US embassy cable - 04ANKARA7111

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 007111 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2004 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan calls Bush: Find the killers in Mosul - Milliyet 
EU wants UN `intervention' in Cyprus - Hurriyet 
Boucher: No Cyprus solution except through the Annan Plan - 
Turkiye 
Rocket attack on US base in Mosul: 24 killed - Miliyet 
Rockets hit US cafeteria in Mosul, 24 killed - Hurriyet 
Bush: Situation in Iraq better now - Sabah 
Blair pays surprise visit to Baghdad - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan asks Bush about Mosul - Cumhuriyet 
Erdogan to Bush: Time to remove the PKK from Iraq - Zaman 
Bush acknowledges `effective' resistance in Iraq - 
Cumhuriyet 
Poll shows Americans pessimistic on Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
Freedom House report: Turkey is partly free - Cumhuriyet 
Greek Cypriots, Denktas wage war against Annan Plan - 
Radikal 
Deadly strike at US base in Mosul - Radikal 
UN condemns human rights situation in Iran - Cumhuriyet 
FBI documents show torture at Guantanamo - Zaman 
Putin calls for international help on Chechnya - Zaman 
UN warns over 1 million refugees starving - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
PM Erdogan calls President Bush:  PM Erdogan called 
President Bush Tuesday and urged US cooperation in 
investigating the deadly ambush of five Turkish security 
guards in Mosul, papers report.  The PM reportedly thanked 
the President for actions taken by US forces during the 
attack, and for US efforts to return the remains of the 
victims to Turkey.  Bush said that Washington is ready to 
cooperate in an investigation.  Erdogan voiced concern about 
increasing clashes between US forces and Iraqi insurgents in 
Mosul, and stressed the need to protect Iraq's territorial 
integrity.  Erdogan also suggested holding a trilateral 
security meeting in Turkey among Turkish, US and Iraqi 
officials to outline a plan for dealing with the PKK. 
President Bush agreed that such a meeting would be useful. 
The Prime Minister said that Turkey supports the election 
process now underway in Iraq.  President Bush congratulated 
the Prime Minister on Turkey's getting a date for EU 
accession talks, and credited Erdogan's `leadership' in 
achieving that goal.  The Prime Minister thanked President 
Bush for US support during the EU process. 
 
MFA on the terrorist attack in Mosul:  In a written response 
to a question on the killing of Turkish policemen in Mosul, 
MFA Spokesman Namik Tan said that Turkey had asked 
Washington and Baghdad to investigate the attack.  Tan noted 
that US forces in the region had intervened during the 
incident and killed two of the assailants.  He also said 
that US forces took the injured Turkish security attache to 
a hospital in Beled, and that Americans later helped to 
transfer the remains of the victims to Turkey.  `We are 
thankful for the careful and sensitive approach of US 
officials,' Tan noted. 
 
US Official in Washington Says Unfair to Blame US: 
"Hurriyet" reports that an unidentified US official in 
Washington said that efforts to hold the US responsible for 
the deaths of the five Turkish policemen in Mosul were 
`unfair.'  The official added that if Turkey's parliament 
had approved the deal to send US troops to Iraq through 
Turkey on March 1, 2003, `Turkey would have had tens of 
thousands of troops on the ground in that region.'  `We 
should never forget that,' he concluded. 
Minister Aksu Responds on Mosul Attack:  "Yeni Safak" 
reports that Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu 
claimed that the group that attacked Turkish security 
personnel in Mosul used a rocket to initiate the attack.  He 
claimed that the convoy had been ambushed `in one of the 
most secure areas of Mosul.'  Aksu reported that `15-20 
terrorists' had been involved in the attack.  Asked who may 
have perpetrated the attack, Aksu noted that `Turkey has a 
lot of enemies - the PKK, al-Qaeda.  There are even people 
leaving from Turkey to join these groups,' the Minister 
added.  Aksu said that the United States does not have 
control of the security situation around Mosul and pointed 
out that the US is having trouble protecting its own forces 
and Iraqi security units.  The Minister recalled that US 
Ambassador Edelman had phoned him over the weekend to 
express his condolences for the deaths of the Turkish 
policemen. 
 
Erdogan due in Syria:  PM Erdogan will pay a two-day 
official visit to Syria starting today.  Erdogan, who will 
be accompanied by more than 200 Turkish businessmen is to 
sign two trade agreements with Damascus.  The sides will 
discuss Iraq, the Kurdish question, and the Israeli- 
Palestinian conflict.  Some recent press reports say a trip 
to Iran is also on the Prime Minister's agenda, as well as a 
possible visit to Israel.  FM Gul will travel to Israel next 
week.  No dates have been mentioned for a possible visit by 
PM Erdogan to Israel. 
 
EU urges `all sides' to move on Cyprus:  Dutch PM Jan Peter 
Balkenende, speaking as current EU President, called on 
Greek and Turkish Cypriots to resume peace efforts sponsored 
by the UN.  Balkenende noted that Turkey must extend its EU 
cooperation and customs accord to cover the bloc's ten new 
member states, including the Republic of Cyprus.  He 
reiterated that such a step would not amount to Turkish 
recognition of Cyprus.  Nicosia says it will not accept the 
Annan plan, which the Greek Cypriot people overwhelmingly 
rejected at a referendum last April. 
 
Turkey supports small businesses in Palestine:  Turkey 
donated 900,000 USD to the Palestinian Authority for the 
development of small and medium-scale enterprises.  FM Gul 
called on all sides to help resume the Middle East peace 
talks.  Gul also called for fair and transparent elections 
in Palestine.  He voiced hope that the upcoming elections in 
Palestine, the government reshuffle in Israel, and President 
Bush's second mandate in the US will bring about significant 
opportunities in the peace process. 
 
"Freedom House" report:  An annual report issued by "Freedom 
House" describes Turkey as a country that is `partly' free, 
"Cumhuriyet" reports.  Compared to last year, Turkey has 
made progress in expanding civil liberties thanks to reforms 
carried out as part of Ankara's effort to meet EU criteria. 
 
Turk "Migros" new partner of "Wal-Mart":  Turkey's "Migros" 
chain of supermarkets will undertake a partial merger with 
US retail giant "Wal-Mart," the economic-political daily 
"Referans" reports.  "Migros," an outlet of the Koc Holding 
group of companies in Turkey, is to sell part of its shares 
to "Wal-Mart."  The new partnership will operate mostly in 
the Russian market, "Referans" claims. 
Committee investigates mass grave:  A parliamentary 
committee investigating a mass grave discovered recently in 
Kulp, near Turkey's mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, 
reports that the remains found there likely belong to 11 
villagers who went missing after being detained by Turkish 
security forces in 1993.  The investigators rejected claims 
that the remains were the result of an internal clash within 
the PKK.  The committee has called for a legal investigation 
of the issue.  The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) 
earlier ruled that compensation must be paid to the victims' 
families. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
-- Attack Against Turkish Personnel in Mosul 
--  Relations with the United States 
"The Ambush and Preventive Measures" 
Fikret Bila observed in the mass appeal "Milliyet (12/22): 
"Losing our five policemen in a violent attack near Mosul 
hurt us all very deeply and pointed out the need for every 
institution of the State to take preventive measures for 
future travel to Iraq.  While Ankara is working on some new 
precautions, including travel by military plane, the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has intensified its diplomatic 
efforts in Ankara, Washington and Baghdad to ensure that the 
attackers are found and tried.  The same request was 
presented to the US Embassy and the Iraqi Embassy in Ankara. 
Anka ra continues to gather information about the incident 
through military and civilian offices.  Ankara is pleased by 
news that a nearby US military unit that saw the attack from 
a watchtower intervened and killed two of the terrorists. 
US troops also transported the wounded Turks to the US 
military hospital immediately, and their help in 
transporting the remains to Turkey have been noted 
positively by Ankara.  Security units in Ankara believe that 
the Zarkavi group is responsible for the attack.  However, 
they don't rule out the possibility that those who planned 
the attack and those who carried it out could be different 
people.  Developments in Iraq continue to increase Ankara's 
concerns.  Iraq remains at the top of the agenda for Turkish 
security officials." 
 
"Who Did This in Iraq?" 
Melih Asik wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (12/22): 
"First, Prime Minister Erdogan referred to those killed in 
Fallujah as `martyrs.'  This angered the United States. 
Then Ambassador Edelman had to wait six weeks to get an 
appointment with the Prime Minister.  The Americans were 
beside themselves.  Then we protested the U.S. Embasy's 
using the term `ecumenical' in reference to the 
Patriarchate.  Washington `took note' of this.  Then, at 
that very moment, five of our security personnel were drawn 
into an ambush and killed.As General Tolon said, we `took 
note' of this.  Now who do you think it was that who may 
have killed our five policemen?" 
 
"Do We Trust the US?" 
Halit Kakinc wrote in the conservative-sensational "Star" 
(12/22):  "Unfortunately, I can not trust the United States. 
My concerns about a second Bush term are being proven 
correct.  And my mistrust is increasing every day.  The 
words `sensitivity' and `kindness' have no place in Bush's 
policies.  Basically, Bush has two aims.  One is to control 
the world's oil single-handedly in the 21st century.  The 
second is to become the single power in the region to have 
energy supply lines.  Washington has kept Turkey out of Iraq 
and ignored the PKK presence there.  The new powers that the 
US considers as its collaborators are Barzani and Talabani. 
At this point, as a strategic partner, Turkey must  answer 
the question about whether or not the US should be trusted. 
Is the US trying to establish stability in Iraq, or is it 
trying to achieve a different aim?  Will Turkey continue to 
be a strategic partner even if the US is pursuing different 
goals?  What does Turkey want in Iraq?  Do we have any plans 
to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state in Northern 
Iraq?  These and many other questions came to my mind during 
the funeral for our five policemen who were killedin Mosul 
last week.  I can't imagine what our state officials were 
thinking." 
 
DEUTSCH