US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1726

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001726 
 
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 24, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Schroeder Sees No Progress in Turkish Reforms - Milliyet 
Turkish Journalists March on Ankara to Protest New Penal 
Code - Milliyet 
Sunnis To Be Given Defense Ministry in Iraq - Sabah 
80 Insurgents Killed in Iraq - Aksam 
Young Russians Prefer `Walking Without Putin' - Aksam 
IMF May Visit Turkey to Update Letter of Intent - Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
International Press Institute (IPI) Criticizes New Penal 
Code - Radikal 
Jordanian King Abdullah Criticizes Syria, Hizbullah - Zaman 
Damascus Caught Between Reforms, Oppressive Regime - 
Cumhuriyet 
EU Won't Veto Wolfowitz for World Bank - Radikal 
Blair to Announce election Date Soon - Yeni Safak 
Putin to Meet Sharon on Historic Visit to Israel - 
Cumhuriyet 
Tough US Measures for Inflation Shake Markets - Zaman 
Kaddafi: UN Security Council a Terrorist Organization - 
Cumhuriyet 
Kyrgyzstan Dragged Into Civil War - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
TGS Chief Says Military, MFA in Harmony:  Turkish Chief of 
General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok ruled out any 
disagreement between the military and the Turkish Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs (MFA) regarding Turkey's Iraq policy. 
General Ozkok spoke with reporters at a reception in Ankara 
on Wednesday.  Ozkok said that, contrary to the view 
expressed by Land Forces Commander General Buyukanit, Turkey 
has a clear policy on Iraq and is making an effort to keep 
in step with the `intensive changes' that are taking place 
in that country.  (Buyukanit had accused the government of 
having `no Iraq policy.'). 
 
Flag Burning Attempt Draws Reactions:  Police detained two 
children aged 12 and 14 in connection with the burning of a 
Turkish flag during the traditional Kurdish holiday of 
`Nevruz' celebrations organized by pro-Kurdish DEHAP last 
weekend.  The rally and flag burning angered the military, 
the government and other political parties.  Businesses and 
citizens began hanging Turkish flags on buildings all across 
the country in a show of solidarity.  Turkey's broadcasting 
watchdog RTUK called on all TV stations to display a flag on 
their screens during normal programming. 
 
AKP Official Attends Panel on US-Turkey Ties:  AK Party 
deputy chairman Murat Mercan told a panel meeting at the 
American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington that he 
saw no differences between Turkish and US views on Iran and 
Syria.  Mercan joined former Pentagon advisor Richard Perle, 
The Wall Street Journal's Robert Pollock, and AEI's Michael 
Rubin on the panel.  Mercan said that Washington's request 
to establish a logistical hub at Incirlik Airbase would be 
answered `very soon.'  He said the AKP government is seeking 
to advance its common goals with Washington, and warned that 
those who are firmly anti-American and anti-Semitic will 
prevail if the `big picture' is missed.  Rubin said that the 
PKK should be removed in northern Iraq, and advised 
Washington to ban organizations in the US that are 
affiliated with the PKK. 
 
SCIRI's Hakim Issues Messages in Ankara:  Ammar al-Hakim 
from The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq 
(SCIRI) told the private broadcaster NTV on Wednesday that 
Kurds and Shiites in Iraq have agreed to include all Iraqi 
groups, including the Turkmen, in the new Iraqi government. 
Hakim asked that everyone respect the Islamic identity of 
Iraq, but said the Iraqis would not seek to establish an 
Islamic administration.  The SCIRI is opposed to having 
militia forces in Iraq, Hakim stressed, and called on 
Kurdish militia groups (the peshmerge) and the Badr Brigades 
to join the new Iraqi army.  Hakim brought a message from 
Grand Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual 
leader of the Iraqi Shiites, to Ankara asking Turkey to 
promote good bilateral relations with Iraq. 
 
Erdogan to the US in June:  PM Tayyip Erdogan is planning to 
visit the United States in June, at which time he may also 
meet with President Bush, "Zaman" reports.  The visit would 
be aimed at repairing the strains in Turkey-US relations. 
Erdogan plans to participate in his daughter's graduation 
ceremony at Indiana University, and may also call on 
Governor Schwarzenegger in California, according to the 
report. 
 
Greek Prime Minister to Visit Turkey: Greek PM Kostas 
Karamanlis has accepted his PM Erdogan's invitation for an 
official visit to Ankara in coming months, "Sabah" reports. 
Karamanlis, the first Greek prime minister to visit Turkey 
in 50 years, is expected in Ankara after Turkey signs an 
additional protocol to include Cyprus in its customs union 
agreement with the European Union. 
 
Talabani Says He Will Allow Reopening of Turkish Consulate 
in Mosul:  Northern Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 
leader Jalal Talabani, a leading candidate for the Iraqi 
presidency, said that, if elected, he will allow the Turkish 
consulate in Mosul to reopen.  The Consulate was forced to 
close by Saddam Hussein in 1995. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Kyrgyzstan; UN Reform; US-Turkey 
 
"The Breaking Point in Kyrgyzstan" 
Mustafa Balbay wrote in the leftist-nationalist "Cumhuriyet" 
(3/24): "The current situation in Kyrgyzstan is similar to 
recent events in Ukraine and Georgia.  After the demise of 
the Soviet Union, independent Turkic republics emerged and 
achieved independence.  Today they seem to engaged in an 
effort to reshape their future.  Turkey has significant 
experience in this process as it went through a series of 
similar events following the war of independence.  This is 
not an easy task for the Turkic republics, especially given 
the efforts of outsiders -- the US, the EU, Russia, Iran, 
Saudi Arabia and China - to exert their influence.  .. The 
US has developed its relations with Kyrgyzstan in a 
comprehensive way, including security and economic 
dimensions, and wants to do even more.   Currently the 
number of US troops in Kyrgyzstan is nearly 5,000.   But 
Russia remains influential in the capital.  A few months ago 
Bishkek and Moscow decided to enhance their ties, a move 
that was not viewed positively in Washington.  Kyrgyzstan is 
also a member of the Organization of Shanghai Cooperation. 
Therefore, the internal balances in this country are very 
important in the race for influence in the Central Asian 
region." 
 
"UN Reform" 
Yalim Eralp opined in the conservative "DB Tercuman" (3/24): 
"There is a general consensus on the need to reform the UN 
to adapt the international body to current conditions.  The 
former Foreign Minister of France has agreed that the status 
quo is not acceptable. .  But disagreements occur over the 
kind of reform that is best for the UN.  Kofi Annan recently 
presented a report with some advice on this issue. 
Naturally, the member countries will decide on the course of 
UN reforms. The smaller member countries are pushing for a 
`democratization' of the Security Council structure, but at 
the same time they do not want the UN to interfere in their 
internal affairs.  The bigger countries are asking for just 
the opposite.  In fact, the main question is whether the 
member countries want to live in a world with established 
and enforced rules.  Compared to the past, international 
norms are more strictly enforced that they have been. 
However, every country wants to redefine the norms based on 
its national policy.  Reform can be implemented at the UN, 
but if countries do not change their mentality and policies, 
they will be insufficient." 
 
"The Wrong Tactic" 
Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamist-intellectual "Yeni Safak" 
(3/24): "The US is once again making a mistake in its effort 
to carry out `psychological warfare' against Turkey rather 
than voicing its requests and expectations in a direct and 
acceptable manner.  This method was used in the run-up to 
the March 1 parliamentary motion, and that experience should 
have provided an unforgettable lesson.  Yet it seems 
Washington did not learn the lesson properly, as it insists 
on repeating the same mistakes.  . Washington is not making 
its demands in a clear way.  Instead, it is trying to change 
our politicians' views and positions by using its media. 
Let me give the US a friendly warning: it will be very 
difficult for the US to get any results by using these same 
useless methods.  Those who try to influence Turkey no 
longer have credibility here, so it won't matter what they 
write or what they say.  The Turkish people tend not to 
forget the lessons of the past.  The Americans' 
psychological war in Turkey has not been forgotten either. 
Doing the same thing again will only create greater 
reactions against the US." 
 
DEUTSCH