US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1168

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001168 
 
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 
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
EU's Turkey Representative Sees `Slippage' in Reforms - 
Milliyet 
European Commission: Turkey's Performance Not Sufficient - 
Aksam 
FM Gul: EU Always Our Top Agenda Item - Milliyet 
Shiites Warm to Talabani As Iraq President - Sabah 
China Reacts to US Human Rights Report - Hurriyet 
Karzai Assigns General Dostum to Chair Afghan Military 
-Hurriyet 
US Preparing for a Woman President - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
US General Bell Visits General Buyukanit - Cumhuriyet 
Kurds, Shiites Disagree Over Kirkuk - Cumhuriyet 
Iraq's Caferi Voices Support for Kurdish Federation - Yeni 
Safak 
US Hires Ba'athist Generals for Iraqi Army - Radikal 
Eurobarometer: 77 Percent of Turkish Cypriots Want EU 
Membership - Radikal 
Tough Warning for Syria: Withdraw From Lebanon - Yeni Safak 
Arabs Also Ask Syria to Pull Out of Lebanon - Cumhuriyet 
Two Seats Reserved for Turkish Cypriots in European 
Parliament - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
General Myers Sees No Problem in Ties With Turkey:  US 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Myers, 
said to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council that Turkey is 
a close ally of the United States, "Hurriyet" reports, 
citing a report from the Turkish consul general in Los 
Angeles, Engin Aksay.  `The Turkish parliament's rejection 
of the deployment of US troops through Turkey in 2003 should 
be viewed as the result of Turkey's democratic process,' 
Myers said.  He added that Turkey has displayed close 
cooperation in US troop rotations and the use of bases by 
American forces.  Myers stressed that cooperation between 
the two countries continues in both Iraq and Afghanistan, 
"Hurriyet" reports. 
 
Washington Shifts Funds for Turkey to Iraq Supplemental: 
Washington has decided that a $1 billion financial package 
approverd by the US Congress for Turkey in April 2003 will 
be transferred to the $81 billion supplemental spending 
package for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Turkish TV 
reports.  Turkey has not yet used the money, and Washington 
believed that the government would not accept the money 
because of conditions attached to the legislation. 
 
General Bell Visits Ankara:  USARMEUR Commander General 
Burwell B. Bell paid a visit to Ankara on Thursday as the 
official guest of Turkey's Land Forces Commander General 
Yasar Buyukanit, "Cumhuriyet" reports.  Before discussing 
military issues with Buyukanit, General Bell pointed to the 
historical partnership between the two countries and praised 
both nations and their militaries for contributing to that 
friendship. 
 
`Double Apologies' From US Ambassador to Yerevan:  US 
Ambassador to Yerevan, John Evans, corrected his previous 
apology for a statement in which he had used the term 
`genocide' to refer to the killing of Armenians by Ottoman 
forces in 1915.  The Turkish Embassy Washington warned the 
State Department over the remarks, and Evans was forced to 
post on the US Embassy Yerevan webpage a new correction that 
omitted the word `genocide.' 
US Human Rights Report Accuses TGS of `Racist' Statements: 
The US State Department 2004 Report on Human Rights 
evaluates Turkish General Staff (TGS) reaction in February 
last year to press reports claiming Ataturk's adopted 
daughter was of Armenian descent as `racist public 
statements,' "Milliyet" reports.  TGS claimed that the press 
reports `violated the national values and feelings of 
Turkey.' 
 
Ereli Denies Turkish Arms Transfer to North Cyprus:  US 
State Department Spokesman Adam Ereli on Thursday denied 
again Greek Cypriot opposition claims that Turkey had 
transferred US-origin weapons to north Cyprus.  Asked by a 
Greek Cypriot reporter why the US had not asked Turkey to 
pull out of Cyprus as Washington has been pushing Syria to 
leave Lebanon, Ereli said there is no parallel to be drawn 
between the two situations. 
 
Defense Minister on Turkish Troop Presence in Northern Iraq: 
Turkey has 1,357 military personnel in northern Iraq, 
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said on Thursday.  Responding 
to a question posed in parliament by the opposition CHP, 
Gonul said that Turkey has been exercising its right to hot- 
pursuit of terrorists in the north of Iraq.  `Turkish 
military personnel there also work as liaison officers under 
US forces in Kirkuk, Mosul and Tal Afar,' Gonul said. 
 
`TRNC PM' Offers Joint Management of All Ports in Cyprus: 
Mehmet Ali Talat, `Prime Minister' of north Cyprus, rejected 
a proposal by Greek Cypriot President Papadopoulos to hand 
over Maras (Varosha) to the Greeks in return for opening 
Magusa (Famagusta) Port to international trade.  `We cannot 
allow Nicosia to extend its authority to north Cyprus,' 
Talat said, blaming Papadopoulos for attempting to disrupt 
the economy of the Turkish Cypriots.  Talat said the Turkish 
Cypriots are prepared to operate jointly all other ports in 
Cyprus. 
 
Poll Indicates Popular Support for AKP:  According to a 
monthly opinion poll by the "TNS Piar" company conducted 
2,000 Turks, 85.6 percent of respondents view the military 
as the most trusted institution in Turkey.  Politicians are 
the least trusted group, gaining approval by only 21.3 
percent of respondents.  The poll shows increasing trust in 
the ruling AK Party government, "Sabah" reports.  53.7 
believe the economic policies of the AKP are `very good,' 
according to the poll.  Meanwhile, a poll by the State 
Statistics Institute (DIE) among 6,714 Turks showed that 
70.2 percent of respondents  back Turkey's full membership 
in the European Union, while only 16.2 percent are opposed. 
 
Report Sees the AKP as `Political Islamist':  In a report 
called `Understanding Islamism' issued on March 2 by the 
Brussels-based International Crisis Group, Turkey's AK Party 
is put in the category of political Islam, "Cumhuriyet" 
reports.  The report describes Islamic movements in this 
category as groups that operate within a constitutional 
framework, refrain from violence, and adopt reformist 
methods rather than revolutionary actions.  The report 
classifies Islamic movements in three categories -- 
`political Islam, missionary Islam, and Jihad.' 
 
Turkish Jetfighter Crashes:  A Turkish F-16 fighter plane 
with two pilots on board crashed over Karabuk province in 
the north of the country Thursday after taking off from 
Ankara on a training flight.  The cause of the crash was not 
immediately known. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Syria: Post-Election Iraq 
 
"Syria is doomed to lose" 
Erdal Guven commented in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(3/4): "The Hariri assassination has led to some 
developments concerning the Syrian presence in Lebanon and 
has enabled all Lebanese groups, with the exception of the 
Shiites, to express their anger against Damascus.  There is 
no country in the region that supports a continued Syrian 
presence.  Therefore, Syria is isolated in Lebanon and seems 
to be cornered internationally.  The Syrian involvement in 
Lebanon stems from both strategic and territorial 
considerations.  Syria's position is especially difficult, 
because there will be no `prize' if and when Syria pulls out 
of Lebanon, such as an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan 
Heights or the lifting of the US embargo against Syria. 
Furthermore, it is highly likely that the US will impose new 
conditions on Syria in the event of a Syrian withdrawal. 
Such demands could include political reforms or cutting off 
ties with Iraqi insurgents and terrorist organizations.  But 
there is really no other option.  If Syria declines to pull 
out, US sanctions will likely turn into UN sanctions. 
Damascus will be completely isolated.  In either scenario, 
Syria is doomed to be the loser of this game." 
 
"A Trap for the Kurds" 
Melih Asik argued in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (3/4): 
"Looking at statements from the Kurds in Iraq and pro- 
Kurdish figures in Turkey, one wonders if the Kurds 
genuinely believe that the US really is fond of the Kurds 
and supports their efforts to establish an independent 
state.  How can the Kurds be so nave as to not see the fact 
that is so obvious to everyone else: The US wants to gain 
control over Iraq by using the Kurds, and wants to have the 
region's oil resources in order to secure Israel.  Even with 
American support, there is no way for the Kurds to establish 
a truly independent state, but rather a kind of `satellite' 
state.  Such a satellite state is doomed to suffer, since it 
will have to work completely for American interests in the 
region.  The Kurds are making a mistake by keeping their 
distance from Turkey, the Turkmen, the Shiites, and the 
Sunnis as well as Iran and Syria.  They should know that 
they can be left alone overnight if the US decides to `sell 
them out' when circumstances require. . Collaboration with 
the US in the Middle East might bring some encouraging 
results in the short run, but those collaborators are doomed 
to fail in the long run." 
 
EDELMAN