US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2317

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002317 
 
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 22, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Rice: Turkey the Best Example of Islam and Democracy - 
Milliyet 
Gul: We Trust Rice On the Armenian Question - Milliyet 
Ambassador Jones: Kirkuk Cannot Be Tied to A Regional 
Government - Hurriyet 
Barzani: We Have No Territorial Demands from Regional 
Countries - Aksam 
EU Warns Turkey's Kurds to Stay Away from Ocalan - Milliyet 
Kerry Supports Armenian `Genocide' Claims - Aksam 
Kerry at the Service of Armenian Lobby - Vatan 
School for Suicide Bombers in Iran - Hurriyet 
Belarus the New Target for Popular Uprisings - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Rice Calls for Regime Change in Belarus, Moscow Reacts - 
Cumhuriyet 
Belarus the New Target of the US - Yeni Safak 
Rice: Time for Change in Belarus - Zaman 
First NATO Meeting in Formerly Soviet Lithuania - Cumhuriyet 
NATO Preparing to Support Middle East Peace Process - Yeni 
Safak 
Armenian Lobby's Show of Force in US Congress - Radikal 
Papadopoulos Enjoys 71 Percent Popular Support - Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
US Request To Establish Logistical Hub at Incirlik Airbase: 
Washington may decide not to use the Incirlik Airbase as a 
logistical cargo hub for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan 
if a `blanket clearance' is not given to American cargo 
planes, "Yeni Safak" reports.  US sources said a logisitcs 
hub would be `meaningless' without blanket access, but 
refrained from making comments before they see the Turkish 
government's decision.  It adds that Turkish Foreign 
Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan said during a recent 
visit to the US that Ankara would respond positively to the 
US request, but that he did not elaborate on the content of 
the Turkish decision.  "Sabah" quotes a high-level US 
official as saying that although the US request on Incirlik 
had been submitted to the Turkish government in June last 
year, an official response has not yet been received.  `We 
have never linked the Incirlik issue to Armenian efforts to 
passa resolution in the US Congress, and we had expected 
Ankara to respond earlier to our request within the scope of 
strategic cooperation between the two countries,' the US 
official said.  `Incirlik is not of crucial importance to 
us,' the US official added, pointing out that the United 
States had developed other ways to carry out the US mission. 
Turkish diplomatic sources told "Sabah" that while 
Washington may be disappointed by the delay, they did not 
believe the US would give up on the use of Incirlik.  The 
paper believes Ankara will give Americans a `blanket access' 
on the cargo hub at Incirlik.  A front-page story in today's 
"Hurriyet" claims to include the text of an `agreement' 
reached by Turkish and US officials on the cargo hub.  The 
paper claims the `agreement' is the result of a long 
negotiation between Turkey and the US.  The US Embassy in 
Ankara released a statement on Friday clarifying that, as of 
now, there is no agreement between the two countries 
concerning the US request, nor have there been negotiations 
on this issue. 
 
Ambassador Jones on Iraq, Turkey, the PKK:  US State 
Department Special Representative for Iraq, Ambassador 
Richard Jones, told "Hurriyet" that PKK activities in Iraq 
continued in some `remote' areas where there are no American 
or Iraqi forces.  Jones said that US forces are doing their 
best to crackdown on PKK activities in the areas controlled 
by the Americans.  `Iraq's political leaders know our 
position on the issue, and many Iraqis share Turkey's 
concerns,' Jones added.  He noted that the US wants `very 
close' ties between Iraq and Turkey in the long term, and 
called on Iraq's neighbors to support the democratization 
process in the country.  Jones voiced hope that the 
insurgency will come to an end once resistance forces enter 
the democratic process in Iraq.  `The US supports democracy, 
territorial integrity, and a geographic federalism in Iraq,' 
he said, stressing that US policy on Iraq is not based on 
ethnic grounds.  Jones emphasized that Kirkuk's status 
should be decided by all the people of Iraq.  Jones added 
that a balance must be sought between claims of demographic 
changes in Kirkuk before Iraqi general elections, and the 
claims of those who have returned to their homes after being 
displaced under the former regime in Iraq. 
 
Armenians, Turks Lobby in US Before April 24:  John Kerry, 
Jack Reid and Paul Sarbanes were among the US Senators who 
attended a meeting held by the Armenian lobby in Washington 
Thursday to commemorate the `genocide' of Armenians by the 
Ottoman Turks during World War I, Turkish papers report. 
Over 120 Turkish NGOs in the US and Canada sent a letter to 
Congress in which they claimed that 500,000 Turks and 
Muslims had been killed by Armenians who sided with the 
British, Russians, and French in an effort to establish an 
Armenian state in Ottoman territory.  The letter called for 
a joint commission of historians to investigate the 
historical `facts,' according to reports.  Congressmen 
Robert Wexler and Ed Whitfield, members of the Turkish 
Friendship Group, sent a letter to US congressmen stressing 
that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan had been exerting 
efforts to achieve a compromise between Turks and Armenians. 
`As strong supporters of Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, we 
believe that it is now time for compromise, and hope the 
Armenian Government will extend an olive branch to Ankara to 
seize this opportunity,' the letter said.  Turkish Prime 
Minister Erdogan said in Ankara yesterday that Turkey had 
taken all the necessary initiatives in the United States 
with regard to the `genocide' charges, and that it is 
unnecessary to keep the issue high on the agenda.  FM Gul 
told the press that during the unofficial NATO meetings in 
Vilnius, Lithuania, he explained to Secretary Rice about 
Turkish expectations that the Administration will block 
Armenian efforts in the Congress.  The FM said that Rice had 
responded by saying that the US Administration would do its 
best on the issue.  "Milliyet" reports that the Turkish and 
Armenian foreign ministries are holding secret talks aimed 
at the establishment of diplomatic ties, and that Foreign 
Minister Gul and his Armenian counterpart have agreed on a 
package of confidence-building measures to further 
rapprochement between the two countries.  "Hurriyet" claims 
that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said he will accept 
a Turkish proposal to set up a joint committee to study the 
claims of genocide, but on the condition that Ankara and 
Yerevan first restore diplomatic relations. 
 
Talabani on Iraq-Turkey Ties:  Iraqi President Jalal 
Talabani said Thursday he would work to improve ties with 
Ankara and pledged action to remove the PKK presence in 
northern Iraq, Turkish papers report.  `I will do my best to 
improve ties with Turkey on the political, economic and 
commercial levels,' Talabani told CNN-Turk on Thursday. 
Talabani pledged to work for the opening of a second border 
crossing between the two countries and the inauguration of a 
Turkish consulate in Mosul.  Talabani also stressed that the 
Iraqi Kurds had used their right to self-determination in 
favor of a `democratic, federal and united Iraq,' adding 
that, if invited, he would be `very pleased' to visit 
Turkey. 
 
PM Erdogan Returns From Afghanistan:  Prime Minister Tayyip 
Erdogan called on the international community on his return 
from an official visit to Afghanistan to support Kabul in 
its reform efforts, including the drafting of a new 
constitution and the holding of parliamentary elections in 
September.  `It is not possible to prevent Afghanistan from 
being a center of extreme movements, terrorism, and drug 
trafficking solely through the efforts of the Afghan 
people,' Erdogan said in Ankara on Thursday.  `The Afghan 
people respect the work of the 1,600 Turkish troops deployed 
in Afghanistan under the ISAF command,' the Prime Minister 
noted.  Erdogan also pointed to efforts by Turkish 
contractors to handle infrastructure projects in the 
country, saying that Turkey would assist with more projects 
in the areas of education, health, and construction. 
 
EU Warns Baydemir Against Policies of Violence:  Ambassadors 
of EU countries in Ankara warned the mayor of Diyarbakir, 
Osman Baydemir, to stop pursuing policies of violence, and 
to keep a distance from imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah 
Ocalan.  Baydemir was invited to a monthly meeting of EU 
envoys in Ankara.  The Europeans reportedly told Baydemir 
that the European Union aims to unite nations, not divide 
them.  The EU prefers the expansion of the rights and 
liberties of the people of Turkey - including the Kurds. 
Baydemir complained that the Turkish state is not treating 
Kurds in southeastern Turkey equally, and said that support 
for the PKK would decline if the fighting in the region 
ends. 
 
AKP - State Leadership Split Over `Moderate Islam':  A news 
commentary on the front page of "Cumhuriyet" points to the 
split between the ruling AK Party government and top state 
officials on the role Turkey is supposed to play in the US 
Broader Middle East and North Africa project.  According to 
the report, the AKP supports the US plan to develop 
`moderate Islam' in the region, while President Sezer, Chief 
of General Staff (TGS) Ozkok and other military commanders 
oppose it, stressing instead Turkey's secular, democratic 
structure.  Both the presidency and TGS believe that 
secularism and moderate Islam cannot exist together, the 
report claims. 
 
US Companies Withdraw from Turkey's Defense Contracts:  US 
companies Bell Textron and General Atomics have withdrawn 
from Turkish defense undersecretariat contracts for 
helicopters and military drones, "Milliyet" reports.  Bell 
Textron has decided to close down its office in Turkey, 
saying that Turkish requirements with regard to contracts 
and technology transfer were `impossible' to meet.  The US 
company Boeing is also considering pulling out of the 
bidding.  The report claims that the withdrawl of US 
companies from the tender will weaken Turkey's hand in 
bargaining with other potential bidders. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Belarus, EU-Russia 
 
"Putin's Fear" 
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (4/22): 
"Secretary Rice made very bold remarks yesterday, saying it 
is the time for change in Belarus.  She went even further by 
voicing clear support for the opposition against President 
Lukashchenko.  At this point, Putin faces a no-win situation 
in Minsk, because all of the opposition elements in Belarus 
are pro-western.  .  Yet it is not realistic to expect 
regime change in Belarus anytime soon.  It might take a 
year.  As proven by other examples, there are three 
conditions that need to be met before a revolutionary 
process in a particular country:  an election process, the 
candidacy of the current ruler or dictator, and his victory 
with allegations of fraud.  Belarus will go through an 
election next year, and Lukashchenko will be one of the 
candidates.  . There are also other countries in areas 
formerly under Soviet control that could see a revolutionary 
process, including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and 
Armenia.  Azerbaijan might be added to this list, as well as 
the autonomous republic of   Baskurdistan.  In fact, 
Baskurdistan seems to be the major headache for Putin at 
this point.  The people have given the current ruler, 
Rahimov, a May 1 deadline to submit his resignation. 
Otherwise, a popular uprising is expected, which would be a 
real nightmare for the Russian leader." 
 
"EU-Russia Cooperation" 
 Kamuran Ozbir wrote in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (4/22): 
"The EU and Russia are getting ready for an agreement that 
would pave the way for cooperation on the economy, external 
security, culture, and in other areas.  The agreement is 
expected to be signed on May 10.  Moscow has been in close 
contact and cooperation with the EU in order to stand 
against US influence.  Moscow worked very hard against the 
expansion of NATO toward the east, but voiced no objection 
to EU expansion that includes former Soviet republics.  Even 
though Russia joined France and Germany to create an anti- 
war front against the US on Iraq, Europe never considered 
Russia as a prime ally.  Both the US and EU are hoping to 
see diminishing Russian influence in the former Soviet 
republics.  . Given the circumstances, the upcoming 
agreement between EU and Russia will also put pressure on 
the Russians to move toward compliance with EU criteria." 
 
EDELMAN