US embassy cable - 05ANKARA3495

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003495 
 
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 20, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Rice Voices Support for Palestinians - Milliyet 6/19 
Chirac: EU Budget Crisis Won't Affect Turkey - Sabah 6/19 
European Press: Turkey in EU `Deep Freeze' - Hurriyet 6/18 
Israel to Demolish Settlers' Houses in Gaza - Aksam 
Iranian Reformists to Vote for Rafsanjani - Aksam 6/19 
`Orange' Demonstration in Baku - Aksam 6/19 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Ambassador Edelman Leaves Ankara for US - Radikal 
Rice on Middle East Tour - Yeni Safak 
Wolfowitz Tours the `Black Continent' - Radikal 6/19 
Lebanese Opposition Declares Election Victory - Zaman 
Israel Apologies to US for Arms Sales to China - Cumhuriyet 
Bloody Day in Iraq: 26 Dead - Radikal 
US Forces Kill 50 Insurgents on Syrian Border - Cumhuriyet 
6/19 
The Independent: US Used Napalm-Like Bombs in Iraq - Radikal 
6/19 
Chirac-Blair Fight Over EU Budget - Radikal 
Serbia's Tadic to Apologize for Srebrenica Killings - Yeni 
Safak 6/19 
Vietnam's Khai Visits US - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Ambassador Edelman Leaves Turkey:  Ambassador Eric Edelman 
left his post in Ankara and departed for the United States 
over the weekend, Monday papers report.  The new Deputy 
Chief of Mission, Nancy McEldowney, will serve as the acting 
ambassador until the new ambassador arrives in Ankara some 
time this fall, US Ankara Embassy sources told the press. 
Papers expect that the former US Ambassador in Baku, Ross 
Wilson, will be assigned to Ankara.  Before leaving Turkey, 
Ambassador Edelman noted at the US National Day reception in 
Istanbul on Friday that Turkey and the United States have 
supported each other in the fight against terrorism. 
Edelman stressed that his country had always supported 
Turkey's modernization, adding that the two countries would 
maintain their cooperation. 
 
Ambassador Edelman Interview With "Milliyet":  The following 
is a summary of the second part of an interview with 
Ambassador Edelman carried Saturday in "Milliyet": 
 
`The Turkish military is an extremely professional and 
capable institution.  The ties between our two militaries 
and defense institutions have traditionally been an 
important element in Turkey-US relations.  The Suleymaniye 
incident caused a crack in this relationship.  During my 
term in Ankara, I have worked to put the military 
relationship back on track.  If the US Congress approves my 
nomination to the Pentagon, I will work to see that the High 
Level Defense Group meetings are held annually.  The Deputy 
Chief of the TGS, General Basbug, and his US counterpart 
General Pace held a very productive meeting last week, and I 
believe we have made enormous progress.  The Land Forces 
Commander, General Buyukanit, and our land forces commander 
in Europe, General Wald, have been working to establish such 
contacts at lower levels as well.' 
 
`The Turkish press has written repeatedly about the enemies 
of Turkey at the Pentagon.  If there are enemies of Turkey 
at the Pentagon, I've certainly never met one.  Paul 
Wolfowitz and Doug Feith, who both recently left the 
Pentagon, have worked for the benefit of US-Turkey 
relations.  It would not be fair to say that Wolfowitz held 
the Turkish military solely responsible for the 
parliamentary rejection of the deployment of US troops in 
Iraq through Turkish territory on March 1, 2003.  He just 
voiced some disappointment over the lack of a strong 
statement from the military leadership on the importance of 
the March 1 decree.  It would be wrong to say that Wolfowitz 
put all the blame on Turkish military.  During my term here, 
I haven't known anyone at the Pentagon who has been a 
stronger supporter of Turkey than Wolfowitz.' 
 
`We need more time and talks to repair the damage the 
Suleymaniye incident has inflicted on our military-to- 
military ties.  The incident provoked a lot of 
disappointment and anger in Turkey.  I don't know how long 
will it take, but I hope that we will manage to overcome 
that damage.  We need time to heal all of the scar tissue 
left by that incident.' 
 
`I prefer looking to the future, not the past.  Instead of 
debating what happened on March 1 or July 4, 2003, let's try 
to build a stronger and better relationship.  From that 
standpoint, I am leaving Turkey in a much more optimistic 
mood.' 
 
Turkey Makes Goodwill Gesture Regarding Afghanistan: 
Monday's "Sabah" claims that during his meeting with 
President Bush at the White House earlier this month, Prime 
Minister Erdogan said the majority of Turkish troops in 
Afghanistan would remain there to help in civil 
reconstruction projects even after Turkey hands over the 
ISAF command.  Erdogan also suggested forming regional 
reconstruction teams in high-risk zones outside of Kabul, 
and sending engineers and doctors to Afghanistan.  President 
Bush welcomed the `surprise' Turkish proposal as an effort 
to restore the strategic partnership between the two 
countries, "Sabah" speculates.  The paper reports that a 
senior US official said that President Bush `thanked the 
Prime Minister for his proposal, and asked the US National 
Security Council to look into what could be done.' 
 
US `Flirts' With Turkish Opposition Parties:  The United 
States has started searching for alternates to Turkey's 
ruling AK Party, and has invited the leaders of the 
opposition True Path Party (DYP) and Democratic Left Party 
(DSP) to visit Washington on November 10, Monday's "Aksam" 
asserts.  Turkish opposition parties have been pressing for 
early polls in an effort to block the election of Prime 
Minister Erdogan as Turkey's next president. 
 
Erdogan Losing Trust of West:  European diplomats are 
disappointed with Prime Minister Erdogan for criticizing EU 
ambassadors' statements with regard to ongoing fighting 
between security forces and PKK militants in southeastern 
Turkey, and for lashing out at the German Chancellor over 
Berlin's approval of a resolution on massacres of Armenians 
by Ottomans during World War I, Monday's "Cumhuriyet" 
reports.  `Turkish officials seem to think they can go to 
the press and deny things that were said, and that everyone 
will accept this,' an EU diplomat complained.  The paper 
also says US diplomats have criticized PM Erdogan for 
remaining silent in the face of criticism by AKP lawmaker 
Cavit Torun, who compared President Bush to Saddam Hussein. 
Diplomats also criticized Erdogan for disrupting Western 
efforts to pressure Damascus for reform.  They also believe 
that the AKP's interest in Turkey's EU membership process 
had started to decline, "Cumhuriyet" argues. 
 
Protest Demonstration at Incirlik Airbase:  A large group of 
protestors rallied in Incirlik village near the southern 
city of Adana on Saturday to demand the closure of the 
Incirlik Airbase, Sunday papers report.  A spokesman for the 
group said that expanding US access to Incirlik Airbase 
meant that Turkey is joining the `invasion' of Iraq, and he 
called for the closure of all `foreign bases' in Turkey. 
Political parties, NGOs, and labor unions joined the 
demonstration. 
 
Survey: Two-Thirds of AKP Supporters Oppose the US:  A 
survey of AKP members and supporters showed that 72 percent 
of the party's Istanbul rank-and-file have a negative view 
of the United States, and 83 percent express negative views 
of Israel, "Milliyet" reports on Monday.  28 percent of 
those interviewed are graduates of theology high schools 
(imam-hatip),  46.3 percent are positive about the European 
Union, while 35.1 percent oppose Turkey's membership in the 
European bloc.  68 percent of AKP supporters reportedly hold 
negative views about Greece, and 81.9 percent have a 
negative view of  Armenia.  49 percent voiced positive 
opinions of the Turkish military in Turkey, according to the 
survey, which was carried out by a team organized by the AKP 
mayor of Eminonu, Istanbul. 
 
Terrorists Killed in Security Operations:  Security forces 
killed 17 leftist terrorists in operations in Turkey's 
eastern provinces of Erzincan and Tunceli, papers reported 
over the weekend.  Security forces seized weapons and four 
kg of C-4 explosives.  On Friday, two PKK militants were 
killed in eastern Van province near the Iranian border in a 
separate operation by the Turkish army.  Meanwhile, four PKK 
members were captured with 3.9 kg of C-4 explosives in a 
security operation in Istanbul over the weekend. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: The European Union 
 
"The Future of the EU" 
Kamuran Ozbir wrote in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (6/20): 
"The rejection of the European Constitution by France and 
the Netherlands not only brings question marks about the 
future of the EU, but also about Turkey's possible EU 
membership.  It is interesting that shortly after Turkey 
changed its penal code as part of the democratization 
process, the two founding members of the EU rejected the 
European Constitution and  established a link between 
Turkey's EU membership and the referenda results.  . The 
general atmosphere in Brussels is not giving any indication 
about a new formula for Turkey, and the official rhetoric 
insists that the previous decisions taken by the EU will 
apply.  On the other hand, Germany, the largest country in 
the EU, is likely to go through a change of government. 
This would bring about a serious crisis in Turkey's EU 
membership process.  Such a development would be more 
critical for Turkey than Europe's constitutional crisis." 
 
"The Transatlantic View Of the EU Crisis" 
Yasemin Congar wrote from Washington in the mainstream 
"Milliyet" (6/20): "Washington is determined to support 
Turkey's EU membership. Despite what some in Turkey are 
saying, Turkey's EU membership goal should not be considered 
as an alternate to Turkish-American ties.  It is obvious 
that advocates of anti-Americanism and anti-Europeanism in 
Turkey have common goals, and they continuously feed off 
each other's arguments.  Therefore, Washington's advice to 
Ankara was that the EU will overcome its current crisis one 
way or another, so Turkey should move forward in the reform 
process so as not to give more ammunition to its opponents 
in Europe. .  Washington wants to see Turkey as a strong and 
influential partner within the EU, as well as a strong 
regional player and reliable partner in its relations with 
the US.  . In fact, recently developments suggest that 
Ankara should pursue a `transatlantic vision' in pursuing 
its relations with Washington and EU capitals." 
 
"Biggest Concern of the US" 
Omer Taspinar commented from Washington in the liberal- 
intellectual "Radikal" (6/20):  The US' biggest fear is that 
Turkey's EU membership dream could come to an end.  If 
Turkey changes deviates from its EU goal, the Americans 
believe this will threaten democracy in Turkey.  Prime 
Minister Erdogan's recent meeting with President Bush in 
Washington demonstrated once again that there is no serious 
crisis between the two countries.  It looks as if the 
difficult period in the relationship has been at least 
partly overcome in light of Erdogan's positive messages. . 
In the period ahead, the Kurdish issue will be a subject 
ripe for exploitation by the common interests of the anti- 
American/anti-EU fronts in Turkey.  If Turkey pursues its 
policy on northern Iraq based on paranoia about the Kurdish 
issue, it will work against US interests and make a more 
significant improvement in US-Turkish relations less 
likely." 
 
EDELMAN