US embassy cable - 05ANKARA3163

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 003163 
 
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 
MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Bush-Erdogan to Meet for 45 Minutes - Aksam 
Bush to Meet Erdogan on Mother's Birthday - Hurriyet 
Washington Post: Erdogan's US Visit a Chance to Repair Ties 
- Sabah 6/5 
Blair: EU Not Worth Fighting For - Sabah 
6,000 Kurds Protest Haznawi Killing in Syria - Hurriyet 
Hizbullah Wins Second Round of Elections in Lebanon - 
Milliyet 
US Has Pushed the Button to Topple Assad - Vatan 
Syria Launches Reform Attack - Milliyet 
Israeli Intelligence Hacks Asma Assad's E-Mails - Sabah 
850,000 Spaniards Protest Against Peace Talks With ETA - 
Vatan 
Saddam to be Tried for 12 Crimes - Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush to Ask Erdogan About Syria, Iran - Cumhuriyet 
Ankara Makes Incirlik `Gesture' Before Erdogan's US Visit - 
Radikal . 
US Media Display Wide Interest in Erdogan's US Visit - Zaman 
`Orange Revolution Hero' Yushchenko in Turkey - Zaman 
4 Turkish Troops Killed in PKK Ambush - Cumhuriyet 
Democrats Find Bush `Overly Optimistic' on Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Hizbullah's Election Victory in Lebanon - Yeni Safak 
Pentagon Confirms Insults of Koran - Cumhuriyet 6/5 
Saddam in Depression - Yeni Safak 
Rumsfeld Blames Al-Jazeera - Cumhuriyet 6/5 
Al-Jazeera Wants Reforms in the Region - Zaman 6/5 
Tihic: Bosnia Will Become a Unitary State - Yeni Safak 6/5 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Erdogan Due in US:  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan travels to 
the United States on Monday evening to hold talks with 
President Bush on bilateral relations and to meet UN 
Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York for talks on 
 
SIPDIS 
Cyprus.  Weekend papers expect Erdogan to urge Bush to take 
`concrete' US action for removing the PKK presence in 
northern Iraq, and to put pressure on the Greek Cypriots for 
a settlement in Cyprus.  Turkey's EU drive and the 
democratization of the Middle East will be among the issues 
on the agenda at the Bush-Erdogan meeting.  Monday's 
"Cumhuriyet" claims that the two leaders will discuss the 
future of the strategic relationship, the Broader Middle 
East and North African Initiative (BMENAI), and the threats 
posed by Syria and Iran.  The paper speculates that Bush 
will urge Erdogan to take a gretaer role in the BMENAI, and 
to make it a foreign policy priority for Turkey.   Some 
actions by the AKP government regarding Turkey's EU 
membership drive have raised concern among US officials, 
according to "Cumhuriyet."  The Americans will also convey 
their concerns about Turkey's strengthening ties with Syria, 
a country seen by Washington as a supporter of the 
insurgency in Iraq and a threat to its neighbors.  US 
officials also find it difficult to understand Ankara's 
silence about Iran's nuclear program, "Cumhuriyet" claims. 
Monday's "Zaman" reports that Erdogan will convey to 
President Bush his appreciation for the recent visit to 
Turkish Cyprus by a delegation of US Congressmen.  Erdogan 
is to ask Bush to allow direct flights by Turkish Cypriot 
Airlines (KTHY) between Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus and 
Washington.  Erdogan will voice Turkey's support for 
democratization in Iraq, and discuss with Bush measures 
necessary for the stabilization of Afghanistan.  On BMENAI, 
Erdogan will say that Turkey is eager to take a role in the 
US-led project without being presented as a model, "Zaman" 
claims.  Monday's "Aksam" writes that Erdogan will explain 
to Bush the impossibility of a Turkish troop pullout from 
Cyprus before a settlement is reached on the divided island. 
If no settlement is reached, Turkey will begin focusing on 
international recognition of the breakaway statelet in 
northern Cyprus, "Aksam" claims.  Ankara has made two 
goodwill gestures to Washington on the eve of the Erdogan 
visit, Monday's papers report.  Turkey voiced support for 
the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), and 
allowed the deployment of six US C-17 military cargo planes 
and 100 personnel at Incirlik Airbase to establish a `cargo 
hub' as of June 2.  "Milliyet" reports that Erdogan has been 
pushing for the purchase of 12 Sikorksy helicopters worth 
385 million USD by the Turkish Naval Forces before his trip 
to Washington.  Erdogan will visit the Sikorsky plant in 
Connecticut during his stay in the US.  Sikorksy is also 
competing with the French Eurocopter for the sale of 32 
Blackhawk helicopters to Turkey.  Ankara is expected to 
choose Sikorsky in the face of growing anti-Turkish 
sentiments in France, according to "Milliyet."  Monday's 
"Hurriyet" reports from Washington that the Bush-Erdogan 
meeting on June 8 coincides with the 80th birthday of the US 
President's mother, Barbara Bush.  The paper expects Bush to 
tell Erdogan that the US and Turkey should forget the past 
and concentrate on strengthening bilateral partnership.  The 
paper noted that, unlike Erdogan's first visit to 
Washington, there will be no meeting between Emine Erdogan 
and Laura Bush. There will also be no lunch given in the 
delegation's honor.  A US official in Washington told the 
paper that `all of these things should tell you something.' 
 
Erdogan Interview Before US Visit:  On the eve of his 
upcoming visit to the United States, Prime Minister Tayyip 
Erdogan gave an exclusive interview over the weekend to the 
columnists of "Yeni Safak," the Islamist-oriented paper 
published by a business group close to the AK Party.  The 
following is a summary of Erdogan's responses to "Yeni 
Safak" columnists' questions. 
 
"Speculation about tension in Turkish-American relations go 
back to the March 1, 2003 parliamentary rejection of the 
deployment of US troops in Iraq through Turkey.  Actually, 
there was no tension at the top levels.  Following March 1, 
we have had opportunities to discuss these issues with the 
Americans at various meetings.  At the NATO summit, 
President Bush said very clearly that if we wanted him to 
come to Turkey, he would do so.  `If there is anything else 
you want me to do, just let me know and I will do it,' Bush 
told us.  `I do not pay much attention to those in the US 
media  writing about tension in the relationship,' Erdogan 
added.  `There has never been anything negative between us.' 
Unfortunately, the American and Turkish media have written 
such things, and they came up with different 
interpretations.' 
 
`We did what we needed to do on the Incirlik issue.  But 
some circles disregard these in an effort to spoil Turkish- 
American relations.  We must be sensitive on this issue.  We 
do not want our strategic partnership with the US to be 
spoiled.  There may have been occasional troubles, but these 
are sorted out through discussion.  We have already overcome 
many of them.  We believe that our position is right.  If we 
see anything we consider wrong, we will say it.  The United 
States has given us serious support on the EU and Cyprus 
issues.  The Americans' decision to send their Congressmen 
to northern Cyprus, and their landing at Ercan Airport 
despite the objections of the Greek Cypriots, are positive 
moves.  We cannot disregard these.' 
 
`We will discuss with President Bush several issues.  Some 
things are not moving as fast as we would like.  We will ask 
him to speed these up.  Turkey and the United States are two 
countries that need each other.  We cannot disregard our 
sensitivities in the Middle East.  There are other issues as 
well.  I went to the Afghan capital, Kabul.  Compared to 
other countries in the world, Afghanistan makes you ashamed 
of humanity when you see it.  Children attend classes in 
tents.  There is hunger.  Our government's position has 
changed after seeing the situation there.  We want to 
contribute to the reconstruction of infrastructure in 
Afghanistan.  We want to make investments, build hospitals 
and public housing.  We will also discuss Cyprus, Iraq, and 
the Middle East.  Of course, some of the issues that we 
discuss in private will remain private.' 
 
`Public rejection of the EU constitution in France and the 
Netherlands is mainly tied to the economy.  Even the Dutch 
Prime Minister did not expect the `no' vote to be so strong. 
Turkey believes that the Copenhagen criteria are important 
from the standpoint of increased freedoms.  We want this 
process to continue.  Turkey has done what it was supposed 
to do, and now we are waiting for the accession talks to 
begin on October 3.  Implementation of EU reforms requires 
time.  This is a matter of changing the mentality.  For 
example, the initial interest shown in Kurdish language 
courses has started to fade, and the schools have started 
asking for money, complaining to us that they cannot find 
clients to keep the courses running.' 
 
`We maintain our position on Cyprus.  First of all, northern 
Cyprus did what it was supposed to do regarding the Annan 
plan.  Turkey also did its part as a guarantor state. 
Neither the other guarantor state nor the Greek Cypriots 
have done their parts.  We will ask Kofi Annan to bring his 
report on the Cyprus process to a discussion in the UN 
Security Council.  The Greek Cypriot administration, which 
has rejected the Annan plan, has been rewarded, while those 
who approved it are being punished.  We will ask Annan to 
remove the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. 
We will demand the establishment of economic, trade, and 
cultural ties with northern Cyprus.  We will also make 
initiatives at the Organization of the Islamic Conference 
(OIC).  A withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus, as 
demanded by Papadopoulos, is not possible.' 
 
Defense Minister Gonul in the US:  Turkish Defense Minister 
Vecdi Gonul left for the United States on Saturday to attend 
the 24th annual conference of the American-Turkish Council 
(ATC) and the Turkish-US Business Council (TUSBC) in 
Washington, papers report.  Gonul will deliver the opening 
speech of the conference on June 6 before joining Prime 
Minister Erdogan for his meetings in the United States. 
 
Yushchenko in Turkey on Monday:  Ukrainian President Victor 
Yushchenko is to visit Turkey on Monday to sign agreements 
on energy, railroad transportation, technology, the fight 
against organized crime, and nuclear safety, papers report. 
Turkey supports Ukrainian plans for importing natural gas 
from Iran and oil from Middle Eastern countries. Diplomatic 
sources said the new administration in Kiev has given 
significance to developing ties with Turkey in an effort to 
reduce its dependency on Moscow.  Ankara will give 
Yushchenko the message that Ukraine should not cut ties with 
Russia -- a move which may cause instability in the region. 
 
US Trafficking in Persons Report:  The fifth annual US 
Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report describes 
Turkey as a transit and destination country for women and 
children trafficked for sexual exploitation, Turkish papers 
reported on Sunday.  The report claimed that there has been 
increased evidence of internal trafficking of Turkish 
citizens for forced labor and sexual exploitation.  Most 
victims come from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet 
Union.  The report says that the Turkish government does not 
fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of 
trafficking, but that it is making `significant efforts' to 
do so. 
 
Ambassador Gosses Warns DEHAP:  Dutch Ambassador Sjoerd 
Gosses told the mayor of Turkey's mainly Kurdish 
southeastern province of Diyarbakir that pro-Kurdish DEHAP 
should move away from the PKK and end all support for 
separatism.  Gosses also urged locally elected officials in 
southeastern Turkey to reform the `feudal' structure in the 
region and to learn Turkish. 
 
Closure of Education Union Protested:  Supporters protested 
against a high court ruling for the closure of Turkey's 
Education Union (Egitim-Sen) for defending education in 
mother tongues, papers report.  Several leftist parties, 
including pro-Kurdish DEHAP, and other NGOs joined the 
protest rallies in several Turkish provinces over the 
weekend.  Union leaders said that political pressure against 
union and other NGOS has been on the rise, and that Turkey 
had no freedom of association or expression.  Thousands of 
protesters gathered in Ankara and Istanbul to shout slogans 
like `mother tongues do not divide, they unify,' and 
`Incirlik Airbase should be closed, not Egitim-Sen.' 
 
Former PKK Member Released from Michigan Jail:  Ibrahim 
Parlak, a former member of the outlawed PKK, has been 
released on bail from prison in Michigan, where he was 
detained for 10 months for obtaining a work permit in the 
United States by denying any involvement in terrorist 
actions.  Parlak had earlier appealed his arrest.  "Sabah" 
reports that Parlak's neighbors and friends in Michigan 
collected the 50,000 USD bail and organized a celebration 
when he was released.  Parlak had earlier served a prison 
sentence in Turkey for involvement in the killing of two 
soldiers in clashes in the southeast, near the Syrian 
border, in 1988. 
 
4 Turkish Troops Killed in Ambush in Eastern Turkey: 
Outlawed PKK militants killed four Turkish troops in an 
ambush in Turkey's eastern province of Tunceli, security 
officials announced over the weekend.  A military operation, 
backed by helicopters, has been launched in search of the 
terrorists.  Meanwhile, police arrested seven PKK militants 
who were preparing to carry out bombing attacks in Istanbul. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
North Cyprus; Erdogan Visit to US; EU/Turkey 
 
"Latest Developments in the TRNC" 
Kamuran Ozbir observed in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (6/6): 
"Following on the heels of a US trade delegation visit to 
northern Cyprus several months ago, the US Congressional 
delegation's direct travel to Turkish Cyprus has caused 
great consternation among Greek Cypriots.  The leader of the 
US delegation, Congressman Ed Whitfield, criticized Greek 
Cypriot President Papadopoulos for not allowing the 
delegation to enter the southern part of the island.  This 
was an indocation that patience with inconsistency shown by 
the Greek Cypriots is running out. Whitfield stressed that 
this was the first such visit to northern Cyprus, and added 
that parties on both sides should leave the past behind and 
work for a solution.  Ankara has happily taken note of the 
US gesture, which came just before PM Erdogan's visit to 
Washington.  In order to improve the fragile Turkey-US 
relationship, certain actions were needed to regain public 
support.  The US is expecting more active support from 
Turkey for its Iraq and Broader Middle East policies.  In 
return, Turkey expects the US to eliminate the PKK terror 
organization in Iraq.  I am hoping that both sides will take 
the necessary steps on this path." 
 
"The Bush-Erdogan Meeting" 
Yilmaz Oztuna commented in the conservative-mass appeal 
"Turkiye" (6/6):  "PM Erdogan's visit to the US starts 
today.  `The Washington Post' says `the US and Turkey are 
meeting in hopes that they can renew their strategic 
alliance.'   But will this `hope' be backed by political 
will?  We shall see.  But in our view, a renewal of the 
relationship is in the interest of both countries.  Europe 
has been shaken by the veto of the EU constitution.  The EU 
will need at least a few months to resolve these problems. 
During that time, the US' already strong influence in the 
world will increase even further.  It also appears that the 
UK, the United States' closest ally, will avoid a referendum 
on the EU document.  In the middle of all this, Erdogan and 
Bush will meet at the White House to evaluate the 
deteriorating US-Turkey relationship.  How successful the 
two leaders will be in improving relations remains to be 
seen, but the both sides should approach the meeting with 
the future in mind.  Otherwise, some countries will try to 
take advantage of the problems in the relationship.  We 
could see more scud missiles flying around, and maybe this 
time they will land in populated areas.  We agree with `The 
Washington Post:' the meeting between Erdogan and Bush has 
an historic importance." 
 
"Erdogan Goes to Washington" 
Yasemin Congar wrote in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" 
(6/6):  "As far back as 6 or 7 weeks ago, there were many US 
officials who, when asked about PM Erdogan's intentions in 
coming to Washington, curled their lip and asked "what will 
we talk about with him?"  This was the result of 
disappointment over what the Erdogan Government has and 
hasn't done, and has and hasn't said.  Among the factors 
contributing to the disappointment were the Turks' making 
Ambassador Edelman wait 6 weeks for an appointment, Ankara's 
embrace of Syria following the Hariri assassination, 
Erdogan's reference to Israel as `terrorist' and to those 
killed in Fallujah as `martyrs,' and the government's 
rationalizations for growing anti-Americanism in Turkey. 
All of this raised questions about Turkey's reliability and 
concerns about why the government's stated commitment to a 
shared vision with the United States wasn't reflected in 
practice.  Although all of these concerns haven't been 
erased, there aren't many on the US side who still curl 
their lip at the mention of the Bush-Erdogan meeting.  Part 
of the reason is that Erdogan and his circle have taken some 
steps and made some statements to reassure the US that 
Turkey still values the relationship.  Another reason that 
the meeting now looks more important is the referenda in the 
EU last week and their possible effects on Turkey. 
Washington would like to see the Erdogan Government show the 
political will to support the US-Turkish partnership.  The 
Americans would also like to see Turkey move beyond saying 
that `there is no anti-Americanism in Turkey' to show that 
the partnership can still be effective - by working together 
on the Greater Middle Initiative, for example.  We shouldn't 
forget that support for Turkey's EU membership is a 
fundamental tenet of US foreign policy.  Some in Ankara 
think that `Washington wants us to distance ourselves from 
the EU and move closer to the United States.'  In fact, 
there are some in the US who may think that way.  But the 
decision-makers in Washington, just as in the Clinton 
administration, have by their words and actions done 
everything they can to rebut that argument.  So one message 
Erdogan is likely to hear from President Bush is `don't 
close your doors' to the EU, `don't be discouraged,' and 
`don't take your eye off the ball.'  The US doesn't want 
Turkey, either wittingly or unwittingly, to give more 
ammunition to those who want to keep Turkey out of the EU. 
Anakra's failure to reopen Halki Seminary and its 
demonstrated intolerance for open discussion of the Armenian 
issue are diametrically opposed to the kind of maturity that 
Washington is hoping for." 
 
"Europe Says No" 
Gazanfer Gur wrote in the mass appeal "Posta" (6/6):  "The 
European Union is really made up of two unions -- one is 
economic, and the other is political.  So far, the economic 
union has worked successfully.  But as the economic bill 
increases with the accession of new members, the number of 
countries bothered by the expansion process will also 
increase.  The Germans and the French people are disturbed 
by persistently high unemployment, a decrease in living 
standards, and by the financial support they give to the new 
members.  In Turkey, there is the general belief that the EU 
is rejecting Turkey.  In fact, the EU is opposing Turkish 
membership due to the perceived harm it will do to European 
economies.  But Turkey is different from other candidate 
countries in that it has great importance from the political 
angle.  If we cannot join the EU, we could very quickly find 
ouselves in a period of political instability.  On the other 
hand, if we join the EU, reforms implemented in the fields 
of education, health, and the judiciary would be very 
important for Turkey and the Turkish people.  The US would 
be the biggest beneficiary of all, as the bill for Turkey's 
integration would be borne by Germany, France, and the other 
rich countries of Europe." 
 
EDELMAN