US embassy cable - 04ANKARA5934

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005934 
 
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 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Berlin O.K., Paris next - Aksam 
EU Greens in Turkey for support - Aksam 
Barzani: Kirkuk belongs to Kurdistan - Milliyet 
Barzani: Ottoman documents prove Kirkuk to be a Kurdish city 
- Hurriyet 
British troops to be deployed around Baghdad - Milliyet 
Iraqi intellectuals flee country - Aksam 
God's shadow over US ballot box - Milliyet 
Election outcome depends on 8 US states - Aksam 
Putin gives Bush election support - Hurriyet 
13 days to go, Bush ahead by 8 points - Sabah 
Tel Aviv fears military operations will isolate Israel - 
Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Fischer assures full German support for Turkey in EU - 
Radikal 
EU `Greens' land in Istanbul - Radikal 
European `Greens' come together for Turkey - Zaman 
`Green' support for Turkey - Cumhuriyet 
Barzani insists on Kirkuk - Zaman 
Fallujah cease-fire talks called off - Zaman 
Putin's vote goes to Bush - Cumhuriyet 
Karadzic missing, his book in stores - Radikal 
Neighbors oppose foreign intervention in Sudan - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
FM Gul in Germany:  German FM Joschka Fischer assured his 
Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in Berlin on Monday that 
Germany would do `everything in its power' to support 
Turkey's drive to begin EU membership talks.  Turkey is 
looking for Germany's help to head off opposition in France 
to starting EU accession talks with Turkey.  After meeting 
Fischer, Gul said  that he thought it was premature to speak 
of a referendum in France on Ankara joining the bloc.  On 
Tuesday, Gul will hold talks with Christian Democrat 
opposition leader Angela Merkel, who is opposed to Turkey 
having full EU membership, preferring a `privileged 
partnership' instead.  Gul will also meet representatives of 
the Turkish community in Germany. 
 
FM Gul denies Turkish plan to buy German tanks:  Dismissing 
earlier press reports, FM Gul told the German press that 
Turkey was not currently planning to buy Leopard II tanks 
from Germany.  `We will only talk about it again if there is 
a possibility of military cooperation between the two 
countries,' Gul added.  "Der Spiegel" magazine reported 
earlier this month that Turkey was interested in buying 
about 250-300 second-hand Leopard II tanks from Germany. 
Reports last week said the sale of the Leopard II tanks was 
expected to be pushed through if Turkey was given the green 
light for EU accession talks. 
 
PM Erdogan due in France:  PM Tayyip Erdogan will arrive in 
France Wednesday for two days of talks with French 
officials, businessmen, and OECD Secretary General Donald 
Johnstone, papers report.  He will meet Johnstone, address 
the OECD council and hold a press conference before flying 
home on Thursday.  Erdogan is to meet Thursday with Pierre 
Lelouche, a member of the French Parliament's France-Turkey 
friendship group.  Erdogan is also expected to address the 
French nation on TV.  Allowing Turkey into the EU has raised 
doubts in France, where opinion polls show strong public 
opposition to Ankara's membership. 
 
EU Greens in Istanbul:  The European Parliament's Green 
members are meeting in Istanbul for a three-day conference 
to show their support for Turkey's EU drive.  At the 
gathering `Turkey in EU: A Common Future,' participants are 
expected to stress the need for opening EU entry talks with 
Turkey.  On Wednesday, former DEP lawmaker Leyla Zana will 
deliver a speech at the conference. 
 
EU rapporteur in Turkey:  European Parliament rapporteur 
Camiel Eurlings is in Turkey for meetings in Ankara, 
Istanbul, and the country's southeastern provinces 
Diyarbakir and Mardin.  On Monday, Eurlings described 
shortcomings in implementation of reforms, and said Turkey 
had not yet met the Copenhagen Criteria.  He advised Ankara 
to recognize the Greek Cypriot Administration, and improve 
ties with Yerevan, papers report. 
 
Barzani `insists' on Kirkuk:  In Syria for talks, northern 
Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Massoud 
Barzani claimed after the census in Iraq that the majority 
of Kirkuk people would opt to join Kurdistan, Turkish papers 
report.  Barzani said a clear distinction should be made 
between the terrorists and the legitimate `peshmerge' forces 
in the region.  Barzani also recalled that 25,000 Kurds had 
been driven out of Kirkuk during Saddam Hussein's 
`Arabization' campaign.  Barzani warned against intervention 
by neighbors in Iraq's domestic politics. 
 
US Colonel Holshouser on Kirkuk:  Colonel Kenneth 
Holshouser, the US officer responsible for civilian 
administration of Kirkuk, told Turkey's 
conservative/intellectual "Zaman" that all ethnic groups in 
Kirkuk will have to learn to live together under democratic 
practices.  Holshouser said he will struggle for a peaceful 
coexistence of the Turkmen, Arabs, Kurds and Assyrians in 
Kirkuk.  All groups in the region want to take control of 
the oil-rich northern Iraqi town, he noted.  Nobody should 
forget that Kirkuk is the future of Iraq, Colonel Holshouser 
emphasized. 
 
Ankara to end discrimination against non-Muslim foundations: 
Ankara drafted a bill to remove the legal distinction 
between Muslim and non-Muslims foundations as part of its 
reforms to join the EU, papers report.  Minority foundations 
will be allowed to acquire property, and court decision will 
be needed to fire foundation managers.  The new bill will 
scrap Ankara's authority over the sale of foundations' 
assets, say reports.  There are 161 minority foundations in 
Turkey. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq; Israel/Middle East 
 
"It might be too late for Turkey" 
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-political Dunya 
(10/19): "Those who look closely at the events in Iraq agree 
that a civil war seems inevitable and is only a matter of 
time.  Such a civil war will lead to the division of Iraq. 
The foreign policy makers in Washington should be well aware 
of this.  In the event of a division, northern Iraq will 
play a vital role for the US, not only because of its oil 
resources but also due to its strategic importance and 
gateway to Israel...Currently, the U.S.-Kurdish alliance is 
in place and working well.  Yet it remains to be seen to 
what extent the alliance will continue to be of mutual 
benefit.  If Iraq goes through a civil war, the whole 
equilibrium will change and the US will particularly find it 
difficult to cope with the situation because by establishing 
an alliance with the Kurds, it has already taken sides. 
Under a scenario of civil war, the US will have to leave the 
Kurds as well as Iraq.  That is the worst-case scenario 
because it will be too late for everything and Turkey will 
be one of the countries that must deal with the resulting 
problems." 
"Hearts and Minds" 
Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamist-opinion maker Yeni Safak 
(10/19): "Israel is continuing to bomb the Palestinians, and 
the situation in Iraq is no different in terms of serious 
pain and agony for the people, particularly during a sacred 
month.  The occupying force in Iraq does not care at all 
about the sacred month for Muslims.  American forces have 
turned Fallujah and environs, where they believe Zarkawi is 
hiding, into a hell.  The real intention of this operation 
is to ensure the re-election of George Bush.  The Sunni 
Triangle is constantly under heavy fire, and people who are 
fasting in this sacred month are leaving their homes for 
shelter. The US, as the sole superpower, is acting insanely. 
The policy makers in Washington interpret opposition to 
these actions as justification for the ongoing US war 
against terrorism.  This is clearly a vicious cycle.  This 
is the period where our hearts and minds are like a burden." 
 
"Is a Solution to the Israeli-Palestine Issue possible?" 
Nuray Basaran commented in the mass appeal-sensational Aksam 
(10/19):  "First Afghanistan, and then the Iraq operations, 
brought the establishment of stability in the Middle East to 
everyone's mind.  Hopes for peace in the Middle East have 
always been left for another time. One of the ways to 
address the problem goes through the election process in the 
U.S.  During his speech at the UN, President Bush, for the 
first time, stressed that the US supports the establishment 
of a Palestinian state.  As a matter of fact, the goal of a 
Palestinian state is one of the reasons for the US supports 
Sharon's withdrawal plan.  The instability in the Middle 
East, the war in Iraq, and the increasing rejection of the 
US have, along with the Israel-Palestine issue, been waiting 
on Bush's desk until after the elections for a solution. 
Each US contribution to the establishment of a Palestinian 
state will be helpful to the Arab countries in changing 
their negative feelings toward the US." 
 
EDELMAN