US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1072

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001072 
 
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 28, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Saddam's Stepbrother Apprehended - Sabah 
80 Women Lawmakers Enter Iraqi Parliament - Sabah 
Newsweek Warns of Civil War in Iraq If Peshmerge Remain - 
Aksam 
Newsweek: Fundamentalists Kill Well-Educated Women in Iraq - 
Hurriyet 
Gen. Myers Thinks Iraq Resistance May Go On For Two More 
Years - Hurriyet 2/27 
Gen. Bell Due in Ankara for Military Dialogue - Sabah 2/26 
Israel Warns of Strike Against Syria - Milliyet 
Israel Suspends Withdrawal From West Bank - Sabah 2/27 
Rice Cancels Egypt Visit, Mubarak Calls For Reform - 
Hurriyet 2/27 
Papadopoulos Confident Turkey Will Recognize Nicosia - 
Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Caferi Vows Not to Allow PKK Activities in Iraq - Zaman 
Britain Apologizes to Iraq For Torturing Civilians - 
Cumhuriyet 2/27 
Russia to Give Iran Nuclear Fuel - Zaman 
Iran Signs Nuclear Fuel Agreement With Russia - Yeni Safak 
Islamic Jihad Claims Responsibility for Tel-Aviv Attack - 
Zaman 2/27 
Israel Warns of Attack Against Syria - Cumhuriyet 
Israel, Palestine Jointly Investigate Tel-Aviv Suicide 
Attack - Milliyet 2/27 
Bill Clinton: Hillary Would Make a Great President - Radikal 
Syria Arrests Saddam's Brother - Cumhuriyet 
American Pressure Brings Reform in Egypt - Milliyet 2/27 
Greek Cypriots Won't Concede Even if Annan Plan is Changed - 
Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
ITF Accuses US Soldiers of Attack Against Turkmen Party 
Office:  Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) official Mehmet Tahir 
told Turkey's official Anatolian News Agency (AA) Sunday 
that US troops raided the offices of the ITF in Mosul on 
February 15, breaking windows and doors and disarming ITF 
security personnel.  The ITF further claims that US troops 
put on ITF security uniforms, climbed to the roof of the 
building, abnd began firing at random in an effort to 
blacken the reputation of the ITF.  There were no injuries 
during the raid.  Tahir said he had tried in vain to talk 
with US officials in Mosul about the incident. 
 
Turkey Removes Objection to Federal Structure in Iraq:  A 
high-level Turkish delegation made up of Foreign Ministry, 
Turkish intelligence (MIT) and TGS officials conveyed 
Ankara's friendly intentions to the Iraqi Kurds early last 
week and is looking for ways to cooperate in the region, 
Sunday's "Zaman" reports.  Ankara's concerns have not been 
fully eliminated, but the Turkish delegation approved the 
idea of Iraqi `federalism,' saying that if the majority of 
Iraqis want federalism, then Turkey will not object.  The 
delegation also urged the Kurds to refrain from `sudden 
moves' with regard to Kirkuk, "Zaman" writes. 
 
Minister Tuzmen Says A Second Gate Needed With Iraq:  State 
Minister Kursad Tuzmen called for the opening of a second 
border crossing between Turkey and Iraq.  Tuzmen and 
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu visited the Habur border 
gate in Silopi, near Turkey's southeastern provincial 
capital of  Sirnak over the weekend.  `Some 4,000 Turkish 
trucks enter Iraq every day, and the number of visitors 
using Habur has risen considerably,' Tuzmen said, adding 
that `one-fourth of Iraq's highway transportation' 
originates at the Turkish-Iraqi border crossing. 
`Modernization of the gate will begin in April, and will be 
completed within a year, but we need a second gate with 
Iraq,' Tuzmen emphasized. 
 
Turkish Truck Driver Killed in Iraq:  A truck driver was 
killed early Saturday by anti-tank missile fire in an attack 
on a Turkish convoy en route from Kirkuk to Tikrit, weekend 
papers report.  The identity of the driver was not 
immediately available. 
 
General Bell Due in Turkey on Official Visit:  USARMEUR 
Commander Genral Burwell Bell will be in Ankara this week as 
the official guest of Turkey's Land Forces Commander General 
Yasar Buyukanit, "Sabah" reported on Saturday.  The sides 
will discuss the ISAF in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other 
issues.  The report notes that the US is still waiting from 
an answer by the Turkish side to a US request to use 
Incirlik Airbase as a logistical cargo hub for US operations 
in the region. 
 
EU Warns Turkey to Speed Up Reforms:  The European 
Commission representative in Ankara, Hans Jorg Kretschmer, 
said over the weekend that Brussels is concerned that Turkey 
has not made progress since the December summit at which it 
won a date to begin accession talks.  Kretschmer urged the 
government to accelerate reforms.  Kretschmer is on a tour 
of eastern Turkey with diplomats representing 35 countries. 
 
US Ambassador Stresses Armenian `Genocide':  US Ambassador 
to Yerevan John Evans told a group of Armenian-Americans 
that the 1915 attacks against Armenians by Ottoman forces 
constituted the first `genocide' of the last century, 
"Milliyet" reported on Saturday.  Evans said that no US 
official has denied that a genocide took place, but he also 
noted the long-standing American-Turkish relationship within 
NATO. 
 
Book on Turkish-Armenian Dialogue:  "Hurriyet" reports on 
the publication of `Unsilencing the Past,' a book by David 
Phillips, director of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation 
Commission (TARC).  The TARC, established in 2001 through 
the direct involvement of Undersecretary Marc Grossman, work 
in secret for three years, "Hurriyet" claims. 
 
US Administration Blocks Reopening of Case of Former FBI 
Employee:  The US Attorney General has asked a federal court 
to drop a lawsuit by Sibel Edmonds, an American woman of 
Turkish descent who lost her job at the FBI for complaining 
about irregularities at the FBI, "Hurriyet" reported on 
Sunday.  The Attorney General said a reopening of the case 
may inflict considerable damage on American national 
security and foreign policy interests.  The front-page story 
was headlined: `American Deep State Has Silenced Sibel.' 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Bush-Putin/Transatlantic Relations 
 
"The Bush Message in Bratislava" 
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (2/28): "The 
message from President Bush in Bratislava indicates a two- 
tier vision of democracy developed by the US.  The first 
part of this democratization vision pertained to the former 
Soviet Union, a process that began during the Reagan era and 
led to the independence of East European and Central Asian 
countries.  The second phase of the vision covers the 
countries of the Middle East region.  The magnitude and 
influence of the Broader Middle East Project is undeniable. 
The most recent tangible evidence came from Egypt, as the 
Egyptian president announced a package of democratic and 
constitutional reforms. This process seems to be expanding 
throughout the Middle East." 
 
"Bush-Putin" 
Zafer Atay observed in the economic-political "Dunya" 
(2/28): "The Russian and American leaders agreed that Iran 
and North Korea should not have nuclear weapons.  However, 
the two leaders remain at odds on the issue of democracy. 
Putin kept his distance from Western-style liberty and 
freedom of expression.  Instead, he underlined that Russia 
is going through a transition period.  This is a clear 
signal that Putin will continue with a `Russian-style' 
democracy." 
 
"Bush and Europe" 
Yasemin Congar wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (2/28): 
"Washington has reached some points of agreement with Europe 
regarding Iraq and Syria.  The Bush-Chirac meeting resulted 
in a significant improvement on the anger that had 
characterized the US-French relationship on the Iraq issue. 
But NATO's 2.5 million dollar commitment for the training of 
Iraqi security forces remains far short of US expectations. 
. The most important factor enhancing the Bush 
administration's position on Iraq and Syria comes from the 
growing voice of the people in the Middle East.  The 
Europeans have already realized the importance of this. 
Turkey needs to pay attention as well.  The January 30 
elections in Iraq reflected the Iraqi people's will to 
define their future. The assassination of Hariri led to the 
revival of a popular movement demanding a Syrian withdrawal 
from Lebanon.  Positive developments on Israeli-Palestinian 
relations have led to a common approach to combat terrorism. 
These are all positive signs coming from the people on their 
way toward reform, peace, and democracy in the region." 
 
EDELMAN