US embassy cable - 05ANKARA711

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000711 
 
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, FEBRUARY 7, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Rice Visit Pleases Ankara - Sabah 
Rice Regards Turkey As A `Special' Example - Milliyet 
Rice: Al-Qaeda, PKK Actions Are Unacceptable - Milliyet 
Rice: We Will Halt PKK Attacks Against Turkey - Turkiye 
Rice: PKK No Different Than Al-Qaeda - Aksam 
Rice Attempts To Ease Ankara Concerns On Kirkuk - Aksam 
Gul Says Cooperation With US Continues - Turkiye 
Gul To Rice: Turkey Can Contribute To Middle East Peace - 
Hurriyet 
Rice Says US Working To Help Turkish Cypriots - Hurriyet 
Rice Thanks Gul For Turkey's Support In Afghanistan - 
Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
US Got What It Wanted: AKP Accepts Rice Offer For 
Cooperation - Cumhuriyet 
US `Understands' Turkey's Concerns, No Guarantees - Zaman 
AKP Decides To Continue With US - Cumhuriyet 
Rice: US-Turkey Relationship Based On Common Interests - 
Cumhuriyet 
Rice, Gul Discuss `Strategic Image' - Radikal 
Rice Pledges to Preserve Iraq's Territorial Integrity - 
Radikal 
Rice: US Also Uses Non-Military Ways to Fight PKK - Yeni 
Safak 
Gul: Consultations With US Will Continue - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Ankara visit:  US 
 
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's weekend visit pleased 
 
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Turkish officials, "Sabah" reports.  Secretary Rice pledged 
US support for a unified Iraq, and assured Ankara that US 
forces in the region will not tolerate the separatist PKK. 
`Secretary Rice's call on Ankara after Richard Armitage, 
Doug Feith and John Abizaid is a pleasing development,' FM 
Gul said last week in evaluating the Rice visit.  Growing 
anti-American sentiment in Turkey topped the agenda of the 
Rice visit, the paper claims.  Rice complained to Gul that 
strong criticism of the US by Turkish officials had fanned 
anti-American feelings in the country.  Gul said the Turks 
were naturally disappointed that the US had ignored Turkey's 
sensitivities with regard to Kirkuk and the PKK, "Sabah" 
claims.  FM Gul also asked Secretary Rice to support direct 
US flights to Ercan Airport in north Cyprus.  Rice responded 
that some technical issues remain to be resolved, but that 
consultations with Turkey would continue on the issue. 
"Cumhuryret" claims that `the United States got what it 
wanted' during the visit, and reports that Turkey agreed to 
expand its strategic cooperation with the Bush 
Administration.  Secretary Rice's call on Turkish leaders 
diminished the strain in US-Turkey relations, the paper 
added.  `Disagreements do not constitute the core of our 
relationship, and they should not cast a shadow on our 
strategic partnership,' FM Gul reportedly told Rice during 
their meeting on Sunday.  `Turkey is not an ordinary 
democracy, it is also a Muslim country,' Rice said, 
suggesting that Ankara expand cooperation with the US on the 
Broader Middle East initiative: `Turkey is a valuable 
example which shows that Islam and democracy are compatible. 
We want to continue working with you on that subject,' Rice 
reportedly told the Foreign Minister.  Gul responded 
positively, according to "Cumhuriyet."  "Milliyet" and 
"Zaman" claim that Secretary Rice declined to give 
guarantees regarding Kirkuk.  `It is for all Iraqis to agree 
on the future of Kirkuk, and the US and Turkey have issued 
joint messages to that end,' Rice reportedly stressed.  The 
leftist-intellectual "Birgun" says the Rice visit has eased 
the strain in bilateral ties.  The paper reports that Rice 
emphasized that the US Administration had `gotten past' its 
disappointment over the Turkish parliament's rejection of a 
proposal to allow US troops to pass through Turkey on their 
way to Iraq.  `Otherwise, the US would not have supported 
Turkey's drive for EU membership so strongly,' Rice said. 
The Islamist-oriented, pro-Government "Yeni Safak" 
highlighted Rice's remarks in which the Secretary reassured 
the Turks on US pledges to curb the activities of the 
separatist PKK: `We are also using non-military means 
against the PKK, including the cutting of financial 
resources and its line of communications with the outside 
world,' Rice reportedly said. Secretary Rice underlined in a 
joint press conference with FM Gul before leaving Ankara on 
Sunday that the US-Turkey relationship is fundamentally 
strong, because it is based on common values of democracy 
and freedom.  `It is not a strained relationship, it is a 
solid relationship,' Rice said.  FM Gul agreed, saying the 
two countries would continue to collaborate closely on 
economic, diplomatic and security issues.  Secretary Rice 
later flew to Jerusalem for talks with Israeli and 
Palestinian leaders. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  The Visit of Secretary Rice 
 
"The Fire Dance" 
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (2/7):  "Have 
you noticed that it's difficult even to get Prime Minister 
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Gul in the same photograph 
these days?  They claim this is due to scheduling conflicts, 
but there are reasons to be skeptical.  For example, while 
Erdogan was saying that `conditions for elections in Iraq 
were not democratic,' Gul released a statement saying that 
the elections were a success that was well appreciated by 
Turkey.  When Erdogan said `now that the elections are over, 
the US should announce a timetable for withdrawal, Gul noted 
that `the US has not yet completed its mission' in Iraq. 
Erdogan says his anti-US statements result from Turkey's 
`sensitivities about regional developments,' and Gul insists 
that the PM's remarks have been taken out of context.  But 
again, while Erdogan was traveling in Asia, FM Gul asked 
`why would we want to have bad relations with the United 
States when America remains the world's only superpower, 
when we established comprehensive, friendly relations with 
the US during the multipolar period?  Is such a thing 
possible?  Is it logical?"  Of course, during this period it 
is only natural that we should follow a policy line that 
comports with the views of the European Union.  But we also 
really need to ask ourselves this:  Why is it that at a time 
when US-EU relations are clearly improving, Turkey keeps 
increasing tensions by these kinds of statements? 
Apparently, Turkey's EU harmonization is not yet complete." 
 
"The Messages from Rice" 
Cuneyt Ulsever analyzed in the mass appeal "Hurriyet" (2/7): 
"The Rice visit indicated that the second Bush 
administration is trying to rebuild trust with Turkey. 
Secretary Rumsfeld made some speculative remarks about the 
 
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rejection of the March 1 parliamentary decree, and his words 
provided a solid ground for what Rice had to say to Turkish 
officials in Ankara.  The Rice message in Ankara can be 
summarized as follows: The US is looking for Turkey's help 
for its radical policies in the Middle East, including in 
Iran, Syria, and Palestine.  The Turkish help support should 
be direct and clear.  If Turkey chooses not to do that, then 
we cannot help Turkey on issues such as northern Iraq, 
Kirkuk, Cyprus, the EU, and even the IMF.  The Turkish 
government is going to face many challenges in this new 
period." 
 
"Is Turkey Becoming a Central Base?" 
Mustafa Balbay argued in the leftist-nationalist 
"Cumhuriyet" (2/7): "It seems that Turkey is being 
transformed into a multidimensional central state as the 
rest of the world is being reshaped around its core, the US. 
It was interesting that Rice started using rhetoric about a 
`strategic relationship' with Turkey.' . This strategic 
relationship covers everything, including the use of 
Incirlik airbase, and working together on steps to be taken 
against Iran, as mentioned last week by Douglas Feith.  . 
After the Feith visit, we listened to Bush name Syria and 
Iran as new targets in his State of the Union speech. 
Finally Rice explained US expectations in a more detailed 
way.  Among others, she made the following chilling remark: 
`Turkey and the US will share mutual interests in the future 
as well.'  Given the American plan to reshape the Middle 
East, it is not hard to predict what kind of `mutual 
interests' we are going to share.  In the new period, the US 
will likely impose demands on us and manage to get what it 
wants.  Turkey will likely continue to assume out-of-area 
responsibilities such as the one in Afghanistan.  Turkey 
will continue to be presented as a model for the Broader 
Middle East.  In this context, the US will focus on making 
the Turkish system more `moderate.'  Turkey will assume even 
more of a role if things go very wrong in Iraq.  In the 
event of negative developments in Iraq that threaten 
Turkey's interests, we will be given `tranquilizers' instead 
of having the problem solved." 
 
"A Very Important Visit" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative "Turkiye" (2/7): 
"The Rice visit had a message: The US will pressure Iran to 
give up support for terrorism support and its nuclear plans, 
or else there will be consequences.  Rice wanted to see if 
Turkey is ready to meet its obligations as an ally if and 
when needed by the US.  In the event that Ankara does not 
support for US policy, there will be an American alliance 
with Kurdistan and Armenia. . The US is asking for a spirit 
of strategic alliance from Turkey, while hoping for 
understanding from Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the event of a 
US action against Iran and Syria.  Otherwise, the US is 
determined to bring democracy to these two countries by 
using its own resources." 
 
EDELMAN