US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6907

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006907 
 
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, DECEMBER 13, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
PM doesn't expect negative outcome from EU summit - Aksam 
Annan prepares new peace plan for Cyprus - Aksam 12/12 
Greater Middle East project discussed in Rabat - Sabah 12/12 
US wants to get rid of el-Baradei - Aksam 
US soldier gets 3 years for killing wounded Iraqi - Milliyet 
12/12 
Saddam Hussein on hunger strike - Milliyet 
Yuschenko poisoned by Russia - Miliyet 
Bush in excellent health - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan accuses EU of `discrimination' against Turkey - 
Cumhuriyet 12/12 
European Parliament to debate Turkey report today - Radikal 
US continues bombing Fallujah - Yeni Safak 12/12 
Fallujah continues resistance - Yeni Safak 
Isareli `consultants' work in Iraq's rebuilding - Cumhuriyet 
Barghouti withdraws from Palestine presidential race - Zaman 
Tens of thousands of Arabs protest Rabat meeting - Yeni 
Safak 
The Guardian: Torture continues at Guantanamo - Zaman 12/12 
US wiretaps el-Baradei - Zaman 
Washington gives $65 million to pro-Yuschenko organizations 
- Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Ankara's crucial week before EU Summit:  Turkey is anxious 
about the possibility that EU leaders could add 
discriminatory conditions to their historic decision next 
Friday to open membership talks with Ankara.  European Union 
officials are confident that the 25 leaders will agree to 
begin entry talks with Turkey in 2005.  Ankara voiced 
concern over the weekend that the EU would add new 
conditions such as recognition of Cyprus or establishing 
permanent safeguards against the free movement of labor from 
Turkey.  PM Tayyip Erdogan told Germany's "Bild am Sonntag" 
newspaper in an interview: `We have done all that was asked 
of us, and still the Europeans are hesitating.  That is 
discrimination.'  Papers expect the start date for the talks 
as well as a characterization of their outcome to be added 
to the draft declaration for the December 16-17 summit at 
the last minute.  The draft statement maintains a provision 
that one-third of the EU member states may request a 
suspension of talks if Turkey backtracks on democratic 
reforms.  It also retained a paragraph that assumes that 
Turkey will grant Cyprus recognition by extending its 
Customs Union (CU) Agreement to the 10 new states which 
joined the EU in May.  Last weekend, PM Erdogan rejected a 
request by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso 
to recognize Cyprus, but EU diplomats believe that was not 
his last word on the matter.  The European Commission warned 
that recognition of Cyprus is crucial to Ankara's hopes. 
The EU also cautioned Turkey that entry negotiations will 
take at least a decade, and may not lead to full membership. 
 
FM Gul denies deterioration in ties with US, praises Powell: 
FM Abdullah Gul told Monday's "Hurriyet" that Turkey is 
overcoming its misunderstandings with the United States, 
saying that the problem may have resulted because of 
Ankara's heavy focus on getting a date for entry talks from 
the European Union.  Turkey and the US have a  strategic 
partnership, Gul said, and should be able to overcome their 
mutual sensitivities.  `We would never want negative factors 
to arise between two allies, and would never want to weaken 
the strategic partnership between us,' the Foreign Minister 
stressed.  `The United States has been an ally of Turkey for 
years and is a country that has been with us in the most 
difficult times,' he added.  Gul also noted that Ankara does 
not view its relations with the EU and US as `alternatives' 
to one another.  Gul said that his meeting with Secretary of 
State Powell in Brussels last week had been very beneficial 
in addressing the two sides' `sensitivities.'  Gul said that 
`Powell, who has contributed greatly to Turkey-US relations, 
is leaving his post, but I think he will still be around.' 
He added that Powell `outlined with examples how, in the 
past, Turkey and the US have resolved issues through mutual 
understanding.'  `Powell and I looked back at our past 
relationaship and tried to put some of the current 
difficulties back on track,' Gul concluded. 
 
Grossman attends ATAA meetings:  US State Department U/S 
Marc Grossman told the Assembly of Turkish-American 
Associations (ATAA) in Washington that Washington expects EU 
entry talks with Ankara to begin in 2005.  Grossman noted 
that Turkey, the US and the EU will benefit from Turkey's 
membership in the European bloc.  Grossman voiced regret 
that an `historic' opportunity for peace in Cyprus was 
missed, but pledged continued US support to reduce the 
international isolation of Turkish Cypriots in steps that 
will be taken short of recognition of the north.  He also 
said the US would eliminate the terrorist PKK presence in 
northern Iraq.  Grossman noted, however, that the US has 
other priorities in Iraq at the moment.  He added that he 
shared with the Turkish ambassador in Washington and some 
Turkish lawmakers US concerns with regard to rising anti- 
Americanism in the Turkish press and in some regions of 
Turkey. 
 
Paper evaluates Forum for the Future in Rabat:  In a news- 
analysis of the Forum for the Future meetings in Rabat, 
Morocco, "Zaman" reports that regional countries have 
shrugged off reform calls by the US, criticizing the 
`hypocritical' attitude of Americans on the Palestinian 
issue.  Secretary Powell tried to counter objections by 
strategic allies like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, pointing out 
that the priority should be children who can't go to school 
rather than sweeping political reforms.  Regional countries 
have repeatedly voiced concern that the forum, co-chaired by 
outgoing secretaries Powell and Snow, would not yield any 
results, "Zaman" claims.  Since the more `hawkish' 
Condoleezza Rice will be replacing Powell soon, the Middle 
East is likely to face greater confusion in the short term, 
according to "Zaman."  The paper claims that Morocco, with 
US support, was the sole beneficiary of the meeting. 
 
Controversy arises among Kurdish activists:  Kurdish ex- 
lawmaker Leyla Zana appears to be backing back off from a 
full-page advertisement taken out in the "International 
Herald Tribune" last week.  Zana said that contrary to what 
was written in the advertisemtn, Turkish Kurds are not 
seeking autonomy and that now is not the time for a federal 
structure in Turkey.  The organizer of the controversial 
advertisement, Umit Firat, criticized Leyla Zana, saying she 
did not understand the declaration that she signed.  The 
idea behind the advertisement belongs to Kendal Nezan, 
chairman of the Kurdish Institute in Paris, Firat said. 
Meanwhile, pro-Kurdish DEHAP is gathering signatures to 
petition the parliament to change a constitutional article 
that reaffirms Turkey's unitary state structure and defines 
Turkish as the country's official language. 
 
Papandreou meets Turkish businessmen, visits Orthodox 
Patriarchate:  Former Greek foreign minister George 
Papandreou said that Istanbul is a kind of `Mecca' for Greek 
Orthodox believers, and that Turkey should value being the 
seat of the ecumenical Orthodox patriarchate.  Papandreou 
attended a meeting of Turkey's industrial giant Koc Group in 
Istanbul over the weekend, and later visited Archbishop 
Bartholomew.  The meeting was closed to the press.  In his 
address to Turkish businessmen, Papandreou reiterated his 
party's firm support for Turkey's EU membership, weekend 
papers report. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq; EU-Turkey 
 
"The Fallujah Massacre" 
Husnu Mahalli argued in the Islamist-opinion maker "Yeni 
Safak" (12/13): "The Fallujah operation proves that those 
who hoped for a more humanitarian policy line from the 
second Bush administration will be disappointed.  The 
resistance in Fallujah is the main target for the US, 
because Washington hopes to silence the Iraqi people by 
breaking the resistance there.  The US is also planning to 
bring a pro-American administration to lead Iraq just like 
it did in Afghanistan. . The US has lied to everyone from 
the beginning on both Afghanistan and Iraq.  The reason for 
the Afghanistan occupation was not Usame Bin Laden. The Iraq 
occupation was not carried out because of Saddam.  The only 
real reason for these interventions is Israel." 
 
"The View of Washington About December 17" 
Yasemin Congar wrote from Washington in the mass appeal 
"Milliyet" (12/13): "The Bush administration, with all of 
its political and bureaucratic elements, as well as the 
Democrats strongly appreciate AKP Government's determined 
steps for European Union membership.  However, they all 
believe that the upcoming December 17 summit will lead to a 
challenging economic and judicial reform process as Ankara 
begins the negotiation process with the EU. . In any case, 
Washington views the December 17 decision as a time for 
celebration in Ankara and is willing to join the 
celebrations as well." 
 
EDELMAN