US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2051

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002051 
 
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, APRIL 8, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Talabani Issues Friendship Message for Turkey - Aksam 
World Press: Turkey Supports Talabani - Hurriyet 
Ankara Expects Talabani to Represent All Iraqis - Sabah 
Shiite Jafari Becomes Iraq's Prime Minister - Milliyet 
Assad: Turkey's EU Drive Will Positively Affect Syria - 
Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
5 Million Catholics Flock to Rome - Radikal 
The Talabani Period in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Talabani Kicks Off Fast, Assigns Jafari as Prime Minister - 
Radikal 
Talabani Offers Amnesty to Insurgents in Iraq - Zaman 
Ethnic Tension Rising in Kirkuk - Yeni Safak 
US Concerned About Civil Strife in Kirkuk - Cumhuriyet 
Adams Urges IRA to Leave Arms, Join Political Process - 
Cumhuriyet 
Annan Suggests Permanent UN Body for Human Rights - Yeni 
Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
PM Erdogan to Attend Papal Funeral:  Prime Minister Tayyip 
Erdogan will attend the Papal funeral in Rome on Friday. 
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and Armenian Archbishop 
Mutafyan also flew to Italy last night to attend the funeral 
mass at the Vatican.  Flags in Turkey and north Cyprus will 
be flown at half mast in honor of Pope John Paul II. 
 
Syrian President on Ties with US, Turkey:  Syrian President 
Bashar Assad denied in an interview with the mass-appeal 
"Sabah" any involvement by Damascus' in the assassination of 
former Lebanese prime minister Hariri.  `Syria has suffered 
from the Hariri killing in both the regional and 
international arena,' Assad emphasized.  Assad said he does 
not expect a US military attack against Syria, but 
identified the spread of terrorism and a deteriorating 
political situation worldwide as sources of concern for 
Damascus.  Assad also stressed that Syria has been a party 
to international accords on the proliferation of WMD, and 
rejected accusations that Damascus had such weapons.  On 
Turkey, Assad said Ankara is no longer acting like a devoted 
ally of the United States.  `However, I regard Turkey's 
relations with other countries as positive,' Assad noted, 
`because Syria has very positive relations with Turkey.' 
Assad said that Turkey's membership in the European Union 
will make Syria a neighbor to the European bloc, and he 
added that Syria's trade and economic relationship with 
Turkey is expanding.  The Syrian President underlined that 
Turkey's membership in the EU as a Muslim country would help 
to avoid a prospective clash between Christianity and Islam. 
 
Sezer's Syria Visit Causes Disagreement Between Turkey and 
US, EU:  "Sabah" claims that the US and the EU, having 
agreed on a joint position toward Syria, want Turkish 
President Sezer to convey a strong message urging Syria to 
withdraw from Lebanon during his upcoming visit to Damascus. 
Washington has urged the Turks, through diplomatic channels, 
for Sezer to convey this message both publicly and privately 
during his call on President Assad.  Turkish officials said 
that Ankara has already voiced support for a Syrian 
pullback, and added that declaring the message in public 
would negatively affect Turkey's ties with Damascus. 
 
Sezer: Moderate Islam Evolves Into Fundamentalism: 
Addressing a War Academy conference in Ankara on Thursday, 
President Sezer criticized efforts to promote Turkey as a 
model of `moderate Islam.'  `Moderate Islam inevitably 
evolves into fundamentalist regimes,' according to Sezer. 
Sezer stressed that Turkey is different from other Islamic 
countries, not only because of its different interpretation 
of Islam, but also because of its secular system based on 
democracy and the rule of law.  The Turkish President also 
noted that Turkey is ready to share its experiences with 
neighboring countries.  He also called for a broad 
democratic government representing all groups in Iraq, and 
stressed that Kirkuk should be part of an integrated and 
unified Iraq.  Sezer emphasized that he would discuss 
bilateral relations and regional developments with the 
Syrians during his upcoming visit to Damascus.  Sezer said 
that `Turkey and the United States act in solidarity to 
prevent crises, to fight against terrorism, and to prevent 
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.' 
`Development of cooperation with the United States and 
continuation of Turkey's important role in NATO are 
critical' to Turkey's interests, Sezer added. 
 
Tuygan Due in US:  Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) 
Undersecretary Ali Tuygan will visit Washington April 13-15. 
Tuygan will be accompanied by a large delegation of MFA 
officials, and will meet with State Department U/S Nick 
Burns and members of Congress, including members of the US- 
Turkey Friendship Caucus.  "Yeni Safak" expects Tuygan to 
convey to the Americans a positive response regarding the 
use of Incirlik Airbase as a logistical hub.  Turkey has 
denied an unofficial US request to increase the number of US 
F-16 jetfighters at Incirlik Airbase within the framework of 
the US global defense posture review, according to "Yeni 
Safak."  An unidentified US official told the paper that the 
US will not insist on Incirlik: `A hub at Incirlik would 
facilitate things for us, but if our request is denied, we 
can do without it,' he said.  During his stay, Tuygan will 
also lay the groundwork for the visit to the US by PM 
Erdogan in June, "Zaman" reports. 
 
CHP Opposes Wider Use of Incirlik Airbase by the Americans: 
Kemal Anadol, deputy chief of the opposition Republican 
People's Party (CHP) group, said on Thursday that the 
government may respond positively to the US request for 
Incirlik Airbase only after securing the approval of 
parliament.  Anadol added that the CHP will not back the 
government's efforts to that end.  Anadol declared that the 
1980 agreement between Turkey and US on the use of Incirlik 
Airbase (i.e., the DECA) is `illegitimate' because it was 
signed without parliamentary approval.  Anadol claimed that 
Iran and Syria may be attacked if the government approves US 
requests on Incirlik. 
 
US Worried About Civil Strife in Kirkuk: Turkish media cite 
international wire reports that the United States is worried 
that ethnic conflict in Kirkuk could evolve into a civil 
war.  Arabs and Turkmens in Kirkuk are arming against the 
Kurds because the Kurds have secured all high-level 
positions in the government of the oil-rich northern Iraqi 
town, the reports claim. 
 
Turkish Drivers Wounded in Attack by Gunmen in Iraq:  Seven 
Turkish truck drivers were injured, one seriously, in an 
attack by unidentified gunmen near Kirkuk in northern Iraq, 
Turkish television reported this morning.  The injured 
drivers were reportedly sent to Suleymaniye for medical 
treatment. 
Turkish Military Expands Operations Against PKK:  The 
Turkish military launched new operations against the PKK 
presence in the mountainous Sirnak, Hakkari, and Bingol 
provinces in southeastern Turkey.  The operation, which is 
the biggest in the past five years, is being supported by 
Cobra helicopters and F-16 jetfighters. 
Food Safety Conference Held in Izmir:  The economic daily 
"Dunya" reports on a conference on food safety organized by 
the Strategic Technical Economic Research Center in Izmir. 
The conference was held within  the context of a discussion 
on Turkey's harmonization with EU agruicultural standards. 
US Embassy Agriculture Attache Jamies Higgiston noted that 
`food safety is one of the first issues that new diplomats 
assigned to Turkey ask about.'  Representatives of the UN 
Food and Agricultural Organization also emphasized the 
importance of the food safety issue.  Other participants in 
the conference included representatives of Turkey's 
Agriculture Ministry and parliamentary deputies from the 
opposition CHP. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq/Talabani 
 
"The Success of Iraq" 
Erdal Guven observed in the liberal-intellectual Radikal 
(4/8):  "Despite some ongoing problems, such as economic 
issues and lack of security, Iraq's current situation 
represents remarkable progress that should not be ignored. 
First and most important , Iraqis have begun a process of 
reconciliation.  Kurds and Shiites found an optimal way to 
work together by abandoning excessive demands.  Sunnis were 
not excluded from the political restructuring despite the 
fact that they kept a distance from it and some even worked 
against.  It is very important that a Sunni has become the 
parliamentary speaker and one of the presidential deputy 
positions was also given to a Sunni.  These are promising 
developments that make one hopeful about the future of Iraq. 
Iraq is now moving toward a more challenging period when it 
will attempt to rebuild its infrastructure.  Iraq will be 
able to experience success in this period if the tendency of 
reconciliation and embracing all elements is maintained. 
Any deviation will increase the potential for conflict and 
division.. If we consider what the Iraqis have accomplished 
so far, we can be hopeful for the future." 
 
"Time for Reconciliation with Talabani" 
Ferai Tinc wrote in the mass appeal Hurriyet (4/8): "Iraqi 
leaders have a serious challenge in the days ahead.  They 
will have to deal with many issues in restructuring the 
country with leadership that combines different ideals and 
different interests.   Political existence for some Iraqi 
leaders stemmed from their opposition to Saddam.  Today 
things are very different than in the past, and new rhetoric 
will be required.  It is important to note that Ankara was 
among the first capitals to congratulate Talabani.  It seems 
that Ankara is revising its position on Iraq to embrace all 
elements, including Turkmen, Kurds, and Arabs.  The solution 
of Iraq's problems is very important for everyone in the 
region, and particularly for Turkey.  Turkey should 
contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq by pursuing a 
respectful, inclusive, and cooperative course." 
 
"Was Talabani Elected or Appointed?" 
Nationalist Ortadogu carried this op-ed (4/8): "Talabani has 
become the president of Iraq.  This was an appointment, not 
an election.  It says several things.  A minority now rules 
the majority in Iraq.  Bush has accomplished the first step 
toward a federal system in this country. . It is very 
unfortunate that before the eyes of the countries in the 
region, the map of the Middle East is being changed.  The 
White House has begun implementing a scenario for the region 
that will have serious consequences for the future of the 
Turkish Republic. . As a first step, the people of Iraq were 
divided into three, thanks to the democratic (!) election. 
Now a tribal leader has been named president.  Developments 
in Iraq from now on will not bring any good news for Turkey, 
nor for Kirkuk and the Turkmen." 
EDELMAN