10/17): 
"Ankara discussed the Iraqi issue at a summit last week, and 
security was named as the most important problem.  The US 
has not yet provided Iraq with sufficient security and it 
seems it will not take the necessary measures before the US 
elections.  Washington is focused on the election and does 
not want anything to have a negative impact on the voting. 
However, it is not possible to conduct a population census 
or hold a fair election in Iraq unless security is 
established.  How fair will the results of the elections in 
January 2005 be?  How will the population census, which must 
take place before the elections, be conducted and to what 
extent will it be reliable?  There will be doubts as to the 
results of both the census and the elections, if they indeed 
they can be held at all." 
 
EDELMAN