US embassy cable - 05ANKARA196

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000196 
 
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 
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
 
Turks in the US Bothered by TV Series - Sabah 
PM Erdogan Invites Russian Businessmen to Invest in Turkey - 
Sabah 
`Genocide Warning' from the US Delegation - Sabah 
US Wants Operational Use of Incirlik - Hurriyet 
A Summit on PKK but not Much Hope - Milliyet 
Erdogan Urges Putin to Lift Embargo on `TRNC' - Milliyet 
Abizaid Comes to Turkey - Star 
Abizaid's Surprise Visit - Aksam 
US Deploys Troops in Tsunami Region - Aksam 
PKK Summit in Ankara - Turkiye 
Erdogan Urges Putin to Save `TRNC' from Isolation - Turkiye 
The First Step to Eliminate the PKK - Vatan 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
 
Agenda in Russia Started With Cyprus - Radikal 
Intense Traffic With the US - Radikal 
US Delegation Threatens Ankara - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
US Congressional Delegation in Ankara:  "Sabah", and 
"Cumhuriyet" report that Senator Jon Kyl led a US 
congressional delegation to Ankara yesterday for official 
meetings with Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and Foreign 
Minister Abdullah Gul.  After the delegation's meeting at 
the Foreign Ministry, Senator Kyl was asked about recent 
critical statements by Turkish politicians about the United 
States and their possible impact on the `Armenian genocide' 
issue in the US Congress.  Senator Kyl characterized the 
statements as `fallacious,' and warned that their `could be 
repercussions' in the Congress.  "Sabah" reports that Kyl 
said he hoped that the US and Turkey could `overcome' this 
problem. 
 
General Abizaid Comes to Turkey:  Most papers report that 
the US CENTCOM Commander General John Abizaid will arrive in 
Ankara today for official meetings with the Turkish General 
Staff, the Foreign Minister, and the General Secretary of 
the National Security Council.. Because  General Abizaid's 
visit coincides with the trilateral talks on the PKK issue, 
"Aksam" describes the visit as `surprising.'  "Hurriyet" 
suggests that General Abizaid will ask Turkey for a broader 
use of Incirlik Air Base in efforts to establish security in 
Iraq. 
 
Trilateral Meeting on PKK Issue:   Papers report that 
delegations from Turkey, the US and Iraq will hold a 
trilateral meeting on security issues, particularly the PKK 
threat, today in Ankara.  The US delegation will be led by 
Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura Kennedy, the Turkish 
delegation will be headed by the Turkish Ambassador in Iraq, 
Osman Koruturk, and Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Al-Bayati 
will represent Iraq.  "Milliyet" adds that this will be the 
first three-way meeting on the PKK issue. 
 
PM Erdogan's Visit to Russia:  "Hurriyet" reports that 
Erdogan's visit to Russia is intended to ease Putin's 
concerns that Turkish-Russian relations would weaken after 
Turkey's EU accession.  During his visit to Turkey on the 
eve of the EU summit in December, Putin had given a clear 
message that Turkey should not join the EU.  In order to 
ease these concerns, Erdogan traveled to Russia with over 
600 Turkish businessmen and noted that Turkey would never 
give up its cooperation with Russia.  "Milliyet" notes that 
during their dinner last night, Erdogan asked for Putin's 
support at the UN to lift the embargo against the `TRNC.' 
He also reportedly encouraged the Russians to build oil 
pipelines through Turkey that would reduce the number of 
tankers that pass through the Turkish Straits. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
Israel-Palestine 
The US and Indonesia 
 
"A New Beginning in the Middle East" 
Sami Kohen wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (1/11): 
"Palestine has entered into a new period following its 
extraordinarily democratic performance during the elections. 
Yet this new period comes with both opportunities and 
challenges.  There are some urgent domestic issues for Abbas 
to deal with: reform of the state system, the unemployment 
problem, economic and social reforms, stability and 
security. .  His performance on these domestic issues is 
directly related to international circumstances, 
particularly the Palestinians' relations with Israel.  An 
agreement with Israel should be a priority for Abbas.  There 
is hope on that score, since Abbas has already voiced his 
intention to engage in a dialogue with Israeli PM Sharon. . 
The Israeli cabinet has been altered to include Labor Party 
leader Shimon Peres, who has also stated his willingness to 
meet with Abbas.  The US and the EU are preparing to launch 
some initiatives as well.  These are all good signs that 
provide hope for a new beginning in the Middle East." 
 
"The Key to Peace is in the hands of Sharon, not Abbas" 
Haluk Ulman wrote in the economic-political "Dunya" (1/11): 
"The West, including the United States, is very happy about 
the election results in Palestine.  They believe that Abbas 
is a great chance for peace in the Middle East.  Yet there 
is an oversight here.  The biggest obstacle to a Palestinian- 
Israeli peace settlement was never Arafat, despite what is 
claimed by Sharon and the Bush administration.  Contrary to 
common belief, when Clinton tried to broker a peace 
agreement in Camp David between Arafat and Barak in 2000, it 
was the Israeli PM, not Arafat, who blocked the deal.  Barak 
refused to accept the transfer of East Jerusalem to the 
Palestinian State.  This was the real reason for the failure 
at Camp David.  At present, there is no reason to believe 
that Sharon will do anything different. . It is much too 
early to conclude that Abbas is going to establish peace 
with Israel, especially as long as Sharon remains in power." 
 
"A US Occupation in Indonesia" 
Yalcin Dogan wrote in the mass appeal "Hurriyet" (01/11): 
"Assistance has become mixed up with the barrel of a gun. 
This is a golden opportunity, so America has now sent 15,000 
troops to Indonesia!  Turhan Comez, an AKP deputy from 
Balikesir, has gone to Indonesia on his own initiative to 
gather some information on the assistance efforts for non- 
governmental organizations.  His observations are 
interesting.  Most importantly, he talks about the partcular 
interest of the US in Indonesia. .Indonesia was opposed to 
the US occupation of Iraq, but it also controls the natural 
gas and oil fields of Sumatra.  Besides that, Indonesia 
controls the region's most important maritime strait.  And 
the region doesn't lack for separatist and radical forces, 
either.  The earthquake has created an opportunity for the 
US.  By saying "we are helping you," the US has put 15,000 
troops in Indonesia!  Several pretexts are coming together 
at once and, under the guise of earthquake assistance, an 
occupation has started there!" 
EDELMAN