US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2431

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002431 
 
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, APRIL 28, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan: Turkey Will Not Forget US Support - Milliyet 
TGS: Halki Seminary Should Not Be Reopened - Hurriyet 
General Myers: Insurgent Attacks on Rise in Iraq - Sabah 
Washington Post: Bush Support Decreases to 47 Percent - 
Sabah 
Putin the First Russian Leader to Visit Israel - Hurriyet 
Thousands of Israelis Rally Against Withdrawal Plan - Aksam 
Turkey to Build 7 Schools in Afghanistan - Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan: Ties With US a Main Pillar of Turkish Foreign 
Policy - Radikal 
Laura Kennedy to Visit Cyprus - Radikal 
15,000 Armenian Tourists Visited Turkey Last Year - Zaman 
Iraqi Parliament Suffers First Casualty - Radikal 
Woman Lawmaker Killed in Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
Council of Europe Denounces US Over Guantanamo Abuse - Yeni 
Safak 
Lebanese Celebrate Syrian Pullout - Radikal 
Putin on First Visit to Israel, Palestine - Cumhuriyet 
Israel Worried About Russian Missiles in Syria - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Erdogan Underlines Significance of Ties With US;  Addressing 
Turkey's ruling AK Party group at the parliament on 
Wednesday, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey 
should not forget the long-standing backing given by the 
United States in several areas -- from the struggle against 
terrorism to energy cooperation.  Ties with the US 
constitute a `main pillar' of Turkey's foreign policy, 
Erdogan said.  `Despite disagreements over ways to handle 
certain problems, the need for common understanding and 
cooperation continues,' he stressed.  The PM identified 
Cyprus, PKK terrorism, and Armenian genocide claims as key 
issues between the US and Turkey.  "Cumhuriyet" regards 
Edogan's remarks as an effort to secure more US support in 
dealing with growing pressure for concenssions on Cyprus, 
the PKK and the Armenian issue.  While praising the United 
States, Erdogan slammed the European Union, charging that 
the EU has not kept promises on breaking the isolation of 
the Turkish Cypriots. 
 
US-Turkey to Launch Technical Talks After Presidential 
Approval of Incirlik Decree:  Technical negotiations between 
Turkish and US officials regarding the use of Incirlik 
Airbase as a logistical cargo hub for US operations in Iraq 
and Afghanistan will begin following the approval of a 
related cabinet decree by President Sezer, "Milliyet" 
reports.  The talks will clarify the number of planes 
arriving at Incirlik, the equipment to be carried by US 
military cargo planes, flight durations, number of 
logistical personnel for the flights, flight corridors, and 
inspection of cargo material by the Turks.  "Cumhuriyet" 
reports that the technical discussions are already underway, 
and that the US side has received verbal assurances that a 
positive response to the cargo hub request will be given 
soon. 
 
Turkish Military Advises Against Reopening of Halki 
Seminary:  The Turkish General Staff (TGS) has prepared a 
document recommending changes to the national security 
document drafted by the National Security Council (NSC), 
papers report.  The TGS document highlights fundamentalist 
and separatist activities as `internal security threats' 
facing the country.  The document advises Turkey not to sign 
international accords that legitimize separatist activities, 
and indicates that economic imbalances between different 
regions in the country should be resolved.  The document 
also warns against the spread of `Pontic-Greek propaganda, 
and recommends that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in 
Istanbul not be allowed to `upgrade' its status.  The report 
also advises that Ankara reject requests for the reopening 
of Halki Seminary. 
 
DAS Kennedy to Visit Cyprus:  Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
State Laura Kennedy will travel to Ankara, Athens, Nicosia, 
Brussels and London from May 1, Turkey's official Anatolian 
Agency reports.  State Department Spokesman Adam Ereli said 
that Kennedy's visit to Cyprus is an extension of current US 
efforts aimed at reaching a solution on the divided island 
within the framework of the Annan Plan. 
 
Turkey Protests Polish, Russian Votes on Armenian 
`Genocide':  The Turkish Parliament protested on Wednesday a 
decision by the Polish assembly to recognize the mass 
killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as 
a `genocide.'  To express its displeasure, Ankara canceled 
some meetings between Turkish and Polish lawmakers that had 
been scheduled for May.  Russia's State Duma also reiterated 
its support for the Armenian claims.  The Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA) said it would send a note of protest to 
Russia over its position on the `genocide' issue.  Prime 
Minister Tayyip Erdogan repeated his call on Wednesday to 
Armenia to open up its archives and allow historians from 
the two to establish historical facts.  Erdogan reacted 
cautiously to  a proposal from Armenian President Robert 
Kocharyan that the two countries first work to establish 
diplomatic relations.  `Before we move on to improve ties, 
there is are historic issues that need to be resolved,' 
Erdogan said.  Meanwhile, the conservative-intellectual 
"Zaman" reports that Foreign Minister Gul said Turkey will 
receive this year some 40,000 ethnic Armenian tourists from 
the United States thanks to a joint tourism initiative 
launched with Armenian priests in the US three years ago.  A 
recent poll conducted by Turks showed that 73 percent of 
Armenians want to spend holidays in Turkey, "Zaman" notes. 
 
Turkey to Build Schools, Hospitals in Afghanistan:  Prime 
Minister Tayyip Erdogan told his AKP group Wednesday that 
Turkey will build seven schools and a hospital in Kabul, 
Afghanistan.  Erdogan described the situation in Afghanistan 
as `heart-wrenching,' saying that in Kabul there is nothing 
left that seems `like a city.'  He said that Turkey's aid 
efforts in Afghanistan will be carried out by the Turkish 
International Development Agency (TIKA). 
 
Dervis, New Head of UNDP, Will Work to Reduce Poverty: 
Turkey's former economy minister Kemal Dervis, the newly 
appointed head of the UN Development Program (UNDP), faces 
the tough task of halving by 2015 the number of people who 
live with extreme hunger, "Sabah" repotrts.  The report 
notes that the UNDP has allotted 8 million USD for projects 
to reduce poverty in eastern and southeastern Turkey. 
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan congratulated Dervis on 
his election to the UN post. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
Putin to Israel; Incirlik Airbase/US-Turkish Military 
Cooperation 
 
"Putin in Israel" 
Fikret Ertan observed in the Islamist-intellectual "Zaman" 
(4/28): "Putin's visit to Israel will be overshadowed by the 
deal on SA-18 anti-aircraft missiles.  Despite US and 
Israeli pressure, Russia has not backed off its plan to sell 
20 SA-18 missiles to Syria.  In other words, the military 
balance between Israel and Syria will be altered to Syria's 
benefit to a certain degree.  . Yet the visit of the Russian 
leader Israel will be a breakthrough in bilateral ties. 
Whether this will be a positive development, however, 
remains to be seen.  Ignoring the US and Israel and deciding 
to sell missiles to Syria is a decision that stems from 
Moscow's power.  Russia is sure of its strong position on 
this matter, and is certain that eventually Israel will need 
cooperation with Moscow." 
 
"The Return of Russia to the Middle East" 
Akif Emre wrote in the Islamist-opinion maker "Yeni Safak" 
(4/28): "Recent developments might be interpreted as the 
return of Russia to the Middle East, but we need to look at 
this situation with the utmost caution.  First of all, 
Russia does not have a good record on the question of 
Israel's expansionist policy in the region.  Even during 
Soviet times, Moscow was supportive of Israel and protected 
Israel, along with the US.  Moreover, as the US pledged full 
military, diplomatic, and economic support for Israel, the 
Soviet Union produced the human resources, sending hundreds 
of thousands of Soviet Jews to settle in Palestine. . During 
Putin's visit to Israel, the Iran issue will be higher on 
the agenda than Israeli-Palestinian relations.  Israel is 
worried about Russian-Iranian cooperation to develop Iran's 
nuclear capacity.  Giving Moscow's close strategic 
cooperation with Iran and Syria, Russia is beginning to 
emerge as both a key regional players and a balancing 
factor." 
 
"What Will Happen in Incirlik?" 
Zafer Atay opined in the economic-political "Dunya" (4/28): 
"While Turkish officials remain silent on the Incirlik 
issue, the US Embassy website is carrying explanatory 
statements about the US request.  Some unidentified 
officials in Washington are also making remarks on the 
issue.  According to some reports, the US has got what it 
wanted.  Incirlik will be used as a logistics hub.  The 
meaning of this is not very clear.  Foreign Minister 
Abdullah Gul said that the rules of permission given to the 
US for the use of the base have not changed.  According to 
Gul, `there is nothing new on the issue.  We have only 
updated the prevailing practice.'   I would like to know the 
details of this `updating'.  There are some claims that 
neither arms nor troops will be transferred through 
Incirlik.  That is fine.  But some others are saying that 
`no lethal weapons will be allowed.'  Can someone tell me 
which weapons are not lethal?  It was said right from the 
beginning that Incirlik would be used only for cargo planes. 
Right after that, rumors spread that Washington would use 
Incirlik for operations in Iran and Syria.  According to US 
sources, this information is false.  Cargo flights would be 
limited to Iraq and Afghanistan, and they would carry only 
humanitarian assistance.  These rights at Incirlik will be 
valid for the UK as well, as the UK is an important part of 
the coalition. . Reportedly, the Americans were hurt by the 
fact that the issue took so long to be resolved.  They were 
also angry that the issue was linked with US Congressional 
action on the so-called Armenian Genocide issue.  They were 
also upset that the announcement of the agreement came just 
before April 24.  How sensitive the Americans are! . 
Apparently, some unidentified officials said that Incirlik 
is not very important for the US, and that the US has other 
alternatives.  Former Deputy Defense Secretary Richard Perle 
had already expressed such a view.  He said that the 
Incirlik issue was kept on the agenda as a symbol of the 
friendship and closeness of the two countries.  I don't know 
about you all, but I am seriously confused.  If there are no 
changes on the issue, and if everything is the same as 
before, then let Turkish officials inform the Turkish public 
-- not an American internet site.  Maybe then we will 
understand the issue better, and we will feel more 
comfortable." 
 
EDELMAN