US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4036

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004036 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, PA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PTER, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKEY'S LEADERS, PRESS REACT TO LONDON ATTACKS 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. Senior Turkish officials were quick to condemn last 
week's terrorist bombings in London.  Most press 
commentators also condemned the attack, though many blamed 
the US-led war in Iraq for accelerating the spread of 
terrorism.  Some journalists also pointed to an alleged 
double standard by Western (principally EU) countries, in 
which PKK terrorism is taken less seriously than acts 
carried out by al-Qaeda.  Several fringe commentators in the 
Islamist and nationalist press blamed the United States, the 
CIA, or "secret forces" for the attack.  End Summary. 
 
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TURKISH MFA CONDEMNS BOMBINGS 
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2. On the afternoon of the bombings, the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry issued the following written statement: 
 
Begin text. We learned with great sadness of the loss of 
life, injuries, and material damage resulting from the 
simultaneous terrorist attacks at 6 metro stations in London 
today (July 7). Turkey, which has paid the price of 
terrorism for many years and has lost tens of thousands of 
its citizens to terrorism, strongly opposes all kinds of 
terrorism, no matter what its aim or who carries it out, and 
strongly condemns these acts. These attacks have once again 
highlighted the need for effective cooperation and struggle 
against terrorism within a determined international plan. 
Our hope is that those who committed these inhuman acts will 
be speedily apprehended and brought to justice. We share as 
a nation the pain of our ally, the British people.  We 
express our condolences to the families of those who lost 
their lives in these attacks, and wish a rapid recovery for 
those who were wounded. End text. 
 
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ERDOGAN, GUL COMMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
3. FM Gul was visiting his home province of Kayseri when the 
attacks took place.  He made the following statements during 
the course of the day: "Turkey is in continuous cooperation 
against all kinds of terrorism, because Turkey is one of the 
countries that has suffered the most from terrorism.  When 
in the past we tried to explain the magnitude of the threat 
of terrorism, the world did not show sufficient interest. 
But after the events of September 11, the world understood 
how dangerous terrorism can be.  Now there is great 
cooperation on this issue all around the world.  We hope 
that in cooperating in the struggle against terrorism, 
differentiation will not be shown.  Because when a 
distinction is made between `my terrorist' and `their 
terrorist,' it is not possible for the struggle against 
terrorism to be successful.  From this standpoint, everyone 
must cooperate in the struggle against terrorism without any 
discrimination.  We are following closely the events in 
Great Britain.  We strongly condemn all forms of terrorism." 
 
4. PM Erdogan was in the United States at the Sun Valley 
Conference on July 7.  The Prime Minister made the following 
statement concerning the bombings: "British authorities say 
the bomb attacks were against the whole of humanity and all 
civilizations, and they show a calm determination against 
terrorism. This is our common problem. We cannot target one 
religion or one country and accuse them. It would be wrong 
to say that this or that terrorist organization is 
responsible for this attack before getting clear evidence. 
This is the aim of terrorism, to be able to spread 
propaganda.  As politicians, we should not be a tool of this 
effort." 
 
5. Speaking the following day at the World Affairs Council 
in San Francisco, Erdogan expanded on his previous remarks: 
"This is not something I am saying only now. I began to talk 
about terrorism when our party was first established. We had 
been experiencing terrorism well before September 11. Since 
1978, we have lost over 40,000 lives to terror. I believe 
there is no other such example in the world.  Terror has no 
religion, nationality, ethnicity, or homeland. We do not 
know when, why, and where terror may strike.  Just last 
week, Turkey lost six soldiers in a mine attack on a train 
in eastern Turkey. The same terror hit London after New 
York, Istanbul, and Madrid. As Turks, we condemn the vicious 
bombing incidents in London.  Terror has no boundaries. The 
United States or Spain or Turkey cannot deal with terrorism 
alone. There must be serious cooperation in the fight 
against terror.  If we use a portion of the 900 billion USD 
spent each year in buying weapons on the elimination of 
poverty and ignorance, would we not be able to end 
terrorism?  The U.S. must be the leading country in helping 
the poor and the uneducated." 
 
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COMMENTATORS CONDEMN ACTS -- WITH CAVEATS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
6. Commentators in the mainstream Turkish press roundly 
condemned the London attacks, though many were quick to 
claim that the US-led actions in Iraq had contributed to an 
atmosphere in which terrorism is spreading.  Others accused 
the West - and especially the Europeans - of ignoring (or 
even supporting) PKK terrorism while seeking international 
support against Islamist extremism.  Several examples 
follow: 
 
-- Taha Akyol, in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" (July 9): 
"Terrorism is a contagious insanity of our age, and it is 
therefore difficult to wage war against it.  Nobody can 
guess where the next attack will be carried out.  Police and 
intelligence services must remain vigilant at all times. 
Democracy must be allowed to flourish to dispel the feeling 
of being oppressed.  Economies must grow to eliminate the 
feeling of being exploited.  Education must be improved to 
broaden people's horizons.  Terrorist attacks in London and 
the terror campaign of the PKK must be condemned with the 
same vigor.  Terrorism must be crushed wherever it appears." 
--  Ismet Berkan, in the liberal daily "Radikal" (July 8): 
"Unfortunately, we saw yesterday that terrorism silences or 
suppresses all other voices when it starts to speak its 
barbaric language.  This is the primary objective, and we 
should admit that al-Qaeda has been successful in achieving 
that goal.  What really matters now is not to yield to 
terror.  We should not compromise our freedoms and our 
lifestyle.  We must continue to make efforts to eliminate 
the social conditions that give rise to organizations like 
al-Qaeda." 
--  Melih Asik, in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" (July 8): 
"The civilians killed in London can be regarded as victims 
of the war on terror.  In fact, they are victims of a 
campaign of horror and exploitation being carried out in the 
name of the struggle against terror.  I hope that before 
condemning terrorism the British will remember what their 
own government has done in Iraq." 
 
--  Oktay Eksi, in the mainstream daily "Hurriyet" (July 8): 
"I don't know whether there is any lesson to be taken from 
the London events for a country like Turkey, which has a 
long experience of terrorism.  But we have the right to 
expect that the selfish ones in Europe who think that 
`another person's terrorism is his problem' will learn 
something here.  I am especially thinking of countries that 
are protecting people they know are terrorists - Belgium, 
Greece, France, and Germany." 
 
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EXTREMISTS JUSTIFY, HINT AT OTHER FORCES 
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7. A relatively small number of Turkish commentators in 
Islamist-oriented and extreme nationalist press outlets 
hinted that other forces were behind the London attacks. 
Selected excerpts follow: 
 
-- Ibrahim Karagul in the Islamist-oriented, pro-Government 
"Yeni Safak" (July 8): "Will somebody claim responsibility? 
Al-Qaeda will, of course, or else some organization we have 
never heard of before.  Maybe some people involved in the 
attacks will even be caught.  But then we will learn nothing 
further.  We will never find out what was learned in the 
investigation.  We will never learn who it was that was 
directing these people.  Isn't that what happened in 
Indonesia and in Spain?  Al-Qaeda claims responsibility, and 
the issue drops off the agenda.  But it is not realistic to 
blame all terror attacks on al-Qaeda or similar groups.  In 
fact, there is no such thing as al-Qaeda.  There is an al- 
Qaeda philosophy, and certain forces are putting their own 
al-Qaedas into play." 
 
-- Mahir Kaynak in the Islamist-oriented "Zaman" (July 11): 
"Who is the power that is lighting the fuse of clashes that 
will reshape the world and establish a new world order?  You 
can believe that it is al-Qaeda.  You can believe that the 
most exaggerated myths about this organization are true.  Or 
you can think that this is all quite insulting, and look for 
yourself for what the truth might be.  It is impossible to 
find supporters of al-Qaeda anywhere in the world.  But 
there are leaders of globalization and their opponents, and 
this is the model that explains the incidents in London. 
The UK, which had become the base of operations for global 
capital, had succeeded in maintaining a low profile despite 
being the second most significant power in Iraq and playing 
an active role in the Islamic world, which has been chosen 
as a vehicle for conflict.  The attacks in London have 
served to lift the veil on the UK position in this 
conflict." 
 
-- Seyfi Sahin in the nationalist daily "Ortadogu" (July 
11): "There is no organization that aids the United States, 
which wants to lay claim to resources around the world, more 
than al-Qaeda.  The United States has come upon a very 
effective tactic for silencing Islam and invading Islamic 
countries.  Al-Qaeda has opened the way for the United 
States.  I have no doubt that the CIA, which trained Osama 
Bin-Laden, has been getting excellent service from him.  The 
CIA should be congratulated." 
 
MCELDOWNEY