US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4127

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 004127 
 
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 
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Millions Observe Silence for London Victims - Hurriyet 
London Attacks' Code Name: Burning Cross - Vatan 
US Takes Step Forward for `TRNC' - HO-Tercuman 
British Police Seek Egyptian Mastermind of London Attacks - 
Vatan 
France, UK, Germany Discuss Closer Monitoring of Mosques - 
Milliyet 
Attacks Against Muslims Continue in Britain - Aksam 
Britain Will Deport Religious `Hatemongers' - Sabah 
Support for bin-Ladin Declines in Muslim Countries - HO- 
Tercuman 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan Denounces BBC, Reuters on Terror Reporting - 
Cumhuriyet 
Europe Unites for London Victims - Zaman 
US Gives Turkish Cypriots 10 Million USD - Yeni Safak 
Papadopoulos Proposes Tough Changes to Annan Plan - Radikal 
Prince Charles: Islam Not the Cause of Terrorism - Yeni 
Safak 
Al-Qaeda Denies Responsibility for Killing Children in 
Baghdad - Cumhuriyet 
US Issues `Routine' Warning to Syria - Yeni Safak 
Captive Given `Queer' Treatment at Gitmo - Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Views Same, Tactics Different Between US-Turkey:  On 
Thursday, a high-level official of the US Administration 
told the news broadcaster NTV that although the US and 
Turkey share the same goals about Syria, there is some 
disagreement concerning the tactics.  According to the US 
Administration, the disagreement between President Bush and 
Prime Minister Erdogan on the Syria issue surfaced during 
the June 8 meeting at the White House.  The US official said 
the United States and Turkey share the goals that Damascus 
will stop supporting terrorism, cease destabilization 
efforts in Iraq and Lebanon, and institute democracy. 
`There are, however, differences between Turkey and the 
United States with regard to tactics,' the official said. 
`our view is that if Syria wants to see an end to the 
isolation imposed by the international community, it must 
change its negative attitude.'   Erdogan had said during his 
Washington meetings that Syria should not be isolated from 
the international community, NTV reported. 
 
General Myers on the PKK:  Dailies report that US Chairman 
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, 
responded to a question regarding a possible Turkish 
military cross-border operation into northern Iraq in 
pursuit of outlawed PKK militants.  `I think the difference 
now is that they're dealing with a sovereign Iraqi 
government,' General Myers said, adding that Iraq would have 
`a lot to say' about any Turkish cross-border operations 
into its territory.  He noted that this issue is being 
worked on with Turkey and Iraq.  Myers noted that the PKK 
has stepped up its activities in Turkey recently, and that 
it has killed Turkish nationals inside Turkey.  `We are 
trying to work with Turkey on the issue,' General Myers 
said.  `It's a matter of having the time and the resources 
to get to some of these problems,' General Myers said.  `But 
such killings are certainly not acceptable and, in my view, 
will eventually be eliminated.' 
 
US Declines to Take Action Against PKK:  Commentaries in 
"Hurriyet" and "Radikal" today claim that Washington has 
promised Ankara to provide intelligence on the PKK, but 
ruled out any US military operation against PKK camps in the 
Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq.  US officials say that, 
given the difficult security situation in the rest of Iraq, 
US forces do not have the capacity to shift troops to the 
north at the moment.  The commentaries say that Ankara has 
asked the US at least to arrest and hand over to Turkey PKK 
leaders in the region such as Murat Karayilan and Cemil 
Bayik, both of whom are being sought and are listed on an 
Interpol `red list.'  The Turks are also seeking help in 
cutting of funds for the terror organization coming from 
Europe.  The articles estimate the number of PKK militants 
in the Kandil Mountains at about 5,000, and claim that at 
least 700 of them have infiltrated into Turkey in recent 
months.  Another column in "Hurriyet" ties the increase in 
PKK actions in southeast Turkey to US plans to liquidate 
terror camps in the Kandil Mountains.  Both Americans and 
President Talabani want to remove PKK terrorists from 
Kandil, the column speculates, and warns the Turkish 
government against intensified attacks coming from the 
outlawed organization. 
 
Ankara Seeks Britain's Support in Fighting PKK Terrorism:  A 
news-commentary in "Cumhuriyet" claims that the US has 
dismissed Turkey's request for cooperation in the fight 
against the PKK, saying that it was busy fighting against 
`global terrorism.'  Ankara is annoyed that the US has taken 
no measures to secure the border between Turkey and Iraq 
against infiltrations by PKK militants.  "Cumhuriyet" claims 
that Ankara is hoping that London will now better understand 
Turkey's concerns following last week's bombings.  Turkey 
will reportedly ask Britain to put pressure on Washington to 
fight against PKK terrorism..   Foreign Minister Gul 
discussed the issue with British officials during his recent 
visit to London, "Cumhuriyet" writes, adding that Turkish 
efforts to enhance cooperation with Britain on this issue 
will continue. 
 
Turkish Leaders Observe Silence for London Terror Victims: 
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday denounced the BBC 
and Reuters for not describing the armed separatist PKK as a 
terrorist group, instead characterizing them as a `militia.' 
Speaking to the Ankara Chamber of Industry after observing a 
two-minute silence for the victims of last week's bomb 
attacks in London, Erdogan warned against `double standards' 
in tackling terrorism in Turkey and in Britain, and called 
for the `reinforcement' of the spirit of solidarity. 
`Turkey has lost about 40,000 of its nationals in terrorist 
killings,' Erdogan said.  He urged global media to show an 
impartial stance regarding the PKK.  `If this mentality 
continues, they should know that the terror that strikes 
Turkey today will strike them tomorrow, and will cause them 
pain,' Erdogan said.  Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abdullah 
Gul noted that `yesterday 24 innocent children died in 
similar attacks in Iraq.  These incidents showed once again 
to the entire world how violent terrorism can be.'  `TRNC 
President' Mehmet Ali Talat and the `TRNC Parliament' also 
observed the two minutes of silence in north Cyprus. 
 
Assad Won't Spend Holiday in Turkey:  "Milliyet" claims that 
Syrian President Bashar Assad has changed his plans for 
spending his holiday in Turkey.  The Turkish press had 
earlier reported that Assad would come to Turkey on a 
working visit, prompting a denial from the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA).  The Prime Ministry spokesman subsequently 
annoucned that Assad was coming to Turkey for a private 
visit in late July.  According to today's papers, that visit 
will be postponed or canceled.  "Milliyet" also speculates 
that US First Lady Laura Bush refused to meet PM Erdogan's 
wife Emine during a state visit by the Turkish PM to the US 
because of US displeasure that Mrs. Erdogan had held 
meetings in Damascus.  US uneasiness over the rapprochement 
between Turkey and Syria cast a shadow on Erdogan's official 
visit to the United States last month, the paper notes. 
 
ITF Complains About Kurds, Kirkuk Management:  The Iraqi 
Turkmen Front (ITF) Washington representative Orhan Ketene 
told a press gathering in Washington that despite guarantees 
from the US, American forces in the region have given silent 
consent to the occupation of all major towns including 
Kirkuk and Mosul in northern Iraq by the Kurdish militia, 
papers report.  Meanwhile, the ITF Turkey office released a 
statement yesterday claiming that all US military operations 
conducted against Turkmen cities `went beyond' the goal of 
doing away with the insurgents.  The ITF also blamed the 
insurgents for attempting to use the Turkmen to further 
their interests.  The ITF said that Kirkuk has not been 
administered well since the establishment of the new 
government in Iraq, and stressed that the Turkmen want to 
help manage Kirkuk. 
 
USAID Helps Turkish Cyprus to Improve Business Climate:  The 
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
is to give the Turkish Cypriots 10 million USD to help 
improve business practices and increase the quality of the 
banking sector over the next three years.  The overriding 
goal of the project is to help create a climate that will 
support the reunification of the island, "Zaman" reports. 
The money is part of an overall 30.5 million USD assistance 
package for the Turkish Cypriots approved following the 
April 2004 referendum.  Papers also report that "Improtex 
Travel" will begin direct flights from Baku to Ercan Airport 
in northern Cyprus every Sunday as of July 31. 
 
Pew: Impact of Islam Strengthening in Turkey:  A survey 
conducted by Pew Global Research Foundation shows that 47 
percent of Turks believe that the impact of Islam has 
increased in Turkey.  Half of the respondents regard the 
increase as a negative development.  According to the survey 
conducted among 1,000 Turks, 68 percent support European 
membership.  64 percent want the ban on wearing Islamic 
headgear in schools to be removed.  Only 29 percent support 
the headscarf ban.  48 percent of Turks believe that 
democracy can work in Turkey -- a relatively low ratio 
compared to other Islamic countries.  The survey, conducted 
in 16 countries including the US, Canada, Turkey, Jordan, 
Morocco, Germany and France, shows that support for Osama 
bin-Ladin among youth in Islamic countries is declining.  It 
also shows that bin-Ladin still enjoys almost 50 percent of 
popular support in Islamic countries other than Turkey. 
 
UN `Alliance of Civilizations':  UN Secretary-General Kofi 
Annan has appointed PM Erdogan to represent Muslims and 
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to 
represent Christians in the UN initiative called the 
`Alliance of Civilizations,' a campaign that aims to bring 
the Muslim and Christian worlds together, Turkish papers 
report.  `The Alliance of Civilizations is intended as a 
coalition against extremists, a movement to advance mutual 
respect for religious beliefs and traditions, and as a 
reaffirmation of humankind's increasing interdependence in 
all areas, from the environment to health, from economic and 
social development to peace and security,' Annan's spokesman 
said in a statement yesterday.  The spokesman said the 
governments of Turkey and Spain would support the campaign 
as co-sponsors, and added that several other governments and 
organizations have expressed interest in joining them. 
Turkey, Iran to Ease Customs Controls on Goods:  Iran's 
state-controlled news agency IRNA reported Thursday that 
Iran and Turkey have agreed to ease border checks on the 
transit of goods in an effort to boost border trade.  An 
Iranian Ministry of Commerce delegation, in Ankara on an 
official visit, told a meeting of the Iran-Turkey joint 
border committee that the two sides will ease regulations 
that hinder imports and exports.  A delegation member said 
that the border trade between Iran and Turkey amounts to 
about 15 million annually. 
 
US Report Claims Mistreatment of Inmates at Gitmo:  A 
military commission report on claims of mistreatment at 
Guantanamo Bay detention acknowledged that one inmate, 
Mohammed al-Kahtani, was forced during his interrogations to 
wear a bra and panties on his head, Turkish papers report. 
During questioning that lasted 20 hours per day, Kahtani was 
humiliated and forced to dance with male interrogators. 
Kahtani is alleged to be the `20th hijacker,' who missed the 
plane that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside while 
preparing to attack another target in the US on September 
11. 
 
Most PKK Landmines Made In Italy:  60 percent of the 
landmines used by the outlawed PKK against Turkish security 
forces in the southeast were made in Italy, "Vatan" reports. 
The PKK keeps 5,500 armed terrorists at 17 camps in the 
Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq, the report claims. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Terrorism 
 
"Concerns About Terrorist Activities" 
Mustafa Balbay commented in the leftist-nationalist 
"Cumhuriyet" (7/15):  "Yesterday, people all over in Europe 
stood in silence for two minutes to pay respects to the 
victims of the London bombings.  We criticize every single 
terrorist action anywhere in the world, including London, 
Baghdat, Istanbul, New York, and Kabul, and offer our 
respects to all the victims before stressing our concerns. 
Unfortunately, in recent times the concept of terrorism has 
become firmly established on the world's agenda.  Each 
country is searching for measures to protect itself. 
Recently, France announced that it has suspended 
participation in the Schengen Agreement.  If France 
exercises this right to protect itself, then what about 
other EU countries?  Since they all have terrorism problems, 
couldn't the EU find a joint solution to this problem?  But 
France is demonstrating a disturbing selfishness in taking 
its own precautions.  Britain is still in shock after the 
terrorist attacks, and is also planning to apply new 
measures.  One of those measures is rather worrying.  The UK 
is urging all Muslims in the country not to shelter radical 
Islamists, and to cooperate with the authorities to root out 
radical groups.  This means the country will be divided into 
`us' and `them,' and all Muslims will be held responsible 
for the terrorists among them.  This is a very wrong kind of 
discrimination.  The US, which considers the fight against 
terrorism as its primary responsibility, recently commented 
about terrorism activities in Turkey, saying that `Turkey 
has the right to conduct operations against terrorists 
within its territory.'  This means the US is `allowing' 
Turkey to protect its own citizens!  The US adds that 
operations can continue `as long is there are no large-scale 
human rights violations.'  This reminds us of the advice the 
US administration gave to the PKK some years ago.  They 
advised the PKK to return to Turkey, and pledged not to 
allow Turkey to conduct operations in areas where they 
settled.  The worst part of all this is that the Turkish 
government is either not aware of these developments, or 
doesn't have the will to intervene." 
 
"Terror in Turkey" 
Fuat Bol wrote in the conservative "Turkiye" (7/15): 
"Turkey has been battling terrorism for almost a quarter of 
a century.  We have lost 30,000 lives and many resources to 
terrorism.  Today, militants from the terrorist 
organizations are entering Turkey from Northern Iraq and 
conducting terrorist activities in Turkey.  Turkey has lost 
114 soldiers in terrorist actions within the past year.  As 
long as the terrorist swamp remains in Northern Iraq, we 
will not have peace in Turkey.  Syria has no value for 
Turkey today, because it is on the US list of countries that 
shelter terrorists and contribute to instability in Iraq and 
Palestine.  Turkey lost its historic chance to eliminate 
terrorism when it rejected the US request to deploy troops 
to Iraq through Turkey.  Turkey also lost the trust of the 
United States, to the point where the US has preferred to 
collaborate with Kurdish groups in Northern Iraq rather than 
with Turkey, a 50-year NATO ally.  If Turkey had won the 
approval of Parliament for the US request, we would be in 
control of Northern Iraq, and would never allow terrorists 
to enter Turkey from there.  Still, it is never too late to 
reverse the damage.  The first and main issue we have to 
bring to the agenda with the US and the Iraqi Administration 
is the terrorist organization in Northern Iraq and its 
activities." 
 
MCELDOWNEY