US embassy cable - 05ANKARA2968

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 002968 
 
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 
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Laura Bush on `Sesame Street' in Egypt - Milliyet 
Alam Simsin's `Auntie' Laura - Hurriyet 
Source of Newsweek Koran Abuse Report Possibly a Sacked CIA 
Official - Hurriyet 
Peres: I Will Be Turkey's Envoy for Joining EU - Hurriyet 
Cherie Blair Visits Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul 
- Milliyet 
Syrian Kurds Take to Streets - Milliyet 
Iranian Kurds Preparing for Revolt against Tehran - Vatan 
Reformists Blocked from Entering Presidential Race in Iran - 
Aksam 
Insurgents Abduct Turkish Businessman in Iraq - Sabah 
Australian Chief of Staff's Son Wounded in Iraq - Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
First Lady Laura Bush on Egypt's `Sesame Street' - Radikal 
Nicholas Burns: US Cyprus Policy Clear - Cumhuriyet 
Peres Ready to Lobby for Turkey's EU Membership - Zaman 
Baykal Supports Israel's Gaza Withdrawal - Radikal 
Sunni Imams Tortured in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Three Iraqis to be Executed in First Capital Punishments 
after Saddam Rule - Yeni Safak 
Bombs Shake Iraq: 70 Killed - Yeni Safak 
Newsweek Changes Editorial Policy over `Scandalous' Koran 
Abuse Report - Zaman 
Bush, Karzai `Strategic Partners' - Radikal 
Reformists Call for Boycott of Presidential Polls in Iran - 
Cumhuriyet 
Schroeder Presses for Polls in September - Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
U/S Burns: US Policy on Cyprus Clear:  US State Department 
U/S Nicholas Burns told the Greek daily "Kozmas Tu Ependiti" 
that the United States has clarified its policies with 
regard to ending the isolation of Turkish Cyprus, 
"Cumhuriyet" reports from Athens.  `We diplomatically 
recognize the Greek Cypriot Administration, but we have also 
begun establishing economic ties with the Turkish side,' 
Burns said.  `We have begun taking Turkish students to the 
United States as we have done with Greek Cypriot students,' 
Burns noted.  `We definitely back people who support a 
reunification in north Cyprus,' Burns stressed.  Burns said 
despite the progress seen in recent years, there are issues 
that need settlement between Greece and Turkey: `We tell 
both countries that instead of blaming each other in the 
press, you should solve problems through direct dialogue. 
The US policy on the Aegean has not changed - we acknowledge 
equal ground and air zones for the two sides.' 
 
First Lady Laura Bush Visits Egypt:  Turkish papers carry 
international wire reports covering First Lady Laura Bush's 
stop at Cairo on Sunday on the last leg of her Middle East 
tour.  Following a call on the wife of Egyptian President 
Mubarak, Suzanne, First Lady Bush paid a visit to the set of 
`Alam Simsin,' the Egyptian version of Sesame Street.  The 
US First Lady said protests in Jerusalem did not surprise 
her.  `I know the feelings in the region.  I have visited 
the holy sites there, and many Palestinians and Israelis 
gave me a warm welcome,' Bush said. 
 
Gonul: Turkey-US Ties `Unique':  Turkish Defense Minister 
Vecdi Gonul said to "Jane's Defense Weekly" that Turkey-US 
relations are `unique' besides being an `integrating' factor 
for other Turkish foreign policy elements such as the EU and 
Russia, reports "Sabah."  `No relationship can be an 
alternate to our ties with the United States,' Gonul 
stressed.  The PKK has 1,800 armed militants inside Turkey 
and 3,300 outside, Gonul said, adding that US steps for 
elimination of the terrorists in northern Iraq will 
positively contribute to ties between US and Turkey.  Gonul 
said he did not expect in the short term reforms to diminish 
the role of the military in Turkish politics.  The Turkish 
military aims to be at a point where it can be mobilized 
collectively and to be capable of defeating `asymmetric' 
threats in the next decade, he emphasized.  Gonul noted that 
Turkish land forces have been reduced by 15 percent and 
Turkish defense expenditures cut by 10 percent within the 
framework of modernization efforts. 
 
Sunni Imams Tortured in Iraq:  Islamist-oriented "Yeni 
Safak" carries a report claiming that a Sunni Imam has been 
tortured in Iraq.  The source and byline of the report are 
not given.  Following is the full text of the report: 
 
"Here are the torture methods applied to innocent Iraqis by 
the new government of Iraq:  Iraqi Muslim Scholars Council 
released yesterday pictures of torture applied to Iraqi 
scholars, imams and preachers.  Above photographs show the 
imam of Shahid Yusuf Mosque in Baghdad's Sha'ab district, 
Hasan Hadi an-Naimi, who is a member of the Council. 
[Photographs show a goateed man with terrifying marks on his 
body.]  Torture of an-Naimi displays the extent of brutality 
applied to Iraqis by the new government of Iraq.  Naimi was 
arrested after prayers in his mosque on May 15, and five 
days later, was returned to his family in that condition. 
The Council said Naimi was given high-voltage electricity; 
his arm, leg and thoracic bones were broken; many parts of 
his body were incised and stitched; and he was tortured with 
iron rods on the head and other parts of his body while 
handcuffed." 
 
First Executions in Iraq following the Saddam Rule:  Three 
Iraqi convicts are to be executed in Iraq for killing 
policemen in the first capital punishments following the 
Saddam rule, reports "Yeni Safak."  The court said the Ansar 
as-Sunna member Iraqis are to be executed in 10 days, but 
did not elaborate on how they will be put to death.  The 
verdict has to be approved by the Iraqi Presidency Council 
chaired by President Talabani.  The verdict is the first 
capital punishment decision by the new Iraqi government. 
Many dissidents were killed by hanging during the time of 
the toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, says the report. 
 
Baykal Visits Israel, Palestine:  Main opposition Republican 
People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal met with 
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Monday after 
earlier joining the Socialist International (SI) meetings in 
Tel Aviv, papers report.  Baykal told the SI gathering that 
Palestine was part of the Ottoman lands for 400 years: 
`Ottomans respected different religions when they ruled 
Jerusalem and other regions.  They never imposed cultural or 
religious values on non-Muslim communities.'  Violence 
should not be an option in the region, Baykal said, urging 
implementation of political and economic measures 
accompanied by a cease-fire for a permanent solution.  The 
crucial tasks at present are recognition of Palestine as an 
independent state and the existence of Israel within secured 
borders, Baykal stressed.  `We know from our own experiences 
in Turkey since 1920s that taking different groups under a 
single administration is not easy.  However, this is a 
necessity,' Baykal said.  Baykal later said during a meeting 
with the Israeli Labor Party leader Shimon Peres that 
Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip should be supported. 
Peres voiced support for Turkey's full membership to the 
European Union.  `If necessary, I can contact the Europeans 
on this issue,' Peres reportedly said. 
 
Sezer Due in Baku for Inauguration of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan 
Oil Pipeline:  President Necdet Sezer is due in the 
Azerbaijani capital Baku on Wednesday to join officials from 
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the United States, Britain 
and Russia at the inauguration of  the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan 
oil pipeline, papers report.  The BTC pipeline promises to 
deliver 50 million tons of crude oil over the next 40 years. 
 
1,500 Kurdish Turks Sue Turkey to Return to Villages: 
Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said in response 
to a motion from the main opposition Republican People's 
Party (CHP) that 3,676 villagers have returned to their 
homes in Turkey's mainly Kurdish eastern province Tunceli, 
reports "Cumhuriyet."  Fifteen hundred have applied to the 
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the grounds that 
their return has been blocked, Aksu said. 
 
Dissident Kurds Trained in Northern Iraq:  Some 200 Iranian 
Kurdish militants from the `Free Life Party,' encouraged by 
the `success' of the Iraqi Kurds, have been receiving 
military training in Mount Kandil in northern Iraq in an 
effort to gain autonomy in Iran following a silence of two 
decades, "Radikal" cites a wire report by the Associated 
Press (AP).  The Party's leader, Piryar Gabari, said a group 
of Kurdish militants had first engaged in fighting with 
security forces in Iran on May 9.  A Patriotic Union of 
Kurdistan (PUK) official told AP that military operations 
against Iran from Iraqi soil will not be allowed. 
 
Turkey to Join EU Military Project: Turkey is to join the EU 
`combat groups' project organized for intervention in crises 
around the world, "Radikal" reports from Brussels.  On 
Monday, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul signed a letter 
of intent on the issue in Brussels.  The 1,500-strong combat 
groups are equipped with high-technology weaponry.  Turkey 
will only join coordination meetings and not the decision- 
making mechanism, says "Radikal." 
 
Jerusalem Patriarch to be Tried in Istanbul: Turkish papers 
report that leaders of Orthodox churches from around the 
world are to meet in Istanbul to decide the fate of 
Jerusalem's Patriarch Irineos I, who has refused to step 
down after charges that he leased church property in Arab 
lands to Jewish investors.  Meanwhile, papers report that 
Britain's Cherie Blair paid a visit on Sunday to the Greek 
Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul.  "Vatan" claims that 
Blair, a renowned counselor on human rights issues, provided 
the Patriarchate with legal counsel with regard to the 
rights of non-Muslim communities and property issues the 
Greek Orthodox community faced in Turkey. 
 
Turkish Businessman Abducted in Iraq:  A Turkish 
businessman, Ali Muslu, was kidnapped by insurgents from his 
hotel room in Baghdad four days ago, Turkish papers report. 
Muslu's family in Turkey's southern province of Hatay said 
they received a phone call from Muslu on Tuesday that he was 
being held hostage by Iraqi insurgents.  Muslu is a sub- 
contractor ferrying construction material to Iraq. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
EU Issues: Referendum in France/Early Elections in Germany 
 
"Schroeder's Term Seems to be Ending" 
Zafer Atay commented in the economic-political "Dunya" 
(5/24): "The German PM was forced to declare an early 
election after his Social Democrats were defeated in the 
Social Democratic stronghold of North Rhine-Westphalia.  An 
early election would be unusual for Germany.  The last one 
was held in 1983.  On the other hand, the opposition 
Christian Democrats are ready for an early election.  The 
CDU is most likely to nominate Angela Merkel as its 
candidate for Prime Minister.  If elected, Merkel would be 
the first woman prime minister in German history.  Her 
election victory would also be a serious blow to Turkey's EU 
membership process. . Merkel is already making anti-Turkish 
remarks and stating her intention to block the Turkey-EU 
negotiation process if she becomes prime minister.  There is 
no doubt that she will use her power to veto Turkey's 
accession process when the opportunity arises." 
 
"Elections in Germany, Referendum in France" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative "Turkiye" (5/24): 
"An election victory for Germany's CDU will make Angela 
Merkel the country's new prime minister.  Merkel's position 
against Turkey's EU accession is well known.  But it is 
hoped that when and if she becomes the new German prime 
minister, she will be given an extensive briefing about the 
EU process with Turkey that will cause her to change her 
mind.  At the same time, France is going through a 
referendum process that is the most important event for the 
future of EU.  I expect that the `yes' votes will win. 
Otherwise, the European Union will have to dedicate itself 
completely to the preparation of a new constitutional draft. 
This means the membership process for candidate countries, 
including Turkey, will slow down.  All of this creates a 
very negative scenario for the future of the EU, because it 
will allow the US to enhance its power even more.  Russia 
also would be very pleased about the weakness within the EU 
structure." 
 
"Disabled Partnership" 
Gungor Mengi commented in the mass appeal "Vatan" (5/24): 
"Both Germany's early election and the possible outcome of 
the referendum in France are bad news for Turkey's EU 
process.  Angela Merkel's likely election as prime minister 
will end German support for Turkey's EU membership.  On the 
other hand, supporters of the `no' vote in France are 
leading, according most recent polls.  Those `no' supporters 
have something in common with Merkel - they are also anti- 
Turkish.  These are unpleasant developments, but they need 
not be the end of the world.  The EU is a legal structure, 
after all, and we should not even consider the possibility 
that the October 3 start date for accession talks will be 
delayed.  Merkel's `privileged partnership' idea should not 
even be discussed in Turkey.  A `privileged partnership' is 
nothing more than a `disabled partnership' with the European 
Union.  Instead, Turkey should focus on completing its 
homework prior to the October 3 negotiation date." 
 
EDELMAN