US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6742

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006742 
 
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, DECEMBER 3, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Greek Orthodox Americans visit FM Gul - Sabah 
Bartholomeus complains about Turkey to Athens - Milliyet 
Schroeder: EU-Turkey talks should lead to full Turkish 
membership - Sabah 
Chriac-Schroeder agree on full Turkish membership - Hurriyet 
Ankara prepares `Bush-style' welcome for Putin - Aksam 
12,000 more US troops to Iraq - Milliyet 
Sharon looks for new coalition partners - Milliyet 
Barghouti runs for presidency, al-Fatah may split - Aksam 
Turkey backs Annan against corruption claims - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
EU Dutch presidency says entry talks may not begin in 2005 - 
Radikal 
`TRNC' calls on Ankara not to recognize Nicosia - Radikal 
Germany's Stoiber: Ukraine more European than Turkey - 
Radikal 
Growing insurgency makes US send more troops to Iraq - 
Cumhuriyet 
European Parliament Speaker Borrell in Ankara - Cumhuriyet 
Sharon-Peres partnership - Yeni Safak 
EU takes over in Bosnia - Zaman 
12 percent of US population are immigrants - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Patriarch Bartholomeous criticizes Ankara:  The Turkish 
press, citing Greek sources, claims that Orthodox Patriarch 
Bartholomew I slammed the Turkish government in his talks 
with visiting Greek Tourism Minister Dmitri Avramopoulos 
earlier this week in Istanbul.  The Patriarch reportedly 
complained that Turkey has failed to keep its promise to 
reopen Halki Seminary and has persistently refused to 
recognize the ecumenical status of the Patriarchate.  `We 
have repeatedly stated our reluctance to become a second 
Vatican here in Istanbul,' Bartholomeous said, underlining 
that he has never attributed a political meaning to the 
title `Ecumenical.'  `We cannot reject the Ecumenical title, 
which was bestowed on us by history.  We cannot deny our 
identity,' the Patriarch emphasized. 
 
`Archons' visit Turkey, honor Ambassador Edelman:  The 
`Archons' of the Orthodox Order of St. Andrew hosted a 
reception and award ceremony in honor of US Ambassador Eric 
Edelman on Thursday.  Earlier this week, a `crisis' flared 
between the GOT and the US Embassy over the use of the 
`Ecumenical' title for Patriarch Bartholomew I.  The ruling 
AK Party government ordered all Turkish bureaucrats not to 
attend the reception.  However, FM Gul received the Archons 
Thursday evening, just before the reception.  Ambassador 
Edelman voiced to Gul US distress with regard to the call 
for a `boycott' of the event.  The Archons, prominent 
members of the US Orthodox community, urged FM Gul not to 
restrict the activities of the Fener Patriarchate, and 
called for more religious freedom in Turkey.  Gul reportedly 
told the delegation that Ankara has been seeking ways to 
reopen Halki Seminary.  Anthony Limberakis, on behalf of the 
Archons, later told the press that the Ecumenical Patriarch 
is the leader of over 300 million Orthodox Christians around 
the world.  Limberakis also noted that the Archons fully 
support Turkey's EU aspirations. 
Iraqi deputy president visits Ankara:  Visiting Iraqi deputy 
President Ibrahim al-Caferi told the Turkish press on 
Thursday that the Iraqis agree with the Turks on the need to 
eliminate the PKK presence in northern Iraq.  However, 
Caferi noted, it would be `unrealistic' to expect a military 
operation against the PKK before 2006. 
Attacks on Kurdish groups on the rise in northern Iraq: 
"Cumhuriyet" alleges that five members of the PKK/Kongra Gel 
council who were shot dead in Mosul in November 29 were the 
organization's Syria coordinators.  PUK, KDP and other 
Kurdish groups have become uneasy over killings on Mosul, 
which have reached 50 over the last two weeks.  PUK 
buildings, vehicles and peshmerge are under constant attack 
for supporting the US, the report claims.  The majority of 
attacks are perpetrated by the Iraqi Al-Qaida Jihad 
Organization run by al-Zarkawi, "Cumhuriyet" argues.  The 
paper speculates that Syrian intelligence may have been 
responsible for the killings of the 5 PKK officials.  Other 
potential suspects, according to "Cumhuriyet," include rival 
elements of the PKK and Arab-linked Al-Qaeda cells. 
 
Two more Turks killed in Iraq:  Two more Turkish truck 
drivers have reportedly been killed north of Baghdad, 
raising the toll of Turkish drivers killed to 68.  On 
Thursday, PM Erdogan expressed his desire for an end to 
these attacks in talks with Iraqi Deputy President Ibrahim 
Caferi in Ankara. 
 
PM Erdogan to open Armenian museum:  PM Tayyip Erdogan will 
open an Armenian museum in Istanbul this Sunday to show that 
Turks and Armenians lived mostly in peace together in 
Ottoman times, "Milliyet" reports on its front page. 
 
Putin due in Turkey:  Ankara is to welcome Russian 
Federation President Vladimir Putin for a two-day visit 
beginning this Sunday, December 5.  In the first visit to 
Turkey by a Russian president in 32 years, Putin will meet 
with President Sezer and PM Erdogan and sign seven bilateral 
agreements.  Putin will discuss with Ankara the tanker 
traffic in the Bosphorus, economic and military cooperation, 
and the problems in the Caucasus.  Security forces will take 
tight measures to protect the Russian leader, with more than 
3,000 policemen deployed in Ankara.  The visit, which comes 
on the eve of the December 17 EU summit, is expected to 
remind the Europeans of Turkey's `strategic scope,' "Zaman" 
writes. 
 
EP Chairman Borrell visits Turkey:  European Parliament (EP) 
speaker Josep Borrell said that Turkey will certainly get a 
date from the EU on December 17.  Speaking before departing 
for Turkey for a three-day visit, Borrell noted that Cyprus 
continues to be `a problem waiting for a solution.'  The 
start of negotiations `in a real sense' depends on Turkish 
recognition of Nicosia, Borrell said.  EU-Turkey Joint 
Parliamentary Commission Cochairman Joost Lagendijk will 
accompany Borrell on his trip to Turkey.  The EP Speaker 
said the EU Turkey report indicated strong support by the EP 
for launching entry talks with Ankara.  However, he warned 
that changes are possible to the Turkey report at the 
General Council.  Borrell will meet with President Ahmed 
Nejdet Sezer, Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Bulent 
Arinc, FM Abdullah Gul, and opposition CHP leader Deniz 
Baykal during his visit. 
 
`Bridges TV' on air in US:  "Bridges TV," a TV channel set 
up for combating prejudice against Muslims in the US 
following 9/11 is now on the air, "Aksam" reports.  The 
channel has 50,000 subscribers. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq/Campaign Against Terrorism 
 
"Which Terrorism to Fight Against?" 
Mustafa Balbay commented in the social democratic-opinion 
maker "Cumhuriyet" (12/3): "The situation in Iraq will 
continue to shape the nature of Turkish-American ties in the 
future.  The US seems to be remaining blind to Turkey's 
sensitivities on the Iraq issue, including the presence of a 
terrorist organization in northern Iraq.  The US does not 
seem to mind, because the terrorist activities there do not 
pose any harm to the US. . On the other hand, the US prefers 
to define its operations overseas as a fight against 
terrorism.  Yet the US fight against terrorism seems to 
apply only to those terrorists who threaten the US and 
American interests.  Other terrorists do not interest the 
US.  Turkey should have been in a good position to raise 
this argument.  Instead, the Turkish government remains 
silent and watches developments while the US is almost 
making a deal with the terrorist organization in northern 
Iraq." 
 
"The Continuation of a Dirty War" 
Ali Bayramoglu argued in the Islamist-opinion maker "Yeni 
Safak" (12/3): "Things have entered a crazy phase in the 
post-September 11 era.  It is now very obvious that 
September 11 served as a means for the US to extend its 
hegemony overseas.  Today Iraq and Afghanistan are not the 
only countries listed by the US as posing a threat to US 
interests.  The US aim goes beyond Iraq and Afghanistan and 
now covers the whole world. . In the post-9/11 period, the 
US has established a new security policy and is forcing 
other international actors to be involved in its 
implementation.  The new policy has brought three 
consequences: The peaceful approach to solving global 
problems has been replaced by a war mentality.  The basis 
for national security has become military rather than 
political.  The whole concept of human rights has changed 
due to the supremacy of security concerns.  Overall, US 
hegemony has become a reality, and the US reliance on its 
military has become stronger than ever.  Tomorrow will not 
be a better day than today.  New tremors are highly likely 
along the `fault line' between Islamic civilization and the 
West." 
 
EDELMAN