US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1980

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 001980 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Assad Gives Significance to Sezer Visit - Hurriyet 
German Ambassador Advises Kurds to Break PKK Ties - Milliyet 
Turkish Security Forces Launch Operation Against PKK - 
Milliyet 
Iraqi Parliament May Nominate Talabani as President - Sabah 
Washington Times: US' New Friend is Greece, Not Turkey - 
Sabah 
Chevron-Texaco Buys Unocal - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
200 Leaders to Attend Papal Funeral - Zaman 
British Parliament: US Troops Use Excessive Force in Iraq - 
Yeni Safak 
Over 1 Million Iraqis Leave Country Following US Occupation 
- Cumhuriyet 
Sharon to Request US Financial Assistance for Withdrawal - 
Yeni Safak 
US Financial Support for Israel's Withdrawal - Cumhuriyet 
US Issues Nuclear Warning for Israel - Yeni Safak 
Blair Declares Early Polls on May 5 - Radikal 
US Launches TOPOFF 3 Anti-Terror Exercise - Yeni Safak 
Bush Supports Ukraine for NATO Membership - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Syria's Assad Comments on Upcoming Sezer Visit to Syria: 
Syrian President Bashar Assad said on the eve of a visit by 
President Sezer to Damascus April 12-13 that the visit by 
the President of Turkey is important at a time of pressure 
from the United States and other countries. Assad lauded 
Turkey for not allowing other countries to interfere in its 
decisions.  The Syrian President said he would discuss with 
Sezer the new role that Turkey has undertaken in the region: 
`This role is appreciated not only in Syria, but in other 
Arab countries as well,' Assad said, adding that the two 
sides would also discuss Ankara's possible contribution to 
peace between Israel and Syria.  Assad stressed that 
`feelings of brotherhood' prevail in Turkish-Syrian 
relations.  `Syria and Turkey are important states in the 
region, but we are not superpowers in the international 
arena, which gives us a reason to be concerned by 
developments,' Assad noted.  Assad blamed foreign 
interference for the slow pace of reforms in Syria, and said 
he regards former colonial powers and superpowers as the 
main obstacles to democracy in Syria. 
 
CHP Wants Parliamentary Decision on US Use of Incirlik 
Airbase:  Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader 
Deniz Baykal warned the ruling AK Party that a decision to 
allow the US wider use of Incirlik Airbase should be sent to 
the parliament for approval, "Cumhuriyet" reports.  CHP 
deputy chairman and retired diplomat Onur Oymen claimed that 
the US request to use Incirlik as a logistical support 
center for military interventions fall outside of NATO's 
mandate.  `The US aims to control, through military force, 
oil and the means of transport in the Middle East,' he said. 
`Incirlik is an important base with its connections to 
motorways, railways, and ports,' Oymen noted, and warned the 
Turkish government against taking a decision without 
approval from the parliament. 
 
Armenian Diaspora `Splits' in US:  Cracks have appeared 
within the Armenian diaspora in the United States, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  The Armenian National Congress in 
America (ANCA), an extension of the extremist Asnyaksutun 
Party, accused the Armenian Assembly in America (AAA) of 
supporting a `plot' hatched by the White House that would 
work toward encouraging Ankara's recognition of Armenian 
`genocide' claims in exchange for guarantees that Turkey 
will not be asked to make territorial concessions or pay 
compensation to Armenians. 
 
EU Official Lashes Out at Turkey for Lack of Freedom of 
Expression:  Speaking to the private news channel NTV, Joost 
Lagendijk, head of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary 
Commission in the EU Parliament, said that the violent 
reaction to a Women's Day rally by Turkish police and the 
order by a provincial governor to confiscate the books of 
renowned Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk because of his defense 
of Armenian `genocide' claims had caused great 
disappointment in Europe.  `These are sad events,' Lagendijk 
said, adding that such incidents are more important than the 
passing of new laws.  He criticized Turkish leaders for not 
having issued statements in defense of Pamuk's freedom of 
expression.  Langedijk said that Turkey's `internal affairs' 
are now `EU affairs,' and warned Turkey to expect further 
criticism from the EU.  He urged Turkey to be pro-active in 
dealing with the Kurdish and Armenian issues.   `You 
shouldn't just sit there and wait for a sledgehammer to fall 
on your head before you act,' he said.  Responding to a 
question on Ankara signing the expansion of the customs 
union for new members of the EU, including Nicosia, 
Lagendijk said that this would not mean Turkish political 
recognition of the Greek Cypriot side. 
 
German Ambassador on Turkey, Iraq, US:  German ambassador 
Wolf-Ruthart Born urged Kurdish activists in Turkey to break 
ties with the PKK rebel movement and keep open channels for 
dialogue.  Born called on former Democracy Party (DEP) 
lawmaker Leyla Zana and her colleagues to openly declare 
their opposition to terrorism and violence.  Born also 
pointed to problems encountered by religious minorities in 
Turkey, including the issue of the training of Orthodox 
clergy.  The German ambassador stressed that Armenian moves 
in Europe to gain recognition of `genocide' claims should 
not be regarded as a sign of enmity towards Turkey.  Germany 
has agreed to contribute to democratization efforts in Iraq, 
Born asserted.  `Germany, like Turkey, is an ally and friend 
of the United States, so we should be careful in our 
criticism of Washington,' Born noted. 
 
Turkish Security Forces' Operation Against PKK:  Air and 
ground operations launched by Turkish security forces 
against PKK militants in the Cudi and Gabar Mountains of 
Sirnak in southeastern Turkey are expanding, papers report. 
Two brigades and 2,000 village guards are participating in 
the operations, which are said to be the largest-scale 
operations in the southeast in the past 5 years.  Some 1,500 
PKK terrorists are estimated to be in the region, and 9 PKK 
militants and a Turkish sergeant have already been killed 
during the clashes. 
 
PM Erdogan to Attend Papal Funeral:  Prime Minister Tayyip 
Erdogan will travel to Italy on April 8 to attend funeral of 
Pope John Paul II.  State Minister Mehmet Aydin, AKP 
lawmakers Irfan Gunduz and Akif Gulle, and Erdogan's Foreign 
Policy Advisor Egemen Bagis are in the Turkish delegation 
that will go to the Vatican with Erdogan.  The Armenian 
Orthodox Archbishop in Istanbul, Mesrob Mutafyan II, will 
also attend the funeral on Friday. 
 
IPF Slams New Turkish Penal Code:  The International Press 
Federation (IPF) said Tuesday that the new Turkish Penal 
Code is a clear sign that the government is trying to censor 
the media, and called on the ruling AK Party to amend the 
code to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the 
Turkish media.  In a letter to PM Tayyip Erdogan, the IPF 
voiced concern that more than 25 articles of the new code 
would restrict the right of free reporting and could result 
in arbitrary jail sentences.  The Turkish parliament 
deferred implementation of the new penal code, which was 
supposed to take effect April 1, after widespread criticism 
of many of its provisions. 
 
Turkish Photographer Receives Pulitzer Prize:  Photographer 
Murad Sezer of the Associated Press (AP) in Turkey became 
the first Turk to win a Pulitzer prize for his picture of US 
soldiers in Iraq praying for dead comrades, Turkish papers 
report.  Sezer received the prize for his photograph showing 
a group of American troops praying for fallen comrades in 
Fallujah in April 2004.  The photograph was used by number 
of US dailies. 
 
President Sezer Vetoes Law Allowing More University Students 
to Become Policemen:  President Sezer blocked a draft law by 
the ruling AK Party which would have allowed more university 
students to enter the police force.  Reports speculate that 
Sezer feared that graduates of religious (imam-hatip) 
schools would have wanted to become policemen. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Pope John Paul II; Fight Against 
Terrorism 
 
"After the John Paul II" 
Mehmet Aydin, a university professor, commented in the 
Islamist-intellectual "Zaman" (4/6): "John Paul II, known as 
a dynamic, tolerant, moderate pope, was made a beloved 
figure both in the Catholic and Protestant worlds.  During 
his term, a Jewish Synagogue and a magnificent mosque for 
Muslims were built in Rome.  This was a strong indication of 
his commitment to religious tolerance.  His death has caused 
a profound sadness all over the world.  We have been 
watching masses of mourning and prayer for him in St. 
Peter's Square, and we feel solidarity with those who have 
gone there.  . The Vatican, meanwhile, is now busy with 
choosing a new pope.  It is more important than ever before 
that the new pope is a democratic, tolerant peacekeeper who 
is open to dialogue rather than an aggressive, ideologically- 
obsessed fanatic.  A good selection would make a significant 
contribution to world peace." 
 
"John Paul II" 
Ergin Yildizkan wrote in the leftist-nationalist 
"Cumhuriyet" (4/6): "The timing of choosing the new pope is 
very important.  John Paul II was a pope of the power 
(`instrumentum regni').  It remains to be seen whether the 
new pope will manage to be a pope of love and justice 
(`instrumentum Christi'). . John Paul II stood against the 
Iraq war, but that can be seen as part of the cultural power 
struggle between Catholics and Protestant Evangelists.   The 
new pope will serve in a highly critical point in 
international affairs.  The Bush administration is trying to 
pursue an imperial policy, so the stance of the new pope is 
very important for Washington.  The Bush administration 
might run into difficulty trying to implement its imperial 
policies unless it has the stamp of approval of the Vatican. 
. Nevertheless, there seems very little hope that the new 
pope will be the `instrumentum Christi.'" 
 
"The US Flirt with Radical Islam" 
Mete Cubukcu commented in the leftist-opinion maker "Birgun" 
(4/6):  "There is speculation that developments in Iraq, 
Palestine, and Lebanon will push supporters of radical Islam 
to a more moderate position in the political arena. 
Developments in Iraq to one side, the positions of Hamas and 
Hizbullah position will also redefine radical Islam's goals 
in the region.  Will it be beneficial to draw these 
organizations into the legal political system?  If these two 
organizations could become legalized, in time they could 
surrender their arms, follow a moderate policy, and help to 
change the future of the Middle East.  It is also possible, 
however, that if these organizations were allowed into the 
political arena they would insist on Islamic practices or 
perhaps even Sharia.  Of course, all these developments 
depend directly on the stance of Israel, the US, and the EU. 
In recent months, the US and the EU have signaled a 
willingness to improve relations with Hizbullah and Hamas 
only if they were to reject their terrorist past.  Moreover, 
it is known that the certain circles in the US have had 
meetings with the radical Islamic organizations in the 
region.  In short, it is possible for Washington to move 
closer with Islamic groups regardless of their radical 
orientations.  That is why the US has recently presented the 
hideous elections in Saudi Arabia as an example of 
`democratization.'  While the threats and occupations 
continue in the Middle East in the name of democratization, 
one should be prepared for more `democracies' to surface in 
the coming years." 
 
EDELMAN