US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6048

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006048 
 
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 25, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Turkey a nuisance for Chirac - Aksam 
54 percent of Greeks oppose Turkey in EU - Milliyet 
Erdogan urges Athens to work for a solution in Cyprus - 
Sabah 
Kerry US media's choice - Milliyet 
Global political leaders prefer Bush - Hurriyet 
US Republican women oppose Bush - Hurriyet 
US diplomat killed in Baghdad - Aksam 
Zarkawi kills new Iraqi army recruits - Milliyet 
Turkish trucker killed in Mosul - Cumhuriyet 10/24 
Moktada Sadr offers help for Sunni resisters - Aksam 
Iran says a nuclear `No' to EU - Milliyet 
Kosovo votes its future - Cumhuriyet 10/24 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Resisters kill 50 new Iraqi army recruits - Yeni Safak 
Washington Post says `Kerry' - Zaman 
Clinton for top UN post if Kerry wins - Zaman 10/23 
Nader: Bush, Kerry belong to `Skulls and Bones Society' - 
Yeni Safak 
Israel to continue occupation after Gaza withdrawal - Zaman 
Arafat seriously ill - Yeni Safak 
Arafat's health improving - Cumhuriyet 
Egyptian intellectuals, politicians launch anti-Mubarak 
campaign - Radikal 
Rugova wins in Kosovo - Zaman 
Karzai declares victory - Cumhuriyet 
Karzai elected in first round - Zaman 10/24 
US `symbolically' lands in Darfur - Zaman 10/24 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
MFA denies US planes used Turkish airport:  The Turkish 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) denied press reports that 
American aircraft have been using the Trabzon airport on 
Turkey's Black Sea coast for military purposes.  MFA 
Spokesman Namik Tan acknowledged at a press conference 
Friday that the Trabzon Airport had been used by British 
planes, not by American aircraft.  Turkey's council of 
ministers decided in June last year to allow coalition 
forces fighting in Iraq to use Turkish airspace and 
airports, Tan said.  This mandate has been extended for one 
year effective June 22, 2004 Tan noted. 
 
Advisory report on Turkey's EU drive:  European Parliament 
is to discuss a report regarding Turkey's EU accession on 
December 2, Monday papers report.  The report, drafted by 
Dutch Christian Democrat lawmaker Camiel Eurlings advises 
open-ended entry talks with Turkey without automatic 
accession guarantees.  Ankara must recognize Nicosia, and 
withdraw troops from north Cyprus, says the report.  The 
border between Turkey and Armenia should be opened. 
Broadcast and education in mother tongues should be totally 
freed.  The Halki Seminary should be reopened.  The 
influence of the military on politics should be reduced. 
 
PM Erdogan to Berlin:  PM Tayyip Erdogan will drop in on a 
German-French summit in Berlin on Tuesday in an effort to 
remove the France's `obstacle' in Ankara's bid to join the 
EU, weekend papers report.  A Turkish foreign ministry 
source said the purpose of the visit is to sign an Airbus 
contract for Turkish Airlines (THY).  THY is buying 36 
passenger aircraft at a total cost of 2.22 billion euros 
(2.8 billion dollars) to revive its ageing fleet. Erdogan's 
visit should not be seen as a pro-European campaign by 
Turkey, but inevitably Turkey's candidature will be 
discussed with the German and French officials, German 
officials said.  FM Abdullah Gul will be accompanying 
Erdogan to meet his German counterpart Joschka Fischer. 
 
US may initiate direct flights to north Cyprus:  Washington 
is considering direct flights to north Cyprus if the US team 
inspecting the Ercan Airport believes the security and 
technical conditions to be sufficient, reports Sunday 
"Radikal."  If security concerns are not removed, Washington 
will focus on economic aid for Turkish Cypriots, says the 
paper.  Unidentified US officials told "Radikal" that such 
initiatives do not mean recognition of the breakaway 
statelet in the north. 
 
Nicosia may veto EU entry talks with Turkey:  Nicosia said 
on Friday that Turkey must meet certain conditions it had 
put forward before Ankara starts membership talks with the 
European Union.  Greek Cypriot spokesman Kypros 
Chrysostomides said Cyprus did not want to block Turkey's 
accession.  However, a number of conditions put forward by 
Nicosia must be complied with, he added.  On Friday, 
Britain's Minister for Europe Denis MacShane stated that 
Nicosia would not veto any EU decision to open membership 
talks with Turkey.  Meanwhile, in a statement to the Greek 
daily "To Vima," PM Erdogan urged Athens and Nicosia to 
support Turkey's EU drive.  Turkey's EU accession and Cyprus 
are two different issue, Erdogan said, adding that progress 
in any one of those two topics  would positively affect the 
other. 
 
UNSC cuts Cyprus troops:  The UN Security Council voted 
unanimously on Friday to reduce the number of peacekeepers 
on Cyprus by about one third, weekend papers report.  UNSC 
voted to reduce the roughly 1,200-strong UN force, which has 
been on the divided island since 1964, to 860 military 
personnel.  The council also extended the mandate of the 
Cyprus mission until mid-June 2005. 
 
With Kerry, Gordon expects better ties with Turkey: 
Brooking Institute's Philip Gordon said Democrat 
presidential candidate John Kerry's victory in the upcoming 
presidential elections would improve Turkish-American 
relations, repairing the damage suffered under President 
Bush's term in office, weekend papers report.  Gordon also 
said he expected Kerry not to support Armenian genocide 
allegations.  Gordon is to be given an important post in the 
US Administration if Kerry wins, "Hurriyet" speculates. 
 
Kurdish lawmakers' retrial:  Former Democracy Party (DEP) 
lawmakers Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan, and Selim 
Sadak appeared in court for a retrial on October 22. 
Turkey's appeals court in June freed the four, jailed for 10 
years for alleged ties to PKK separatists, amid pressure 
from the EU, which viewed the Kurdish lawmakers as political 
prisoners.  The retrial will be a test of whether Turkey has 
embraced the spirit of EU-inspired reforms it has recently 
adopted, the lawmakers' defense lawyer said. 
 
New Kurdish party coming:  Former Democracy Party (DEP) 
lawmakers Leyla Zana, Orhan Dogan, Hatip Dicle, and Selim 
Sadak declared the foundation of a new Kurdish political 
party, weekend papers report.  The "Democracy and Freedom" 
party is being formed under instructions from the PKK's 
imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, say reports. 
 
Turkish gangster apprehended in Ukraine:  Police in Ukraine 
have arrested an alleged Turkish gangster, Turkish papers 
reported Sunday.  Haluk Kirci, found guilty of multiple 
murder and linked to far-right political groups, had been 
detained in the southern Ukrainian city of Nikolayev on an 
international arrest warrant for murder.  Kirci was arrested 
in 1980 for the 1978 killing of seven left wing students in 
Ankara.  He was given a 30-year prison term but released in 
error in 1991.  Kirci is expected to be extradited to Turkey 
soon. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
"US And Iran Are at the Same Table" 
Zeynep Gurcanli commented in the state controlled Star 
(10/25):  "In international relations, countries' interests 
come before hostilities or friendships.  An important 
example of this rule will be seen next month at the 
`International Iraq Conference,' in November 22-23 at Sharm- 
Al-Seyh in Egypt.  The long-time enemies, the US and Iran 
will sit at the same table for the first time since the 1979 
revolution.  This conference is the continuation of 
`Meetings of Iraq's Neighbors' Turkey had initiated in the 
past.  At this conference, together with the Iraq's 
neighbors, the G-8 group, China, UN, Arab Union, Islamic 
Conference Organization and the EU will be represented at 
the level of Foreign Ministers.  US Secretary of State Colin 
Powell has already announced his participation.  Iran will 
be represented by Kemal Harrazi and Turkey by FM Abdullah 
Gul.  This meeting is not the first step the US has taken 
towards Iran.  Last week, German, French and British 
delegations, after receiving the Bush Administration's 
rather unwilling approval, suggested that Iran should 
receive technical, political and economic aid if it agrees 
to stop its uranium enrichment activities.  Iran has not 
responded to this proposal yet, but it is aware that if the 
proposal is rejected, Iran  has to answer directly to the 
United Nations.  The Bush Administration has already 
signalled that it will take the issue to the UN to decide on 
new sanctions if the proposal is rejected.  Moreover, those 
new sanctions may include the possibility of hitting the 
nuclear plants in military operations. 
 
What is behind  these US steps against Iran?  The answer is 
the `US Presidential Elections'. The biggest criticism aimed 
at President Bush during the election campaign was that he 
allowed the US-EU relations to worsen.  Meanwhile, John 
Kerry, during the campaign, promised the American people 
that he would improve the negative global image of the US 
and improve relations with the EU, if he is elected. This 
promise was welcomed by Americans.  And seeing this support, 
Bush decided to coordinate with Europe ...just before the 
elections.  This proves that if Bush is re-elected he'll 
support rapprochement between the US and the EU.  And, 
secondly, Bush's policies vis--vis Iran are the exact 
opposite of Kerry's.  After seeing the support Kerry 
received for his Iran policy, Bush decided to be flexible on 
the Iran issue (as well).  In short, just before the US 
elections, a big step was taken regarding US' Iran policy. 
And, according to diplomatic circles in Ankara, Turkey has 
already taken an active position to convince Iran to accept 
this proposal." 
 
EDELMAN