US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2719

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002719 
 
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, MAY 11, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan to Meet Bush June 8 - Vatan 
Bush Conquers Georgia - Aksam 
Bush Greeted Like a Rock Star in Georgia - Hurriyet 
150,000 Georgians Greet Bush Waving US Flags - Vatan 
Bush Calls for Continuation of `Democratic Revolutions' - 
Milliyet 
EU Expansion Chief Rehn to Visit Cyprus - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush Finally Grants Appointment to Erdogan - Radikal 
Bush-Erdogan Summit on June 8 - Zaman 
Georgians Rally for `Revolutionary' Bush - Zaman 
US President in the Caucasus - Cumhuriyet 
Rafsanjani to Seek Iran Presidency - Radikal 
US Warns Iran Against Relaunching Nuclear Activities - Yeni 
Safak 
US `Matador Operation' on Iraq's Syria Border - Cumhuriyet 
US Military Can't Find New Recruits - Yeni Safak 
Arab-Latin Summit to Say `No' to US Hegemony - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Bush-Erdogan to Meet June 8:  Prime Minister Recep Tayyip 
Erdogan is expected to meet with US President George W. Bush 
on 8 June in Washington, papers report.  Erdogan is 
scheduled to visit Washington to attend a session of the 
American Turkish Council from June 5-7.  Erdogan is to be 
accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who will be 
meeting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  The Gul-Rice 
meeting is also scheduled for June 8, according to reports. 
 
Opposition CHP Demands Clarification on Incirlik Decree: 
Opposition CHP's deputy chairman Onur Oymen said that 
despite an earlier statement by Foreign Minister Gul ruling 
out the transfer of military personnel through Incirlik 
Airbase, the April 18 cabinet decree provides for US access 
to Turkish bases for logistical support operations, 
`including the transfer of military equipment and 
personnel,' "Cumhuriyet" reports.  The decree does not 
mention Incirlik, Oymen noted, and he questioned whether 
there was a separate agreement regarding use of the airbase. 
`The decree includes the transfer of personnel, and those 
personnel are surely not gardeners or cooks,' Oymen said. 
Oymen demanded an explanation from the government on the 
issue.  "Cumhuriyet" also reports that several leading 
Turkish NGOs asked the AK Party government at a press 
conference in Istanbul yesterday to reveal the `secret' 
cabinet decree on the use of Incirlik Airbase. 
 
Papadopoulos Said Erdogan `Exaggerated' Conversation in 
Moscow:  Cyprus President Papadopoulos said that PM Erdogan 
had `exaggerated' the contents of a conversation the two men 
held with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Moscow earlier 
this week.  Papadopoulos reportedly told the media that the 
brief conversation did not result in an agreement to restart 
Cyprus negotiations as Erdogan had implied. 
 
Turkey's NSC Chief to Visit Israel:  Turkish National 
Security Council (NSC) Secretary General Yigit Alpogan is to 
visit Israel May 17-19 as the guest of Israeli National 
Security Council chief Giora Eliant, Turkish papers report. 
Alpogan will discuss with the Israelis regional issues and 
increased sharing of intelligence on terrorist 
organizations.  Alpogan will also address some Israeli think- 
tanks during his visit.  Reports claim that Alpogan will 
visit the United States for a meeting with newly appointed 
NSC Chairman Stephen Hadley following his trip Tel Aviv. 
 
Jafari to Visit Turkey:  Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari 
will be in Ankara May 19 on a two-day official visit, papers 
report.  During his stay in Ankara, Jafari will reportedly 
meet with President s Sezer, PM Erdogan, and FM Gul to 
discuss recent developments in Iraq, particularly the Kirkuk 
issue and the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution. 
 
Arinc Due in US:   Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc 
will be visiting the United States at the end of May at the 
invitation of Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis 
Hastert, the official Anatolian News Agency (AA) reported on 
Tuesday. 
 
Afghans Protest US for Koran Desecration:  Afghan 
protesters, infuriated by a "Newsweek" report that US 
interrogators in Guantanamo Bay had desecrated the Koran, 
set fire to the governor's office in Jalalabad on Wednesday, 
Turkish papers report based on international wires. 
"Newsweek" said that investigators probing abuses at the 
military prison in Guantanamo Bay had discovered that 
interrogators had placed pages of the Koran on toilet paper 
rolls.  About 2,000 students protested the US in Jalalabad 
on Tuesday and demanded an apology. 
 
US Military Postal Service Subject to Turkish Customs 
Declaration:  The US military will now have to file customs 
declarations to receive their private mail, "Hurriyet" 
reports in a front-page story.  The new practice has been 
implemented since March 9, and marks the termination of a 
protocol that had been signed between the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA) and the US State Department on this issue 20 
years ago.  The report asserts that for the past 20 years, 
private parcels delivered to US soldiers in Turkey came 
through Istanbul Ataturk Airport without being checked at 
customs.  US soldiers will pay no taxes on the delivery, and 
the mail will not be subject to inspection, according to the 
Istanbul Deputy Governor.  But processing of the mail will 
now require notification to Turkish authorities about the 
content of the pouches coming in from abroad.  "Hurriyet" 
quotes a US official in Istanbul as saying that there are 
military postal services at airports in many countries that 
receive mail sent to US troops on commercial flights. 
 
ECHR to Announce Verdict on Ocalan May 12:  The European 
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will deliver its final verdict 
in an appeal filed by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan on 
Thursday.  The ruling could lead to Ocalan's retrial in 
Turkey, where he is serving a life sentence.  Ocalan was 
sentenced to death for treason, but his sentence was changed 
to life in prison on October 3, 2002 after Turkey scrapped 
capital punishment in a bid to ease its membership into the 
European Union.  The Council of Europe has asked Turkey in a 
letter to change legislation that blocks the retrial of 
suspects, "Radikal" reports.  The issue may be raised during 
Prime Minister Erdogan's May 15 visit to Warsaw, where he 
will attend a summit meeting of Council of Europe leaders. 
 
AKP Lawmaker Resigns:  Ismail Ericekli, a Cankiri 
parliamentary deputy from the ruling AK Party, resigned from 
his party on Tuesday and announced his intention to join the 
True Path Party (DYP).  The breakdown of seats in the 
parliament following Ericekli's resignation is as follows: 
AKP 355, CHP 162, ANAP 10, DYP 7, SHP 5, HYP 1, Independent 
8.  Two seats remain vacant. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: VE Day 
 
"After the Moscow Summit" 
Yilmaz Oztuna commented in the conservative "Turkiye" 
(5/11): "The VE Day celebrations were marked by some some 
very important messages from world leaders, including on the 
value of peace and human rights.  Even President Bush's 
criticism about Russian democracy and Putin's harsh response 
did not harm the overall positive atmosphere.  Yet the most 
important message in Bush's speech was about the `Pax 
Americana,' which he explained at some length.  The `Pax 
Americana' refers to the process of democratization in Asia 
and North Africa.  Bush expressed in a very determined way 
the US commitment on the democratization issue.  This 
determination also stems from US desire to control oil 
supplies in those areas.  But Washington should realize that 
democracy cannot be easily applied in every society.  Recent 
developments in Egypt are just one recent example.  Egypt is 
discussing the method for electing a parliamentary speaker. 
At US insistence, the single-candidate system is about to be 
changed.  The Egyptian `democratic' will now allow more than 
one candidate to run, but under one condition -- all 
candidates must come from the ruling party!" 
 
"Imperial Conflict" 
Ergun Goze wrote in the conservative-sensational "Halka ve 
Olaylara Tercuman" (5/11):  "Presidents Bush and Putin 
engaged in a war of words during the 60th anniversary 
celebrations of VE Day.  Bush criticized the Russians for 
occupying Europe after World War II.  In return, Putin 
claimed that Russia had freed Europe from the Nazis.  Bush 
continued urging Russia to become a democratic state.  Putin 
questioned democracy in America by reminding Bush that he 
had to come to power through a court decision.  Both sides 
voiced their differences in an open manner.  We need to 
thing about where Turkey fits in to this picture.  Before 
WWI, Turkey was often depicted between a bear and a whale - 
the bear symbolizing Russia and the whale representing the 
West.  Except for the fact that the West is now dominated by 
the United States rather than Europe, not much has really 
changed.  Turkey's fate is the same as before, squeezed 
between the whale and the bear." 
 
 
EDELMAN