US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1549

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 001549 
 
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 
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Sezer Will Go Ahead With Syria Visit - DB-Tercuman 
Italy to Pull Out of Iraq - Milliyet 
Iraqi Parliament Holds Historic First Session - Aksam 
Iraqi Parliament Opens, But No Government Yet - Milliyet 
Bush to Nominate Wolfowitz to Head World Bank - Hurriyet 
US Troops Blamed for Killing 26 Captives in Iraq, 
Afghanistan - Sabah 
Armenians Pressure Bush to Recognize `Genocide' - DB- 
Tercuman 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
President Sezer Says He Will `Definitely' Go to Syria - 
Radikal 
Iran Proposes `Partnership' to US - Cumhuriyet 
More Than Half of Americans Oppose Iraq War - Cumhuriyet 
EU Postpones Membership Negotiations With Croatia - 
Cumhuriyet 
Armenians in US Push for Recognition of `Genocide' - Radikal 
Israel Hands Over Jericho to Palestinians - Yeni Safak 
Pakistan's Nuclear Gesture for Rice - Yeni Safak 
Family Wants Slain Leader Maskhadov's Body - Yeni Safak 
Maskhadov's Successor Pledges Not to Attack Civilians - 
Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Controversy Over President Sezer's Trip to Syria:  President 
Sezer said Tuesday that he would go ahead with a scheduled 
visit next month to Syria despite US concerns that it may 
send the wrong signal at a time when Damascus is under 
pressure to pull its troops out of Lebanon, papers report. 
Earlier this week, Ambassador Edelman urged Ankara to join 
the rest of the international community in pushing for a 
complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.  Edelman noted that 
the decision about how to reflect the international 
consensus `lies with Turkey.'  The press interpreted these 
remarks as an effort by the US to pressure Turkey to cancel 
Sezer's upcoming visit to Syria. Ambassador Edelman said 
that his words had been distorted in many Turkish press 
reports and commentaries.  FM Abdullah Gul said that 
Edelman's remarks on Turkish-Syrian relations `had been 
reflected in a way that was not intended.' `We see that a 
correction has already been made by the US Embassy,' Gul 
said.  `Besides,' he continued, `Turkey is a country that 
has acted in tandem with the international community on the 
Syria issue.'  Papers expect Sezer will to urge the Syrians 
to implement UN Security Council resolution 1559 by pulling 
all troops out of Lebanon. 
 
Paper Interviews Walter Russell Mead:  Council on Foreign 
Relations (CFR) member Walter Russell Mead responded to 
questions from the left-leaning/opinion maker "Cumhuriyet" 
on the phone from Washington.  Mead said that a rise in 
Islamic consciousness in Turkey posed a challenge to the 
history of the modern republic.  Mead stressed that it is 
important whether Turkey considers itself a bridge between 
Europe and the Middle East or a country looking to its south 
and east.  The increasing presence of the United States, not 
only in Iraq but in the wider region, may have caused 
concerns in Turkey, and Kemalist Turks may have started 
thinking the US has started to side with the Muslim elements 
in their country, Mead said.  He noted that many Iraqis had 
cast votes at the risk of their lives, thus indicating that 
they want democracy.  Regarding speculation about the 
establishment of an independent Kurdish state, Mead said the 
US has always favored a united Iraq.  `A powerful Iraq to 
counter Iran is in the interests of the United States,' he 
recalled, underlining the fact that an independent Kurdish 
state would never serve US interests.  `Barzani and Talabani 
have understood that they will have to work under an 
international framework,' Mead added.  With powers such as 
Turkey, the US, and Iraq opposing a Kurdish state, Mead 
argued that it is `highly doubtful' that Kurds will gain 
independence.  He said he believes that autonomy for the 
Kurds inside a federal Iraq would be the most reasonable 
choice.  Mead also claimed that Turkey's membership to the 
European Union would increase the rights of Kurds in Turkey. 
 
Ankara Ready to Include New EU Members in Accord With EU: 
FM Abdullah Gul signaled that Turkey is ready to sign a 
supplementary protocol that will expand the scope of the 
Ankara Agreement to encompass the Greek Cypriot 
administration.  In a statement to the BBC's Greek Service, 
Gul said Turkey will first initial the protocol and then 
submit it to the Turkish parliament for approval.  `We are 
not about to play games,' Gul noted. `When Turkey makes a 
commitment, it fulfills it,' he added.  Recognizing the fact 
that a reservation for non-recognition of Nicosia will not 
be included in the protocol, Ankara aims to exchange letters 
with the EU Commission noting Ankara's objection, or append 
the reservation to the new Accession Partnership Document 
which is to be announced by the end of this year.  Analysts 
regard the European Union decision to postpone entry talks 
with Croatia over its failure to hand over a war crimes 
suspect as a powerful signal to Turkey and other prospective 
members, papers comment. 
 
Minister Cicek in Jerusalem:  Visiting Justice Minister and 
government spokesman Cemil Cicek delivered a speech on the 
second day of the opening of the Holocaust Memorial Museum 
in Jerusalem, "Yeni Safak" reports.  Cicek said that anti- 
Semitism is a current that has to be defeated, and added: 
`Anti-Semitism has not existed in the history of Turks, and 
it will not exist in our future.'  Cicek noted that the 
Holocaust Memorial Museum is a reminder of one of the 
darkest periods in human history.  `Yad Vashem is not merely 
a place to mourn, but also a core for humanity,' Cicek said, 
warning that lessons should be taken from history so that 
the Holocaust will never be repeated. 
 
PM Erdogan to Visit Israel:  Israel's Ambassador to Ankara, 
Pinhas Avivi, has officially invited PM Erdogan to Israel, 
"Aksam" reports.  Erdogan is also expected to visit 
Palestine during his visit to Israel, which is expected to 
happen in the second half of April. 
 
Visiting AKP Lawmaker Urges More US Support:  Visiting AKP 
deputy group chairman Faruk Celik, a member of the eight- 
member Turkish Parliamentary Committee for Democracy, told a 
meeting of the Center for Strategic and International 
Studies (CSIS) in Washington that anti-American feelings in 
Turkey did not have deep roots, "Milliyet" reports.  The 
negative view of the US seen among Turks can be reversed if 
the Bush Administration takes steps to remove the PKK 
presence in northern Iraq, Celik said.  He complained that 
the Turkish government has not received enough support from 
the US with regard to Cyprus, despite the fact that Ankara 
had opted for reunification of the divided island. 
 
Pro-Kurdish Party Prepares for `Nevruz' Celebrations:  The 
pro-Kurdish DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) has invited 
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent 
Arinc, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as well as extreme 
nationalist MHP's leader Devlet Bahceli to Nevruz 
celebrations in Diyarbakir.  Northern Iraqi Kurdish leaders 
Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani and the representatives 
of 50 countries are also invited. 
Bill on Foreign Ownership of Turkish Media:  The parliament 
endorsed a bill which will enable foreigners to own radio 
and television stations in Turkey.  The opposition CHP and 
some deputies from the ruling AK Party criticized the bill. 
Opposing lawmakers said that foreigners owning national 
broadcasters would carry a huge risk, and claimed that under 
the new law the shaping of public opinion has been left to 
`foreign forces.'  According to the new law, foreigners for 
the first time will be allowed to own more than 25 percent 
shares of national channels. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
US-Turkish Relations 
 
"How to Improve US-Turkey Relations" 
Sami Kohen opined in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (3/17): 
"Whether we consider the satte of US-Turkey relations as a 
`crisis' or just some `turbulence,' the fact is that this is 
a very serious period.  If these provocative developments 
continue, the damage to relations will become impossible to 
mend.  To improve relations, Washington and Ankara need to 
agree that better relations and cooperation are in the 
interest of both sides.  At least at the moment, there is a 
will among both governments and official institutions to 
improve the relationship.  The first step at the official 
level should be to begin a constructive dialog.  Both sides 
should intensify efforts to `fine tune' the relationship 
without a further drop in mutual trust.  During this 
process, administrations in the US and Turkey should study 
the reasons for the damaged relations and try to determine 
how their own mistakes may have contributed to this trend. 
NGOs should get involved in this process as well.  There is 
no way to improve the relationship except through continuous 
dialogue and a calm diplomacy." 
 
"Turkey's Preference" 
Fehmi Koru commented in the Islamist-opinion maker "Yeni 
Safak" (3/17):  "Turkey's sensitive balances in many areas 
depend on its relations with the US.  While he was getting 
ready for a pre-scheduled official visit to Syria, President 
Sezer was warned not to go to Syria by the US Ambassador. 
What would you do if you were in Sezer's place? If this 
message had been given secretly through diplomatic channels, 
it wouldn't be too difficult to find a solution by acting in 
accordance with the US preference.  But, as we can all see, 
the US is determined not to allow Turkey to use diplomatic 
options.  The US warned Turkey openly and well in advance of 
the scheduled trip so that it would be known that the visit 
had been cancelled because of US pressure.  The US offers 
two alternatives -- either ignore the US warning and go 
ahead with the visit, or listen to Edelman's warning and 
cancel the visit... What should Turkey's stance be in the 
face of this new US imperialist policy?  If Turkey wants to 
follow a policy without the US, than the upcoming official 
visit to Syria will be an opportunity to announce this 
policy to the world.  Watching next month's developments 
should be rather exciting." 
 
"Sezer's Trip to Syria" 
Mustafa Balbay wrote in the leftist-nationalist "Cumhuriyet" 
(3/17):  What do you say the following scenario?  Syria 
pulls out of Lebanon, but the US decides this isn't enough. 
Syria stays out, and Lebanon becomes unstable.  Israel 
intervenes to fix this situation, while the US goes in to 
`clean up' in Syria.  In this way, Turkey's southern 
neighbors become the US and Israel!  But these neighbors 
then need the water from their northern neighbor, so a joint 
US-Israeli initiative is launched to take the waters of the 
Tigris and Euphrates.  Like I said, it's only a hypothetical 
scenario.Turkey's relations with Syria have followed a 
zigzag path.  Relations were very poor in the 1980s and 
1990s.  Syria did not acknowledge that it was supporting 
terrorism.  Turkey was telling Assad, `the desert fox,' to 
hand over the terrorist leader or else.  Assad's response: 
`give me your water.'  In 1998 when Ocalan was kicked out of 
Syria, a new period began.  By the end of 1998 this period 
reached a new stage with the signing of the Adana Agreement. 
Syria began to support Turkey on every issue, including 
terrorism.  Relations are improving - or at least they 
were.Sezer's trip to Syria brings to the forefront once 
again Turkey's new role in the region.  There are two 
options for Turkey in defining its stance toward the United 
States  -- it can be a satellite country, or it can oppose 
the US.  Neiter option is in the interest of Turkey.  The 
sensible course would be to maintain a good relationship 
without resorting to any kind of dissimulation.  Our 
neighbors are the US, Russia, Iran, and Syria - this is 
certainly not easy, especially along with being in the 
middle of the EU.  It all brings to my mind what Napoleon 
once said: `geography determines the fate of nations.'" 
EDELMAN