US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6285

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 006285 
 
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, NOVEMBER 5, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
More `hawkish' names for new Bush administration - Aksam 
Powell to leave, Rumsfeld stays - Milliyet 
Rove, Hughes architects of Bush victory - Sabah 
Hillary is US Democrats' new hope - Milliyet 
Arafat in coma, Palestine in mourning - Aksam 
Fallujah is new Bush Administration's first target - 
Milliyet 
Fear of Bush causes Tehran to arm Kurds - Hurriyet 
Bush's move on Macedonia shakes Athens - Milliyet 
Macedonia tension between US, Greece - Sabah 
1,800 Turkish troops to Afghanistan in February 2005 - 
Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush may form new `war government' - Cumhuriyet 
World leaders expect change from Bush - Zaman 
World warns Bush - Radikal 
Arab world forecasts `dark clouds' following Bush's 
reelection - Yeni Safak 
Bush vows to fight until enemy is defeated - Radikal 
US a land of conservatives - Radikal 
Church wins US Elections - Cumhuriyet 
Palestine loses its leader - Zaman 
Civil war worries after Arafat - Cumhuriyet 
Athens `outraged' by US recognition of Macedonia - Zaman 
Shirin Ebadi to sue US - Radikal 
Annan urges swift action for Sudan - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Turkish leaders on reelection of President Bush:  Turkey 
congratulated US President George Bush on his second term in 
the White House, pledging support for his war against 
terrorism while also stressing the need for global peace. 
`I believe our partnership, which is of great value not only 
in terms of bilateral ties but also in terms of cementing 
peace and security in a vast region, will gain a new 
dimension in your second term in office,' President Ahmet 
Necdet Sezer said in a message to Bush.  PM Tayyip Erdogan 
mentioned `the struggle against terrorism, trans-Atlantic 
cooperation, regional stability and the establishment of 
harmony between civilizations,' and added that the close 
dialogue and cooperation between the two allies will 
contribute to global peace, stability and the acceleration 
of trans-Atlantic ties.  "Cumhuriyet" speculates that if 
Bush assigns more `hawkish' figures to his administration, a 
unilateral and aggressive approach may characterize US 
foreign policy.  Bush's reelection has ruled out a `worst- 
case scenario' for Turkey, which would have been a US 
withdrawal from an unstable Iraq after granting wide 
autonomy to Kurdish groups, according to "Cumhuriyet."  The 
Iran issue has been a growing concern for Turkey, but Ankara 
does not expect the US to attack Iran.  Washington is also 
preparing to request a more flexible use by US forces of 
allied military bases within the framework of the new US 
global defense posture, "Cumhuriyet" reports. 
 
FM Gul on Iraq with Bush president for a second term:  FM 
Abdullah Gul told "Milliyet" that he expected President 
Bush, who has emerged stronger following the US election, to 
review some past mistakes and make a new evaluation of the 
Iraq issue.  Gul noted that the US has grown more open to 
international initiatives regarding Iraq.  The G-8 will join 
the November 28 Iraq's neighbors conference in Cairo, 
turning the event into a significant international platform, 
he stressed.  Gul underlined the importance of Iraq's 
territorial integrity: `Developments such as granting 
autonomy for Iraqi Kurds will disturb regional balances and 
cause enormous problems.'  `The Iraqi elections might be 
postponed, but when they are held they must include all 
groups in Iraq,' Gul emphasized.  He added that Turkey has 
been trying to convince Sunni Arabs to join the election 
process.  Gul said that Turkey has been advising the US and 
the Arab League to work to that end in an effort to prevent 
the Iraqi elections from being `crippled' by a Sunni Arab 
boycott.  If the US Administration does not review its 
mistakes in Iraq, a democratically elected government in 
Baghdad will turn against the US, Gul said he has told 
Washington.  A failure to respect local customs, no matter 
how well-intentioned US aims in the region may be, will 
create enemies for the Americans in Iraq, Gul noted. 
 
Turkish officials, while in US, allegedly dealt with Bin 
Laden's men:  Opposition CHP lawmaker Kemal Sag has 
submitted a motion to State Minister Kursad Tuzmen claiming 
that two Turkish customs inspectors who had been sent to the 
US for training in 2002 stayed in the house of men close to 
Osama bin-Laden, several papers report.  Sag did not reveal 
the names of the inspectors, but papers gave their initials 
as `HG' and `NE.'  Both men remain employed at the Treasury 
Undersecretariat.  After finding out that the Turks were 
staying with Bin Laden's associates, US authorities asked 
Ankara to recall them to Turkey in 2003, Sag claimed.  The 
Treasury employees have denied the claims, saying it was out 
of the question that such a thing would be allowed in the 
US, particularly after September 11. 
 
Tehran arms Kurds in the face of American threat:  The 
Iranian government has decided to arm Kurdish tribes living 
along Iran's border with Turkey and Iraq as a precautionary 
measure in the face of a possible attack by the US, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  On Wednesday, Iranian government 
officials met with Kurdish tribal leaders in the country's 
Urumiye province.  The tribal leaders welcomed Tehran's 
offer to provide military training for about 250,000 Kurdish 
`border guards' to be selected from among the local 
population." 
 
Papadopoulos warns Ankara:  Greek Cypriot leader 
Papadopoulos has warned that if  Ankara does not officially 
recognize Cyprus before the EU summit on December 17, 
Nicosia could veto an EU decision to grant Turkey a date for 
entry talks.  The Greek Cypriot administration has also 
urged EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to ensure a 
pullout of Turkish troops and immigrants from the Turkish 
mainland, the opening of Turkish airspace and territorial 
waters for Greek Cypriot aircraft and vessels, and an end to 
Turkish vetoes against Nicosia regarding joint defense 
issues in NATO. 
 
German Greens in Diyarbakir:  In Diyarbakir to investigate 
whether German battle tanks sold to Turkey had been used 
against the local population in the southeast, Germany's 
Greens Party leader Claudia Roth said she had seen no 
evidence to that end.  Turkey's EU membership is tightly 
linked to improvements in Turkey's southeast, where the 
Kurds constitute a majority, Roth told Turkish papers.  Roth 
later paid a visit to the Habur border crossing with Iraq, 
and talked with Turkish truck drivers shuttling between the 
two countries.  Turkish drivers are aware of the risks of 
entering Iraq, and are therefore afraid, Roth said. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: US Elections 
 
"Ankara is not Unhappy About Bush's Victory" 
Sedat Ergin observed in the mass appeal "Hurriyet" (11/5): 
"The first 4 years of the Bush administration produced a 
record of remarkable damage in international relations and a 
significant weakening of ties between the US and the 
international community.  Had the US chosen the Democratic 
candidate, there might have been a new chapter in 
international relations to overcome the mistrust that has 
built up during the Bush era. . It remains to be seen 
whether an easing of tension in the international system 
will be experienced during the second Bush administration. 
Even though President Bush has already given some signs of 
change in the new administration, it will not be easy to 
overcome negative views around the globe.  For Turkey, the 
first Bush administration included a period in which the US 
sought to pressure Turkey into the Iraqi adventure, then 
punished Turkey for the rejection of the March 1 
parliamentary motion.  It also included the infamous 
Suleymaniye incident on July 4, 2003.  Moreover, the first 
Bush administration presented enormous uncertainty for 
Turkey to deal with after creating chaos in Iraq, Turkey's 
next-door neighbor.   The relationship between Turkey and 
the US is still in a process of repair through a series of 
mutual steps confidence building.  The course of bilateral 
relations in the new period will be determined by the Bush 
administration's willingness to revise its former approach 
and to avoid a continuation of flawed policies. . It is a 
positive thing that President Bush is well aware of Turkey's 
geo-political importance, and that he has a close 
relationship with Turkey's Prime Minister.  In any event, it 
is also realistic to predict that the Iraq issue will be the 
most perilous point of possible contention in the future of 
the bilateral relationship." 
 
"Bin Laden Congratulates Bush" 
Turker Alkan commented in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(11/5): "Ironically enough, Bin Laden played a more 
important role in Bush's election victory than the American 
voters.  It seems that the Bin Laden video threatening the 
US made an impact on the voters' choice.  Bin Laden most 
likely did this deliberately, because a hawkish Bush is 
bound to serve his interests.  A war-mongering 
administration in Washington, engaged in conflicts with 
Afghanistan and Iraq, and possibly Iran will help the Al- 
Qaeda terror organization to grow.  Yet it remains to be 
seen whether the second Bush administration will continue 
its current campaign against terrorism without any change in 
course.  There are two possibilities:  Bush might continue 
the same policy by interpreting his election victory as a 
vote of confidence, or he might take some significant steps 
toward pulling out of the Iraqi quagmire.  Regardless of the 
US administration's preference, however, the very negative 
image of Islam will continue.  The murder of the Dutch movie 
maker Van Gogh seems to be a portent of things to come." 
 
"Is Bush Any Different Now?" 
Sami Kohen opined in the mass appeal Milliyet (11/5):  "Is 
Bush going to change?  Or, more correctly stated, can George 
W. Bush change the policies of his first term?  During his 
second term, could we see a different Bush, especially on 
foreign policy issues?  This is a question currently being 
debated in Turkey and throughout much of the world. .Of 
course, for the time being the answer to this question 
cannot go beyond a mere guess.  We are hoping that in the 
new era, President Bush's foreign policy approach will be 
more pragmatic, realistic, and conciliatory instead of 
aggressive, arrogant, and unilateral.  In short, at least 
for now, the hope is that Bush will be forced to reevaluate 
his policies based on the negative results.  There is no 
doubt that such change would have a positive effect on 
Turkey-US relations." 
 
EDELMAN