US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6010

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 006010 
 
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 
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan: December 17 a test for Turkey - Aksam 
Erdogan gives Europe Armenian `genocide' lesson - Turkiye 
British Ambassador to US: Europe agreed on EU entry talks 
with Turkey - Sabah 
Former `TRNC PM' Eroglu to form new government in north 
Cyprus - Hurriyet 
Bush thought there would be no US casualties in Iraq - Aksam 
Torturer US Sergeant receives 8-year jail sentence - Aksam 
Greece's Karamanlis to south Cyprus before December 17 EU 
summit - Milliyet 
Castro fell, but still standing - Hurriyet 
Castro, Cuba's revolutionary leader, falls - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan urges for EU-Turkey entry talks before July 2005 - 
Radikal 
Erdogan: December 17 will mark the beginning of a new world 
order - Yeni Safak 
EU Greens on Turkey's side - Zaman 
Talabani blames US and allies for increase of violence in 
Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
Poll expects Iraqi elections to produce a new Iran - 
Cumhuriyet 
Bush expected `Zero' loss in Iraq war - Cumhuriyet 
Britain to redeploy troops in Sunni triangle - Radikal 
Cold War `theoretician' Nitze dies - Cumhuriyet 
Cold War `father' Nitze dies - Yeni Safak 
Fears over a `lock' of US elections - Zaman 
Israel blames Iran for supporting terror in West Bank - 
Cumhuriyet 
European meet Iran in Vienna to warn against uranium 
enrichment - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
PM Erdogan visits Paris:  PM Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday 
called on France not to `exploit' Turkey's bid to join the 
European Union for domestic political ends.  Erdogan was 
speaking at the Paris-based OECD, which has just published a 
report on the state of Turkey's economy.  He described as 
unjustified a decision by French President Jacques Chirac to 
change the constitution to allow French people to vote on 
Turkey's EU accession in a referendum: `Holding a referendum 
in an EU country is not among the criteria for admittance to 
the EU.'  `For years we have been present along side France 
in other international organizations such as NATO, OSCE and 
OECD.  Why not the EU,' he said.  The Turkish PM also 
stressed: `The French nation should regard Turkey as a 
valuable trading partner whose accession to EU will make the 
European bloc a global actor.'  He also rejected charges of 
`genocide' of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during 
World War I.  `Those defenders of Armenian genocide claims 
have not had the opportunity to study the Ottoman archives,' 
Erdogan said.  Responding to a question, he said banning 
headscarves would be incompatible with the right to 
education.  Turkey could adopt the example of France, where 
the headscarf is banned in public schools but can be worn in 
private schools and universities, Erdogan emphasized.  PM 
Erdogan is to meet President Jacques Chirac of France and 
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin next week. 
 
EU Greens back Turkey's EU drive:  EU Greens ended a three- 
day parliamentary group meeting in Istanbul on Thursday with 
a ringing endorsement of Turkey's aspiration to join the 
European Union.  `We back to the letter the recommendation 
of the European Commission regarding Turkey,' the EU-Turkey 
group president Joost Lagendijk said.  But Lagendijk added 
that there was still much work to be done, notably in the 
area of human rights and the rights of minorities. The co- 
president of the Greens/European Free Alliance group Monica 
Frassoni joined Lagendijk and said it was important not to 
`concentrate only on the opening of accession talks while 
forgetting the real problems which continue to exist.'  On 
Thursday, EU Greens lawmakers paid a visit to an Alevi 
prayer-house (Cemevi) in Istanbul.  Greens called on the 
Turkish government to recognize the Alevis' `Cemevi' as a 
place of worship and pass a regulation to that end. 
 
Armitage `praises' Kurdish leaders:  Deputy Secretary of 
State Richard Armitage met with northern Iraqi Kurdistan 
Democratic Party (KDP) official Necirvan Barzani on October 
19, Turkish papers report, citing international wires.  A 
statement from the State Department described Barzani as 
being from the `regional Kurdistan government,' writes 
"Cumhuriyet."  The US State Department statement reports 
Armitage as voicing appreciation for the contribution of the 
Iraqi Kurdish leaders to Iraq's rebuilding efforts, says the 
paper. 
 
Nitze, Cold War `theoretician,' dies:  Cold War 
`theoretician,' former US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul H. 
Nitze, died Tuesday at 97, Turkish papers report.  Nitze 
worked to shape the NSC-68 directive which advocated 
containing of communism by identifying the USSR as the arch- 
enemy of the US in early 1950s, writes "Cumhuriyet." 
 
Retrial of Kurdish lawmakers:  Former Kurdish Democracy 
Party (DEP) lawmakers Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan 
and Selim Sadak will appear in court Friday for retrial, 
papers report.  The former deputies were sentenced to 15- 
years in jail in December 1994 for alleged ties with the 
outlawed PKK.  Turkey's Supreme Court overturned the 
decision, and the Kurdish lawmakers were released on June 9 
of this year.  Lawmakers applied to the European Court of 
Human Rights (ECHR) the following year.  The ECHR ruled 
against the Turkish court decision and fined Turkey 
$140,000. 
 
Ankara to sign ICC treaty:  PM Erdogan announced late 
Wednesday during a debate organized by France's Institute 
for International Relations that his country would sign and 
ratify the Rome Treaty that created the International 
Criminal Court (ICC) on war crimes, genocide and crimes 
against humanity, papers report.  US opposes the court, say 
reports. 
 
Human rights report draws government reaction:  The Prime 
Ministry-affiliated Human Rights Board was denied access to 
their office following the release of `Minority Rights and 
Human Rights in Turkey' report which contained strong 
criticism of the AK Party government conduct on the issue, 
papers report.  The autonomous board was working in close 
coordination with FM Abdullah Gul.  The Prime Ministry's 
Human Rights Department announced that the controversial 
report does not reflect the views of the government.  Human 
Rights Board Chairman Professor Ibrahim Kaboglu blamed the 
government for kicking the board out after considering only 
parts of the report that were echoed in the press.  FM Gul 
is expected to clarify the issue. 
 
OECD report on Turkey:  An Organization for Economic 
Cooperation & Development (OECD) report on Turkey states 
that Turkey is at a crossroads.  According to the report, if 
Turkey overcomes certain factors causing crisis and 
instability in economic growth, it can enter into a 
sustained period of strong growth.  The report says the 
recent recommendation by the EU Commission to start 
accession talks could underpin Turkey's shift to a stronger 
growth path.  After suffering the most severe crisis of its 
recent history in 2001, the Turkish economy bounced back and 
is now among the fastest growing economies in the OECD,' the 
document says.  It notes that Turkey's GDP is expected to 
rise by more than 8 percent in 2004, exceeding government 
targets.  New monetary and financial policies, along with 
structural reforms adopted under close cooperation with the 
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, will 
provide opportunities to escape from economic instability, 
emphasizes the report.  The report also stresses that new 
economic policies brought important developments to Turkey 
but there are also some risks and ambiguities. 
 
Pope cancels Istanbul visit:  Pope John Paul II won't be 
coming to Istanbul, but he is returning the relics of two 
saints that were seized by Crusaders 800 years ago to the 
Fener Patriarchate in Istanbul, Vatican officials said 
Thursday.  Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeus I had asked for 
the return of the relics when he met with Pope John Paul II 
at the Vatican in June.  At that time, he also invited the 
pope to visit the seat of the Orthodox Church in Istanbul. 
The Pope will not be able to make the trip to Istanbul due 
to his frail condition, say reports.  Instead, a Vatican 
delegation will take the relics to Istanbul at the end of 
November. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Afghanistan; Islam in the US 
 
"Last Act of the Grand Game" 
Kamuran Ozbir commented in the nationalist Ortadogu (10/22): 
"Afghanistan has always been a chess board venue - a game 
played between the giants.  The one during the cold war era 
was between Soviet Union and the US.  Currently another act 
of the big game is staged in Afghanistan. .The Presidential 
elections in Afghanistan unleashed a series of conflicts of 
interest between the various international actors.  This is 
quite an expected development, because not only the Western 
powers but also Russia, China, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have 
different strategies for Afghanistan even though they appear 
to be side by side by being against Bin Laden and Taliban. . 
It is very possible that the US and the  Russian Federation 
will experience a clash of interests in the days ahead. 
Russia will not be able to digest the US influence over 
Central Asia, which Russia considers to be its backyard. . 
Even on the composition of the new Afghan administration, 
the interests vary.  The US is in favor of a larger 
coalition.  Pakistan seems to be in favor of this formula 
but differs from the US by attaching more importance to the 
Pashtuns.  Russia, on the other hand, is looking for a 
strong Northern Alliance administration in Kabul.  Iran has 
emerged as the brand new actor in this game by flirting with 
the US.  It seems the grand game is being staged again in 
the old venue with new players and new scenarios." 
 
"Ramadan in Washington" 
Hasan Mesut Hazar wrote from Washington in the conservative- 
mass appeal Turkiye (10/22):  "The Muslim world perceived 
Ramadan again with sadness this year.  The pain and agony 
and the terror and pressure that innocent civilians face in 
Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq continues to increase even 
during the holy month.  Moreover, people with vicious 
intentions continue to make propaganda against entire Muslim 
population by using radical actions as an argument.  God 
willing, good will come out of bad.  Despite all the 
negative propaganda and anti-Muslim themed television 
programs, interest in Islam increases more in the US with 
every passing day.  The seven million Muslims in America do 
not constitute a unified group and they cannot introduce the 
genuine peaceful face of Islam.  Despite such shortcomings, 
currently Islam is the fastest spreading religion in the US. 
The month of Ramadan has always been very important for the 
US Administrations.  In order to gain sympathy from Muslim 
populations and to eradicate the anti-American feelings in 
the Islamic world, Washington arranged some activities 
during Ramadan.  This year, as every Ramadan, President Bush 
issued a Ramadan message.  Also, it has become a customary 
practice that the White House, State Department and the 
Pentagon arrange official religious iftar dinners.  Of 
course, the US elections coincided with Ramadan this year 
and that encouraged the candidates to give warm messages to 
the Muslim population on every occasion they could." 
 
EDELMAN