US embassy cable - 05ANKARA3385

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003385 
 
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, JUNE 14, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
PKK Calls for Barzani's Support - Milliyet 
Military Operations Continue Against PKK - Sabah 
Iranian Police Interrupts Work of `Reporter' Sean Penn - 
Hurriyet 
Settlers' Fury in Jerusalem - Hurriyet 
General Aoun Defeats Jamblaat - Sabah 
Michael Jackson Not Guilty of Child Molestation - Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Iran Claims Tehran, Ahvaz Bombers Trained by US - Yeni Safak 
General Aoun Returns to Political Arena in Lebanon - Yeni 
Safak 
El-Baradei Reelected IAEA Chief - Yeni Safak 
EU Postpones Membership Talks With Croatia - Cumhuriyet 
Saddam's Interrogation Footage Released - Radikal 
Iranian Candidates Strive to Impress Youth - Radikal 
Conservative Candidates May Unite Against Rafsanjani - Zaman 
Torture Methods Documented at Guantanamo - Cumhuriyet 
NYT: US Army Can't Recruit New Members - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Erdogan's Lebanon Visit Will `Anger' Washington:  Prime 
Minister Tayyip Erdogan will `anger' Washington by his 
upcoming visit to Syria tomorrow, the leftist-nationalist 
"Cumhuriyet" reports.  The paper argues that the visit comes 
despite repeated warnings from the Bush Administration 
against close ties with Damascus.  Erdogan will meet pro- 
Syrian President Lahoud, Parliamentary Speaker Berri, and 
moderate Prime Minister Mikati during his visit.  Diplomatic 
sources said the timing of the visit was `extremely bad': 
`Syria pulled out of Lebanon, but its influence persists. 
The final result of the country's first democratic elections 
is not yet known,' the sources said, adding that Erdogan's 
meetings with Lebanese politicians close to Damascus will 
create a `wrong impression.'  Erdogan will also participate 
in the Arab Economic Forum meetings in Beirut, where he is 
expected to discuss the US-led Broader Middle East and North 
Africa Initiative (BMENAI).  "Cumhuriyet" notes that while 
PM Erdogan announced Turkey's support for the BMENAI in 
Washington, he has also made criticisms of the initiative. 
 
Erdogan `Briefs' Bush on Syria:  A member of the Erdogan 
delegation visiting the US last week told "Hurriyet" 
columnist Fatih Altayli that the Turkish prime minister's 
visit had been `very successful,' and that all of Turkey's 
goals -- conveying Turkey's position regarding Iraq, the 
PKK, Syria and Iran - had been achieved.  The source blamed 
`certain circles' for lobbying against Turkey's proposals to 
the Washington Administration.  Erdogan told President Bush 
that, unlike the situation in Iraq where Saddam Hussein was 
the problem, in Syria the system is problematic but its 
leader is not.  Erdogan proposed efforts to change the 
totalitarian regime into a more democratic and peaceful one 
by helping Assad, and warned that all other approaches would 
increase tension in the region.  `President Bush listened to 
Erdogan's suggestions, and he seemed impressed,' the AKP 
source said. 
 
EU Approves Additional Protocol With Turkey:  The EU General 
Council on Monday approved the additional protocol extending 
the customs union with Turkey to cover the 10 new members, 
including Cyprus, papers report.  The additional protocol is 
expected to be signed by all EU member states, including 
Turkey, by the end of June.  When it signs the document, 
Turkey will also issue a declaration making clear that the 
protocol does not amount to recognition of the government in 
Cyprus. 
PKK Asks for Barzani's Help:  "Milliyet" quotes "Copenhagen 
Roj TV" as reporting that PKK/Kongra-Gel leader Zubeyir 
Aydar called on `president-elect' of `south Kurdistan,' 
Masud Barzani, to support the struggle in `north Kurdistan.' 
(Kurdish-owned "Copenhagen Roj TV," which supports the PKK, 
broadcasts in Turkish from Copenhagen.)  Aydar pointed to 
`certain improvements' with regard to the Kurdish question 
in northern Iraq and the rest of the country, and noted that 
the `war' continued in Syria, Iran, and Turkey - the 
remaining `three parts of Kurdistan.' `Unless the Kurdish 
question is resolved as a whole, gains in south Kurdistan 
will be jeopardized.  We are at war with Turkey,' Aydar 
reportedly said.  Atdar, a former DEP parliamentarian, urged 
Barzani to support the Kurds' struggle in `north Kurdistan' 
(east and southeastern Turkey).  `If a settlement is not 
reached in the north, the settlement in south Kurdistan will 
remain limited.  The Kurds need to gather around a common 
strategy,' Aydar said, adding that he supported `federalism' 
in northern Iraq. 
 
Turkey-Iraq Transportation Security Talks Postponed:  A 
transportation security meeting to be held on June 13 in 
Ankara between the Iraq and Turkish foreign ministries has 
been postponed, papers report.  Turkish Foreign Ministry 
(MFA) officials said the meeting will be held in about 10 
days, after the Iraqi side wraps up preparations for the 
technica- level discussions.  Meanwhile, MFA sources said a 
second meeting on the opening of consulates in both 
countries will be held on June 16 as scheduled. 
 
Turkish Military Organizes Bosnia, Kosovo Press Tour:  The 
Turkish General Staff (TGS) has organized a press tour to 
Bosnia and Kosovo from June 14-17 in an effort to show 
Turkish peacekeepers' contribution to regional stability, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  TGS Operations Chief, General Metin 
Yalcin, will lead a large group of Turkish journalists for 
talks with high-level officials and an inspection of Turkish 
troops in the region. 
 
General Ozkok Travels to Kazakhstan, Mongolia:  Turkish 
General Staff Chief General Hilmi Ozkok left for Kazakhstan 
on Monday, from where he and his delegation will move on to 
Mongolia for official visits and talks with their military 
counterparts, the semi-official Anatolian News Agency (AA) 
reported.  Ozkok will return to Turkey on June 17. 
 
Erdogan Prevent Staff From Visiting Cyprus:  Prime Minister 
Tayyip Erdogan warned his staff members against traveling to 
south Cyprus after the main Greek Cypriot opposition DISI 
invited AK Party leaders to Nicosia, papers report.  The 
Greek Cypriots will not allow foreign visitors coming in 
from northern Cyprus to cross into the south part of the 
island, and Erdogan is concerned that visiting Cyprus before 
the signing of the accession protocol with the EU could be 
interpreted as recognition of Cyprus. 
 
Mothers With Headscarves Banned from Graduation Ceremony: 
Mothers wearing headscarves have been blocked from joining 
graduation ceremonies of their children at Ataturk 
University in Turkey's eastern province of Erzurum, Turkish 
media report.  Conservative media joined families in their 
protests against the ban, saying parents who had traveled 
hundreds of miles for the graduation were denied the 
pleasure of sharing their children's happiest day. 
Landmines on Turkey-Syria Border to be Removed:  The Turkish 
Ministry of Finance is to offer a contract for the sweeping 
of some 50 million landmines along the 850-km Turkey-Syria 
border, an area of 3.5 million acres, "Yeni Safak" reports. 
After the mines are removed, the land will be distributed 
among local farmers. 
 
`Pig' Interrogation at Gitmo:  Turkish dailies cite a "TIME" 
report on the alleged abuse of a Guantanamo Bay prison 
inmate, Muhamad al-Kahtani, during his time in the US-run 
prison.  Kahtani was forced to listen to the US national 
anthem in a room garnished with US flags, watch a puppet 
show mocking al-Qaeda, bark at terrorists' pictures, and 
snort like a pig.  Kahtani was also stripped naked and his 
hair and beard were cut, the report claims. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Debt Erase/G-8 Summit; US-Turkey 
 
"The G-8 Summit" 
Meliksah Utku wrote in the pro-government/Islamist oriented 
"Yeni Safak" (6/14): "The G-8 summit is to convene under 
three major agenda items -- Africa, environmental issues, 
and the Middle East.  The Middle East issue includes both 
anti-terrorism efforts and the comprehensive reform process 
in the region.  In fact, the summit will heavily focus on 
the entire Middle East and Africa region within the 
framework of the BMENAI project.  A message from the G-8 
summit that would address the immediate concerns of the 
people of the Middle East is unlikely.  The fact is that the 
US wants to pursue its current policy on the Middle 
East/Africa, and is looking for other countries to sign on 
to the US approach.  . Tony Blair, in his capacity as host, 
took the initiative to eliminate 40 billion dollars of 
foreign debt for a number of developing countries. But the G- 
8 finance ministers failed to reach a consensus on the 
issue, despite the fact that the IMF and the World Bank have 
already eliminated their portion of the debt. . One of the 
objections to the elimination of debt is that debt reduction 
should go hand in hand with more `ethical spending' by the 
developing countries.  Developed nations argue that poor 
countries suffer from a lack of ethics when it comes to 
spending, so debt forgiveness will only enable them to spend 
more irresponsibly and unethically.  In fact, the US has 
already connected the debt forgiveness proposal to a series 
of social, economic, and political reforms in those 
countries. . This approach has been criticized as more 
evidence of the hypocrisy of developed countries.  The UK- 
based movement `Make Poverty History,' which includes 
Muslims and other NGOs, argues that Western nations are 
using ethical issues as a political tool.  The group clearly 
rejects any suggestion of a link between poverty and 
corruption in these countries.  The G-8 summit will be very 
interesting to watch." 
 
"Should Turkey be on the Side of the EU or the US? 
Sami Kohen opined in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" (6/14): 
"Let me respond to this question with a question - `does 
Turkey really face such a choice?'  I don't think so.  There 
are two developments which drew people's attention to this 
question.  The first is that the campaign in Europe against 
Turkey's membership has intensified.  The second is 
Erdogan's visit to the US and the effort to improve the 
weakening Turkey-US relationship.  Some circles have linked 
these two issues, and believe that Turkey needs to make a 
choice between the US and the EU.  In my opinion, these are 
exaggerated and premature evaluations.  Prime Minister 
Erdogan stressed in his interview with the `New York Times' 
that good relations with the US and the EU have equal 
importance for Turkey.  It is not realistic to believe that 
PM Erdogan went to the US to move Turkey closer to 
Washington because he is skeptical about the EU.  While 
speculation continues in certain circles in Turkey that the 
government can put distance between Turkey and the EU while 
getting closer to the US, high-level US officials including 
Secretary Rice continuously call for the EU to open its 
 
SIPDIS 
doors to Turkey.  The US administration believes that 
Turkey's EU vision overlaps with its strategic relationship 
with the US.  In other words, Washington believes that there 
is no need for Turkey to make a choice between the EU and 
the US, nor to use one against the other." 
 
MOORE