US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2761

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002761 
 
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, MAY 13, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
ECHR Rules for Retrial of Ocalan - Sabah 
EU: Turkey Must Implement ECHR Ruling on Ocalan - Hurriyet 
400 Civilians Killed in Iraq in Two Weeks - Milliyet 
Former French, German Officials Took Bribes from Saddam - 
Hurriyet 
EU Warns Iran Against Restarting Nuclear Program - Milliyet 
Blair Signals Resignation - Milliyet 
Students Burn US Flag at Kabul University - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
ECHR: Ocalan's Trial Was `Unfair' - Radikal 
Erdogan: Turkish Judiciary Will Have Final Decision on 
Ocalan - Yeni Safak 
US Congressmen to Spend July 4 in Turkish Cyprus - Zaman 
Ankara Wants to Keep Open Channels With Yerevan - Radikal 
Tal Afar Turns Into a `Ghost Town' - Zaman 
Insurgency Intensifies, Targets Marketplaces in Iraq - Zaman 
Iraqi Border City al-Kaim to Become New Fallujah - Yeni 
Safak 
EU Threatens, Moscow Supports Iran - Yeni Safak 
Anti-US Rallies Spread to Kabul - Cumhuriyet 
Berlin Approves EU Constitution - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
ECHR Rules in Fabvor of Retrial For Ocalan:  The European 
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) declared Thursday that the 
trial of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was unfair, thereby 
confirming a verdict reached two years ago.  The ECHR said 
that Turkey had breached the rights of Ocalan, who is 
serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison on 
Imrali island in the Marmara Sea.  Among the main reasons 
behind the ECHR final judgment were Ocalan's restricted 
access to his lawyers, and the lawyers' restricted access to 
the evidence against him.  Justice Minister and government 
spokesman Cemil Cicek said the ECHR did not take issue with 
the substance of the case against Ocalan or the verdict of 
the court that tried him.  `We need to see the details 
first,' Cicek said.  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said 
`even if the case is reopened in a legal sense, it has 
already been closed in the hearts of the people.'  Erdogan 
added that `ordinary' problems like this cannot change 
Turkey's EU goal or destroy its national unity.  `This 
matter will be discussed by the ministers of the European 
Council, but, the final decision will be made by the Turkish 
judiciary,' he emphasized.  President Ahmet Necdet Sezer 
said the ECHR retrial decision cannot be implemented without 
a related change in the Turkish penal code.  Sezer added 
that it is up to the parliament whether or not to lift this 
impediment.  Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul noted that the 
process `is not yet over,' adding that the ECHR decision 
will be examined by ministers on the European Council.  Gul 
said that the thousands of innocent people who died as the 
result of PKK terrorism cannot be forgotten.  The Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) said that the ECHR decision on Ocalan 
will be assessed under the Turkish Constitution, 
international conventions that  Turkey is party to, and 
Turkish law.  Opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said that 
the ECHR decision does not necessarily mean that Ocalan will 
be retried.  Baykal said the government could find an 
alternate way of resolving this problem by exerting its 
influence on the EU Ministerial Committee, which will make 
`the real decision.'  `If we retry Ocalan, we will be making 
a big mistake.  A retrial will cause chaos in Turkey, and 
polarization will be seen again,' Baykal said.  A Turkish 
judge on the ECHR said the ruling is simply a recommendation 
that Ocalan be retried, and added that the verdict still 
must be approved by the Eruopean Council.  Papers predict 
that Ankara will appeal the ECHR ruling at the July meeting 
of the Council, where an evaluation of the issue could last 
as long as a year. 
 
MFA Issues Details of Incirlik Decree:  The Turkish Foreign 
Ministry on Thursday released details of the April 18 
government decree permitting the US enhanced access to 
Incirlik Airbase, papers report.  The MFA said in a 
statement that US planes will not be allowed to transport 
arms, ammunition, or troops, but only logistical supplies 
such as tents, food, and spare parts.  It also noted that 
the US will ask for clearance to land cargo planes at the 
base one month in advance.  The statement also said that 
Ankara has allowed the UK and South Korea to use Incirlik 
for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well.  Britain has 
asked to use facilities at the base for refueling and 
maintenance, while South Korea has sought permission to 
evacuate troops in Iraq via Incirlik in the event of an 
emergency, the statement said. 
 
Commander Says Turkey Never Attempted to Rid Kandil 
Mountains of PKK:  "Milliyet" reports that Turkish Land 
Forces Commander General Yasar Buyukanit responded to a 
question concerning a statement made by US Embassy Political 
Counselor John Kunstadter, who said at a university panel in 
Ankara May 9 that the Turkish army had been unsuccessful 
when it tried to remove the PKK presence in the Kandil 
Mountains in northern Iraq in 1997.  Buyukanit said the PKK 
had not yet settled in the Kandil range 1997, but was only 
using the area as a logistical base.  `Therefore,' Buyukanit 
said, `the Turkish army has never tried to occupy the Kandil 
Mountains.'  Buyukanit reminded that the PKK has been 
bringing C-4 and C-3 explosives into Turkey from northern 
Iraq: `Instead of making such statements,' Buyukanit said, 
`that person should be concerned with how these explosives 
are being smuggled into Turkey.' 
 
US Embassy Ankara Issues Fact Sheet on BMENAI:  The US 
Embassy Ankara has released a fact sheet in an effort to 
clarify the goals of the Broader Middle East and North 
Africa Initiative following statements by President Sezer 
and Chief of General Staff General Ozkok opposing efforts to 
present Turkey as a model for `moderate Islam.'  The fact 
sheet notes that Turkey is a full BMENAI partner, not a 
`target' country for the initiative.  It adds that as a 
secular, democratic country with a population that is 
predominantly Muslim, Turkey has a wealth of valuable 
experience to offer countries in the early stages of reform. 
`The BMENAI does not aim to make Turkey less secular or less 
democratic,' it notes, stressing that Turkey's democracy and 
its experience with reform are precisely what make it a 
valuable BMENAI partner.  The Embassy note also supported 
Turkey's views that the impetus for democratic change must 
come from within the region, and that the BMENAI and 
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not mutually 
exclusive goals.  The Embassy statement was carried in full 
by "Sabah" and "Cumhuriyet." 
 
Turkmen Urge Iraqi Leadership to Relieve Strain in Tal Afar: 
Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) Chairman Ahmet Muratli urged 
President Talabani and Prime Minister Jafari to defuse the 
ongoing tension in Tal Afar caused by the US military 
operation that was launched eight months ago, "Cumhuriyet" 
reports.  Skirmishes between insurgents and US troops have 
gone out of control, to the point at which the Turkmen are 
being `cleansed' from Tal Afar, Muratli claimed.  The Tal 
Afar hospital is closed, and aid for the Turkmen city is 
blocked, he said, claiming that the Turkmen are being forced 
to leave the province.  Muratli also noted that the fate of 
Yasar Abdullah, The ITC Tal Afar representative arrested by 
US troops 20 days ago, remains unknown.  Islamist-oriented 
"Zaman" reports that Tal Afar has no electricity, and that 
humanitarian aid deliveries o the city have been blocked for 
the past four months. 
 
Erdogan-Kocharian May Meet at COE Warsaw Summit:  Ankara is 
looking for grounds for a compromise with Armenian President 
Kocharian during a possible meeting with Prime Minister 
Erdogan at the Council of Europe (COE) summit in Warsaw next 
week, "Radikal" reports.  Erdogan will gauge the attitude of 
Kocharian before pressing forward with the Turkish proposal 
for a joint investigation of Armenian `genocide' claims, the 
report claims, noting that the proposal has been welcomed by 
the international community.  Meanwhile, Prime Minister 
Erdogan said on Thursday that the 15 countries which have 
enacted bills on the alleged genocide of Armenians by the 
Ottomans in 1915 have themselves committed genocide in the 
past.  `I too can pass a parliamentary bill about genocide 
committed in various countries.  I have a sufficient 
majority to do that,' Erdogan said during a visit to 
Hungary. 
 
Congressman Wexler to Visit North Cyprus:  "Zaman" reports 
from Washington that Robert Wexler is to visit north Cyprus 
on July 4 together with some other US Congressmen in an 
effort to ease international sanctions against Turkish 
Cypriots.  In a speech to a sub-committee of Foreign 
Relations Committee yesterday, Wexler praised Turkey's 
accomplishments with regard to Cyprus as `miraculous,' 
"Zaman" reports.  Wexler said Turkey's March 2003 rejection 
of the deployment of US troops in the country to open a 
northern front in Iraq had been a disappointment, but 
reminded that Ankara later offered to send 10,000 troops to 
Iraq - an offer which was rejected by Washington.  `We 
should display the same fervor in thanking to Turks as we do 
when criticizing them,' Wexler said. 
 
Ankara to Name New Intelligence Chief:  Three candidates are 
rumored to be in the running to succeed Turkey's National 
Intelligence Organization (MIT) Undersecretary Senkal 
Atasagun, papers report.  The candidates include Turkey's 
current ambassadors to Portugal and Argentina, and MIT 
deputy Undersecretary Emre Taner. 
 
UNDP Report: Iraqis Live in Terrible Conditions:  A UN 
Development Program (UNDP) report says that the Iraqi people 
are facing high levels of unemployment and a lack of 
adequate shelter as well as health and electricity problems, 
Turkish media report.  Based on research conducted in 18 
Iraqi provinces among 22,000 families, the 370-page report 
notes that the Iraqis are living in `tragic' conditions. 
Unemployment has reached 18.4 percent, and only 54 percent 
of houses have drinking water.  Iraqi Planning Minister 
Berham Salih said that the desperate living conditions have 
been caused by the neglect of the international community 
and years of fighting in Iraq. 
 
AKP Lawmaker Withdraws Resignation:  Ruling AK Party 
lawmaker Ismail Ericekli, who had resigned from his party 
two days ago to join the DYP, has withdrawn his resignation 
and returned to AKP.  An AKP statement said that Ericekli 
withdrew his resignation after his complaints were `taken 
into consideration.'  The AKP has 356 seats in the 550- 
member parliament. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq; ECHR Ruling on PKK Leader 
 
 
"This is Only the Beginning" 
Haluk Ulman wrote in the economic-political "Dunya" (5/13): 
"The bloodshed in Iraq seems endless.  Since Ibrahim Jaferi 
established his new government on April 28, more than 400 
Iraqis have died in suicide attacks at mosques, in market 
places, and at police stations in Baghdat, Erbil, Mosul, and 
Bakuba.  Whether you call them insurgents or terrorists, all 
of these attackers are Sunni.  There are also fundamentalist 
Sunni militants who are mostly officers and soldiers from 
Saddam's army, as well as former Baath party members who 
later joined these groups.  Their main targets are Shiites, 
Kurds, and US troops.  In a recent speech, Iraqi Foreign 
Minister Zabari said that his government will not allow a 
civil war in Iraq.  If these events in Iraq do constitute a 
civil war, what else could we call it?  How many more people 
have to die for this to be called a civil war?  The 
explosions, suicide attacks, are continually increasing. 
This won't stop until the Sunnis, who have always ruled 
Iraq, are somehow convinced to support the new government. 
This is only the beginning.  I regret to say that there are 
more bloody days ahead." 
 
 
"A Legal Decision, or a Political One?" 
Sami Kohen wrote in the mainstream opposition "Milliyet" 
(5/13): "The ECHR ruling in the Ocalan case is a legal 
decision, but it will inevitably develop a political 
dimension over the course of time.  The European Council's 
Ministerial Committee is going to decide how to apply the 
ECHR ruling.  That will be a political decision made by the 
Council's 44 members, including Turkey.  Yet if the 
Committee decides on a retrial as the ECHR ruling suggests, 
Turkey should respect that outcome.  A rejection of the 
ruling would then bring severe consequences. . The Turkish 
people should act with rationality and common sense.  There 
is a long legal process ahead of Turkey.  There is 
absolutely nothing to be gained by acting out of fear or a 
sense of inferiority.  Certain steps can be taken to try to 
influence the Council's decision, and a number of 
alternatives can be explored.  But Turkey has little reason 
to be hopeful that the outcome will change.  As demonstrated 
in the past, the Council's decisions generally follow 
rulings by the ECHR." 
 
 
"We Must Pass This Test" 
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (5/13): "The 
ECHR ruling is no surprise, but it is going to be a big test 
for Turkey.  It is a test of courage for the government, and 
a test of responsibility for the opposition.  It is a test 
for the Turkish judicial system, which needs to demonstrate 
that it has digested global and contemporary legal 
principles.  It is also a test of maturity for the man-in- 
the-street.  . Turkey should put this issue into the hands 
of the Turkish judiciary as soon as possible to prevent the 
matter from being politicized.  This will require 
determination and courage, especially from the government. 
Some circles outside the government should also be helpful 
in this process by not provoking tension with conspiracy 
theories.  No one should go around saying that `a button has 
been pushed to divide Turkey' or that `Ocalan is likely to 
go free' in an effort to inflame tensions." 
 
EDELMAN