US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6407

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 006407 
 
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 12, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Farewell to a legend - Aksam 
Let peace be Arafat's legitimacy - Hurriyet 
Palestine to mourn Arafat for 40 days - Sabah 
Arafat, a life dedicated to Palestine - Aksam 
One day Arafat will be buried in Jerusalem - Milliyet 
Arafat to be temporarily buried in Ramallah - HO-Tercuman 
Bush signals a Palestine state - Sabah 
Orthodox Jews pray for Arafat in Paris - Aksam 11/11 
Mourning in Palestine, joy in Israel - Aksam 
Funeral in Cairo, burial in Ramallah - Hurriyet 11/11 
`Ghost Fury' to continue for two more days - Sabah 
Gonzales, a controversial name, to be new US Attorney 
General - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Palestine mourns its leader - Zaman 
`Last warrior' is no more - Cumhuriyet 
Arafat dies, millions of Palestinians mourn - Radikal 
Arafat's authority split into three - Zaman 
Humanitarian tragedy in Fallujah - Zaman 11/11 
Fallujah operation spreads resistance to other Sunni cities 
- Zaman 
Iraqi resistance `masterminds' flee Fallujah - Radikal 11/11 
Allawi's relatives taken hostage - Radikal 11/11 
Ashcroft, architect of Patriot Act, resigns - Zaman 11/11 
Israel detains Vanunu again - Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Arafat's death:  Turkish leaders expressed sorrow on 
Thursday for the death of Palestinian leader Yaser Arafat, 
and pledged continuing support to the Palestinian struggle 
for an independent state.  President Sezer said he believed 
Arafat's loss would not affect the Palestinian cause, and 
that the Palestinian people would choose for themselves the 
leader that will take them to independence.  In a letter to 
his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Kurey, PM Erdogan hailed 
Arafat as a man who determinedly defended the just cause of 
his people.  `Turkey will maintain its support for 
Palestine,' Erdogan said.  FM Gul, who will accompany 
Erdogan to attend Arafat's funeral in Cairo on Friday, also 
expressed confidence that the Palestinian people will 
continue their struggle until two states live side by side 
in peace.  Turkish papers comment on the death of Arafat as 
a considerable loss for the Palestinians and their cause. 
But a column in the liberal daily "Radikal" accuses Arafat 
of `swindling' billions of dollars that had been sent in 
financial aid to Palestine.  `Arafat intimidated Palestinian 
intellectuals and dissidents by using terror groups like 
Hamas,' columnist Mine Kirikkanat claims, arguing that the 
Palestinian leader had done nothing to help rebuild his 
country. 
 
Fallujah operation:  The US military said 18 American 
servicemen and 5 Iraqi soldiers had died since the battle 
for the Iraqi rebel enclave Fallujah was launched on Monday. 
Rebel losses are put at more than 600, papers report.  US 
military officials claimed their forces control about 75 
percent of the city.  The Iraqi military said it had found a 
`slaughterhouse' in Fallujah where foreign hostages had been 
executed.  US forces are on course to retake the city by 
Saturday morning.  The Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak" 
claimed in a front-page story on Thursday that US forces are 
using chemical weapons and poison gas in the battle for 
Fallujah.  Left-leaning "Cumhuriyet" claims that the US is 
using cluster bombs.  Iraqi State Minister Vail Abdulatif, 
during an official visit to Ankara on Wednesday, told PM 
Erdogan that the operation in Fallujah was launched at the 
request of the city's people, who seek an end to terrorism 
and the establishment of stability in advance of elections 
scheduled for next January.  Erdogan reportedly warned 
Abdulatif to avoid the excessive use of force in the 
operation and to avoid giving the impression that the battle 
had turned into a Christian-Muslim conflict. Papers report 
that the Turkish Red Crescent is prepared to send 6 
truckloads of food to Fallujah.  Papers also report State 
Department Spokesman Boucher as pledging that the US would 
spend $90 million for the rebuilding of Fallujah, which will 
begin before January 2005. 
 
Erdogan due in Damascus:  PM Erdogan is scheduled to visit 
Syria as the official guest of his Prime Minister Muhammed 
Naci Otri after the December 17 EU summit in Brussels, 
papers report.  Erdogan plans to discuss Iraq and other 
regional issues during the visit. 
 
Turks in US face `hardships':  A number of Turks living in 
the US have been detained for visa violations and improper 
immigration procedures in New York and New Jersey, the 
Anatolian Agency (AA) reported on Wednesday.  Lawyer Melinda 
Basaran said that Turkish students who had not renewed their 
school admissions, Turks who had failed to extend visas, and 
those who have lost their legal immigrant status were 
included among the detainees.  Basaran claimed that Turks 
who want to get a US visa are facing considerable hardships. 
Turkey's Consul General said he was aware of reports of the 
systematic detention of Turks, but had no first-hand 
information to confirm the claims." 
 
Andrew Mango on GME, Iraq:  Former BBC Turkey desk chief 
Andrew Mango told the daily "Aksam" on Thursday that the US 
Greater Middle East (GME) project was a `pipe dream.'  `The 
US has not even allocated funds for the GME project,' Mango 
said.  In his second term in office, President Bush will be 
busy `cleaning up the dirt' left over from his first term, 
he speculated.  Mango said Turkey would benefit from a US 
`success' in Iraq: `Whether you support him or not, you must 
want President Bush to be successful in Iraq.' 
 
Gen. Ozkok sees terror as largest global threat:  Chief of 
Turkish General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok said at a 
simulated military training at the War Academy in Istanbul 
that Turkey no longer regards other hostile countries as an 
important threat.  Instead, Ozkok said, the main threat to 
all countries today is posed by terrorism.  Ozkok added that 
Ankara has offered to set up three anti-terror `centers of 
excellence' in Turkey in an effort to support the new 
command structure in NATO. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
The Death of Yaser Arafat; 
The Battle for Fallujah 
 
"The Death of Arafat and the Mistakes of the Struggle" 
Huseyin Gulerce wrote in the Islamist-intellectual "Zaman" 
(11/12): "Israel, which has been fully supported by US 
policy no matter which party was in power, is now pleased by 
the death of Arafat.  But will Arafat's death really give 
Sharon the opportunity he is looking for?  Although it's 
difficult to say this right after Arafat's death, we have to 
point out the mistakes in the PLO's - that is, Arafat's - 
policies.  We have to ask, without letting our emotions get 
in the way, how much the up-and-down policies of the PLO 
really contributed to the struggle of the Palestinian 
people.  We are all aching for the Palestinian people 
because of the massacres and inhuman treatment they have 
been subjected to.  Israel is ruthlessly bombing, killing, 
and murdering (including ordinary women and children) before 
the eyes of the world.  Despite all of this, we must also 
say that suicide attacks have no place in our religion.  An 
Islamic movement cannot attack randomly, including women and 
children, on buses and in shopping centers.  Islam has 
specific rules about who can and cannot be a target and what 
kinds of operations are legitimate.  Killing women, 
children, non-combatant men, or religious leaders in places 
of worship is not permitted in our religion.  The mistakes 
that have been made in the name of religion, by the actions 
of a few, have cast a shadow over a legitimate struggle and 
opened the way for Islam and all Muslims to be condemned by 
the world.  Nobody has the right to do this.  The recent US 
attack against Iraq and ongoing US policies have turned the 
Middle East into a real mess.  A positive solution to this 
mess is impossible to see. The US and Israel see this moment 
as an opportunity to press their policies.  They are 
counting on a weakening of the Palestinian movement with the 
death of Arafat.  But peace in the Middle East depends most 
of all on US willingness to free itself from the role of 
custodian of Israeli policies and interests.  The main 
problem lies in the weakness of US foreign policy.  Bush and 
his team cannot hope to bring peace to the Middle East by 
ignoring all warnings and taking on the entire Islamic 
world.  Palestine is a holy place for Muslims, Christians, 
and Jews.  The basis for preventing a clash of civilizations 
lies in these territories.  The eyes of the world are now on 
America." 
 
"After Arafat" 
Oktay Eksi wrote in the sensationalist daily "Hurriyet" 
(11/12): "For years he was considered the leader of a 
`terrorist organization.'  But the ruthlessness of other 
underground organizations in Palestine saved Arafat from the 
terrorist label and gave him greater legitimacy.  He even 
came to be regarded as a President, albeit one with neither 
a state nor territory.  Arafat was without question an 
important leader in the Middle East.  For 40 years he 
maintained the support of the people and the power of the 
struggle.  Palestinians viewed him as the most courageous 
and determined symbol of their cause.  But it would be hard 
to say that Arafat possessed the attributes of a real 
leader.  For example, he wasn't a leader whose word could be 
trusted.  He was undoubtedly the symbol of the Palestinian 
cause.  But rather than trying to legitimize that struggle, 
he preferred to make himself indispensable to the movement. 
When former President Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister 
Barak offered an agreement with unprecedented benefits for 
the Palestinians, Arafat missed the opportunity.  If only he 
hadn't. But even some flawed leaders can cause people to 
overlook their flaws by the magnitude of their great works. 
We couldn't say that about Arafat, because his file also 
includes evidence that he took the people's money and used 
it for his own purposes.  The Palestinians deserve to have 
their independence and to establish their own state, but the 
price of this shouldn't be extortion at the hands of their 
own leader." 
 
"After Arafat" 
Nuray Basaran wrote in the sensationalist daily "Aksam" 
(11/12):  "Of course, Arafat had his detractors as well as 
his supporters.  He was someone who knew very well the 
dynamics of the Middle East and played an important role in 
these dynamics.  Arafat has left a great deal of uncertainty 
in Palestine.  There are many unanswered questions, and much 
concern.  The questions concern who will take Arafat's 
place, as well as the future of the domestic situation in 
Palestine and its relations with Israel.  Ruhi Fettuh has 
been named interim president until an election can be held 
within 60 days.  PLO General Secretary Mahmud Abbas has been 
selected as President of the PLO.  Ahmed Kurey has remained 
as prime minister.  Arafat trusted all three of these men. 
The Palestinian people, however, view them as tainted by 
corruption, and none has the kind of popular support that 
Arafat enjoyed.  Whether there will actually be an election 
within 60 days is also a matter of debate, and will probably 
depend on what other figures emerge from inside Palestine to 
challenge these three.  For example, Muhammed Dahlan and 
Mervan Barguti are both viewed more favorably by the people. 
They worked alongside Arafat until they were perceived to 
have become too powerful.  All of these names can be 
considered as moderates when it comes to dealing with Israel 
and making efforts toward a peace settlement.  But there are 
other groups as well - Hamas and Islamic Jihad principal 
among them - that are working to be included in the new 
administration. Palestine no longer has Yaser Arafat, but it 
has great responsibilities and many steps that it needs to 
take on its road to statehood.  International powers 
including the United States, the UN, and Europe are ready to 
take on their responsibilities along this road.  Across the 
river, Israel also has some difficult decisions to make, 
particularly if the United States and Europe become more 
involved in the issue.  These questions will become clearer 
in the days ahead." 
 
"Fallujah, Chemical Weapons, and Napalm Bombs." 
Ibrahim Karagul wrote in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak" 
(11/11): "During his 25 years of rule, Saddam Hussein killed 
300,000 Iraqis, mostly Shiites and Kurds.  America has 
reached one-third of this total in just 18 months.  This 
leaves out the torture, rape, humiliation, ruin, and civil 
war with which Iraq is now faced.  All of us judged Saddam 
in the name of humanity.  But who will judge the United 
States?  How can those who judged Saddam now become partners 
in these atrocities?. As soon as the universal war gang won 
reelection on November 3, they started with Fallujah.  After 
that, Ramadi and Bakuba will be subjected to similar 
massacres.  The soldiers participating in the Fallujah 
operation were specially selected from among the growing 
evangelical contingent in the US military.  Now they are 
fighting with their crosses and their hymns.  For this 
reason, 150 mosques in Fallujah have been attacked.  Many of 
them have been destroyed, along with one-third of the city. 
Yesterday, the `Islam-online' website published the 
frightening claim that the United States, in an effort to 
break the resistance, has used chemical weapons and napalm 
on Fallujah.  It has been learned that napalm and chemical 
weapons have been used in areas heavily populated by the 
resistance, and that the streets there are full of bodies. 
Dr. Muhammed el-Cemili, who spoke to the Jerusalem Press 
Agency in Fallujah, said that `after US forces suffered 
significant losses, they turned to chemical weapons and 
poison gas.'  `They dropped huge bombs that created the 
effect of an earthquake, and the chemical weapons burned the 
skin and killed people over a wide area,' he added.  They 
are following the path of Winston Churchill, who tried to 
break the resistance between 1920-1930 by using poison gas, 
setting fire to villages, and carrying out large-scale 
massacres.  So what will happen now?  The resistance 
fighters understand they cannot defend the city, so they 
will go elsewhere.  They will go to liberate another city, 
and then they will return.  After all, haven't US forces 
taken Samarra from the resistance three times already?" 
 
EDELMAN