US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1958

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001958 
 
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 
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Pope's Fight Against `Da Vinci Code' - Hurriyet 
Prime Minister Erdogan Going to the Funeral - Milliyet 
9 PKK Members Die in Clash on Cudi Mountain - Milliyet 
Military Service to Be Shortened - Sabah 
New York Times Criticizes Erdogan - Sabah 
Kongra-Gel is PKK Once Again - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
PKK Terror Returns  - Cumhuriyet 
Turkey and China Want Cooperation on Space Industry- Zaman 
New Commission for Revised Penal Code - Yeni Safak 
PM Erdogan to Attend Pope's Funeral - Zaman 
Is Plastic Surgery Compatible with Islam?- Yeni Safak 
Turkey Donates 1 million dollars to Islamic Conference 
Organization - Yeni Safak 
Europe and US Differ on China - Cumhuriyet 
Armenian Church in Van to be Restored - Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
FM Gul on Turkey/US, Incirlik Airbase:  "Yeni Safak" 
reported that during a party group meeting, Foreign Minister 
Gul told AKP parliamentarians that some of the American 
requests regarding Incirlik are `not suitable' for Turkey to 
meet.  He said `we explained the reasons for this, and the 
US has understood.'  Meanwhile "Cumhuriyet" reported that a 
file on the US requests for Incirlik was presented to Prime 
Minister and awaits the PM's approval.  "Cumhuriyet" claims 
that the Government is having trouble making a decision on 
the issue due to concerns about rising abit-American 
sentiment in Turkey.  The report mentioned that the 
Government plans to implement certain restrictions on the 
use of base to minimize negative public reaction.  The 
particular sticking point seems to be the alleged US request 
for `blanket clearances' for US cargo planes to land and 
take off from Incirlik.  Nejat Eslen, a retired army 
general, urged the Government to carefully consider the 
consequences of the Incirlik decision.  In an article 
carried by "Radikal," the retired general suggested that 
American use of Incirlik could pull Turkey into a future 
world war.  Eslen said the Government should not grant 
permission to the US without first seeking parliamentary 
approval. 
 
Armenian Church on Akdamar to Be Restored:  "Radikal" 
reports that the Armenian church on Akdamar Island in 
southeast Turkey is soon to be restored.  Niyazi Tanilir, 
Governor of Van Province, said that the Turkish Culture 
Ministry has allocated 2.4 million YTL (approximately 1.7 
million USD) for the restoration.  The church was 
constructed in 915-921 AD, and many of the carved stone 
figures on the faade of the building have been worn away. 
The Armenian Patriarch Mutafyan visited the church at 
Akdamar in 2003 with a group of 100 people. 
 
Pope's Funeral:  Papers report that Prime Minister Erdogan 
and State Minister for Religious Affairs Mehmet Aydin will 
represent Turkey at the funeral of Pope John Paul II later 
this week.  There had been speculation that the Prime 
Minister would not attend the ceremony because of the 
perceived requirement to wear western-style mourning dress, 
something that Erdogan has consistently refused to do. 
Erdogan reportedly will attend the funeral wearing a 
conventional business suit. 
 
US Freedom House Report:  Several commentators mention a 
report released by Freedom House concerning the level of 
freedom enjoyed in various countries around the world.  Both 
the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak" and leftist-naionalist 
"Cumhuriyet" portray Freedom House activities as an effort 
by the US Government to overturn dictatorial regimes to 
install leaders more favorable to the United States.  The 
consistently anti-American commentator Ibrahim Karagul wrote 
in "Yeni Safak" that the United States is using NGOs like 
Freedom House as a `new style of war and occupation' against 
governments it opposes.  Karagul notes that Turkey achieved 
a rating of `partially free' under Freedom House criteria. 
 
Air Force Commander Firtina in China:  Turkish Air Force 
Commander General Ibrahim Firtina met with Chinese military 
officials yesterday in Beijing.  Papers highlight that 
Firtina expressed interests in acquiring Chinese medium- 
range air defense missiles and in expanding Turkish-Chinese 
space cooperation. 
 
PKK Terror On The Rebound:  All papers report on a clash 
between PKK militants and Turkish security forces in the 
Cudi Mountains, a remote area in the southeast province of 
Sirnak.  Nine PKK militants were reportedly killed in the 
clash, which also claimed the life of one Turkish soldier. 
Meanwhile, the Mosopotamia News Agency reported that the PKK- 
KongraGel had decided to change its name back to the PKK. 
 
MOD Announces Budget Allocation for Iraq Training:  Defense 
Minister Vecdi Gonul announced that the Government has 
allocated 100,000 euros for the training of Iraqi security 
personnel in Turkey.  The training will take place at the 
Partnership For Peace Training Center in Ankara. 
 
Turkish Trucker Reportedly Beaten By US Forces in Iraq: 
"Milliyet" reports claims by a Turkish truck driver who 
recently returned home to Gaziantep after spending more than 
a month in Iraq.  The driver claims that he was stopped by 
US forces in Tikrit `because he was Turkish,' and was 
subsequently beaten, hooded, and thrown into a prison cell. 
The trucker claims he was subjected to repeated beating and 
torture before being released and told that his imprisonment 
had been `a mistake.'  The driver further claimed that he 
had seen the bodies of two other Turks at the hospital in 
Tikrit, and said he was told that the two had been killed by 
US soldiers. 
 
100 Years of Turkish-American Friendship Exhibit:  A 
"Cumhuriyet" story highlighted last night's opening of the 
"100 Years of Turkish-American Relations" photo exhibit at 
the Turkish National Library in Ankara.  The story carried 
extensive excerpts Ambassador Edelman's speech, which 
focused on the importance of bonds between the Turkish and 
American people, not just relations between governments. 
The report noted that there was no significant 
representation from the AKP Government, and that Tourism 
Minister Koc failed to attend. 
 
Spies in Turkey's Southeast:  "Tercuman (Dunden Bugune)" 
reports on allegations that there are 3,000 foreign spies 
working in southeast Turkey.  The report, based on 
`intelligence sources,' claims that most of the foreign 
agents are in the region `to incite ethnic separatism.' 
Many of these `foreign provocateurs' are wanted by Interpol, 
according to "Tercuman."  Police in Diyarbakir say that 
foreigners have come from European countries including the 
UK, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Finland, Spain, 
Switzerland, and France, as well as from Japan, Iran, Iraq, 
and Syria.  The foreign agents are reportedly visitng even 
the remotest villages in the region.  Some even speak 
Kurdish, and yet they claim they have come to the southeast 
to do research on wild plants and animals.  The former DEHAP 
party chairman in Batman, Mehdi Oztuzun, said that the 
foreigners coming to the region `are not well-intentioned.' 
`Human rights activists are encouraging people to emphasize 
their ethnic identities and accentuate their differences,' 
he said.  `We said before that there are American spies 
lurking around Batman,' Oztuzun continued, adding that 
`nobody believed us.'  `A US delegation came here suggesting 
that we support the Kurds in northern Iraq,' he claimed. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Pope John Paul II 
 
"The Last Pope of the 20th Century" 
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-political "Dunya" 
(4/5): "The Catholic world is mourning the Pope and also 
watching the process by which their new spiritual leader 
will be elected.  It will be interesting to see whether the 
new pope will be an Italian, a Latin American, or a black 
African.  Tettamanzi, an Italian Cardinal, is believed to be 
a leading candidate but the final choice remains to be seen. 
As has been seen in the past, the election of a pope is 
often a surprise. . There is no longer the `communism issue' 
for the Catholic church to worry about.  The current 
challenge before the Catholic Church is to find ways to 
adapt Catholic dogmas to the constantly changing realities 
of the world.  The Pope and the Cardinals will have to deal 
with certain issues completely outside of the tradition of 
Catholic conservatism, including illegitimate marriage, 
abortion, gay relations, and the marriage of religious 
leaders." 
 
"John Paul II Was Different From The Others" 
Mehmet Ali Birand commented in the mass appeal-sensational 
"Posta" (4/5): "John Paul II served for 26 years, and he was 
a very different kind of pope.  First of all, he was the 
first non-Italian elected to head the Catholic Church in 455 
years.  During his term, he visited 125 countries.  One of 
John Paul's primary objectives was to promote harmony among 
religions.  The first thing he did upon arriving in a 
foreign country was to kiss the ground.  It really did not 
matter if it was a land of Muslims or Buddhists.  He focused 
on the importance of human beings more than anything else. 
He always believed that reconciliation between religions 
would ensure peace.  John Paul II was the most approachable 
and `people-friendly' pope in history.  He was never afraid 
of walking among the crowds.  He was always shaking people's 
hands until he was shot by Mehmet Ali Agca.  His personality 
and his actions restored the Vatican's reputation.  He 
succeeded in reconciling millions of people from different 
religions.  The world has lost a very important spiritual 
leader." 
 
EDELMAN