US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4840

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 004840 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Kurds Seek Independence, Imams Status in Iraq - Milliyet 
DEHAP to Join Zana's Party - Hurriyet 
Greece Mourns Plane Crash Victims - Aksam 
PKK Clashes with Syrian Troops in North Syria - Sabah 
Sharon: Palestinians in Desperate Condition - Sabah 
Gaza War - Milliyet 
38-Year of Occupation to End in Gaza - Hurriyet 
Early Elections Possible in Israel - Aksam 
Erdogan Sends Support Message to Schroeder before German 
Elections - Hurriyet 
Iranian Students Rally for Nuclear Energy Rights - Milliyet 
Aliyev's Wife to Run for Parliament - Milliyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush Lauds the Iraqis over Constitution - Radikal 
Bush Praises the Iraqi Constitutional `Disagreement' - 
Cumhuriyet 
Constitutional Deadlock Raises Partition Concerns in Iraq - 
Zaman 
Signals for a Civil War in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Settlers Resist Israeli Troops, 800 Detained - Radikal 
Gaza Evacuation `War' Begins - Zaman 
British Muslims React to New Anti-Terror Package - Zaman 
Dervis' First Day at UNDP - Yeni Safak 
17 Spanish Troops Killed in Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan 
- Radikal 
Bloody Revolt in Guatemala: 31 Killed - Yeni Safak 
Chile Changes Pinochet-Era Constitution - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
NSC to Discuss `Kurdish Issue':  Turkey's National Security 
Council (NSC) is to discuss a report drafted by the Turkish 
General Staff (TGS) at its monthly meeting on June 23, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  The TGS report says that defining the 
problems in east and southeast Turkey as the `Kurdish issue' 
might negatively affect the security forces fighting against 
terrorists and encourage the supporters of terrorist 
organizations.  The report advises that different units of 
the state apparatus should coordinate their statements, 
which should be based on a common plan and strategy. 
Economic and social hardships form the main cause of the 
problems in the southeast, according to the TGS report, 
which calls for an increase in employment opportunities and 
efforts for economic revitalization.  It also says that 
`civilian elements' should play a larger role in tackling 
these problems.  Iraq, Cyprus and the EU are among other 
issues to be raised at the NSC meeting. 
 
 
Britain Welcomes Arrest of Sakra:  Britain welcomed Tuesday 
the arrest in Turkey of the suspected Syrian al-Qaida member 
Louai Sakra as a `significant success' in the fight against 
terrorism, papers report.  `The arrest underlines the 
professionalism and commitment shown by Turkish police and 
represents a significant success in the global struggle 
against al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations,' the 
British embassy in Ankara said in a statement.  Sakra has 
admitted to plotting attacks against Israeli cruise liners 
off Turkey's Mediterranean coast.  The British embassy 
statement said that Sakra was also accused of involvement in 
the November 2003 suicide bombings against British and 
Jewish targets in Istanbul and supporting Zarkawi's 
activities to destabilize Iraq. 
 
Police Seize USD 7 Million of Uranium in Istanbul:  Acting 
on a tip off by Turkish intelligence, police arrested two 
Turkish `couriers' trying to sell 173 grams of uranium in 
Istanbul, "Sabah" reports.  The couriers, who wanted USD 7 
million for the uranium, said it was smuggled into Turkey by 
a Russian Federation national.  Officials said that there 
was no `uranium market' in Turkey, and that `serious 
consequences' would occur if it reached the hands of 
terrorist organizations, uranium's most likely buyers. 
 
PKK/Kongra Gel Testing Ground to Lay Down Arms:  Former DEP 
lawmaker and the leader of PKK/Kongra Gel, Zubeyir Aydar, 
told "Milliyet" columnist Derya Sazak in a telephone 
interview that they were testing the ground for a cease in 
attacks and preparing to turn a new page of `inaction.' 
Sazak comments that Kongra Gel started considering the 
possibility of laying down arms after Prime Minister 
Erdogan's democratic messages in Diyarbakir last Friday. 
Aydar asked Sazak whether the Turkish government was 
determined to seek a democratic solution to the Kurdish 
problem.  Aydar is concerned that despite Erdogan's pledges 
that security problems will not prompt restriction of 
freedoms, Turkey's National Security Council (NSC) may not 
resist demands coming from the military for broader 
authority.  Sazak expects the PKK/Kongra Gel to announce a 
decision soon. 
 
DEHAP to be Dissolved:  The pro-Kurdish DEHAP chairman 
Tuncer Bakirhan said Tuesday that his party completed its 
mission, adding that it will be dissolved and that party 
members will join the `Democratic Society Movement' (DTH) 
formed under the leadership of former Kurdish lawmakers 
Leyla Zana and Orhan Dogan.  DEHAP members will be 
transferred to the Zana and friends' grouping once the DTH 
completes transformation into a political party.  DEHAP will 
not be able to merge with the DTH due to a lawsuit to close 
the party that was brought to the Constitutional Court, 
papers report. 
 
RTUK to Allow Broadcasts in Kurdish:  After receiving orders 
from Prime Minister Erdogan to approve applications for 
broadcasts in languages other than Turkish, Turkey's radio 
and television watchdog RTUK called on nine broadcasters who 
had applied to broadcast in Kurdish to provide missing 
documents in order to be given a license, dailies report. 
RTUK will ask the channels for pledges that they will not 
teach Kurdish, will not air programs threatening the 
national unity, and that they will subtitle all TV programs 
in Turkish.  The Turkish General Staff, Turkish Intelligence 
Organization MIT, and the interior ministry officials have 
warned in meetings with RTUK members against the perils of 
broadcasts in languages other than Turkish, papers comment. 
"Sabah" regards the efforts in support of Kurdish 
broadcasting as the first concrete step forward for 
democratization in southeast Turkey. 
 
EU Calls for `Deeds' in Southeast Turkey:  European Union 
(EU) diplomats welcomed the statements by Prime Minister 
Erdogan acknowledging the Kurdish problem in Turkey, but 
called on the PM to outline proposals to solve the problem, 
"Cumhuriyet" reports.  The diplomats said that taking 
concrete steps to boost economic and social development in 
the southeast was essential for Turkey's EU membership. 
 
Iraqi Women's Sharia Worry:  "Cumhuriyet" quotes Huzen 
Mahmud from the `Iraq Women Freedom Organization' as telling 
the BBC radio that the new constitution will not change the 
`dark realities' in Iraq, adding that adopting sharia law 
will bring catastrophic consequences for the Iraqi nation, 
particularly women in the war-ravaged country.  Women are 
subjected to violence in Iraq, Mahmud said, and claimed that 
the insurgents used the occupation as a pretext to behead, 
kill and rape women.  She also claimed that the Iraqi nation 
went backwards, and that `honor killings' were on the rise 
since the beginning of the occupation of Iraq.  `Iraq's 
occupation has been solely responsible for the ambiguity and 
instability in Iraq and around the world,' she said.  Mahmud 
blamed the coalition forces in Iraq for doing nothing in the 
face of women's problems. 
 
Turkish Diplomats in Europe on the Eve of October 3: 
Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) U/S Ali Tuygan and Deputy 
undersecretaries Ertugrul Apakan, Nabi Sensoy and Volkan 
Bozkir are in European capitals to give the message that 
Turkey will not recognize Nicosia, but will continue efforts 
for a settlement on the divided island.  Diplomats are 
working to eliminate the possibility that the Cyprus issue 
may hamper Turkey's membership negotiations with the 
European bloc.  Ankara will continue the campaign until 
October 3, the date for starting EU accession talks with 
Turkey, says the report. 
 
Turkish Cypriots Share Greeks' Grief over Plane Crash 
Victims:  "Nicosia Cyprus Mail," an independent daily 
published in south Cyprus, reported Wednesday that Turkish 
Cypriot `prime minister' Ferdi Sabit Soyer ordered that 
flags in the north be lowered in memory of the victims of a 
Greek Cypriot jetliner that crashed near Athens last 
weekend, killing all 121 passengers on board.  Soyer sent 
messages of condolence to all Greek Cypriot political 
parties, stressing that the Turkish Cypriot community shared 
the grief of their compatriots in the south.  Soyer was not 
alone in expressing sympathy for the families and friends of 
those who died.  Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on 
Sunday called President Tassos Papadopoulous to offer 
condolences, eliciting thanks from Papadopoulos for his 
close interest.  Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) leader 
Mustafa Akinci also offered his condolences, calling on the 
Turkish Cypriot authorities to cancel celebrations planned 
in the north to mark the second phase of the Turkish 
military operations in 1974.  `When your neighbor is in 
grief it is not right to hold celebrations.  We have to show 
that we share the sorrow of our neighbors, and canceling the 
celebrations would send a meaningful message to that 
effect,' Akinci said. He added that he hoped the shared 
grief might improve relations between the Greek and Turkish 
Cypriot communities.  The Turkish Cypriot press also 
expressed its sympathies for those who had lost loved ones 
with top-selling daily "Kibris" declaring on its front page 
yesterday, `We are in mourning.  From our hearts, we share 
the pain of our neighbors.'  Outspoken daily "Afrika,' a 
strong critic of the Talat administration, berated them for 
not heeding Akinci's call for invasion celebrations to be 
cancelled.  `The Greek Cypriot side has announced three days 
of mourning.  In the north, flags will only be lowered 
during office hours and victory celebrations will take 
place.  This way the Greek Cypriots will mourn twice,' the 
paper said. 
 
20,000 Children Live on Streets in Diyarbakir:  Turkey's 
Family Research Institution warned in a report that 20,000 
children living on the streets in Diyarbakir faced serious 
education and health risks, "Yeni Safak" reports.  Most of 
the children are mentally and socially retarded, said the 
report, adding that they have been deprived of nutrition, 
clothing and education.  It also said that Diyarbakir has 
lost its `identity and integrity' after scores of displaced 
families from rural areas in southeast Turkey settled in the 
city in shantytowns.  The report noted that the situation 
threatened not only Diyarbakir but Turkey as well, and 
warned that it will be impossible to solve the children's 
problems in the near future if action is not taken now. 
Turkish Academic Freed in Armenia:  A Yerevan court on 
Tuesday suspended a two-year sentence of Yektan Turkyilmaz, 
a Turkish researcher, for trying to smuggle ancient books 
out of Armenia.  Yektan Turkyilmaz, a doctoral student at 
the Duke University in the US, was arrested in mid-June at 
the Yerevan airport when several 17th-century books were 
discovered in his luggage.  `I am still a friend of 
Armenia,' Turkyilmaz said after a two-month detention, 
adding that he would return to the US to continue studies in 
anthropology. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq; Israel/Gaza Withdrawal 
 
 "The Iraq Scenarios" 
Cengiz Candar observed in the conservative-sensational 
"Dunden Bugune Tercuman" (8/16): "The Iraqi parliament 
approved the one-week delay for the finalization of the 
constitution.  However, recent news from Baghdad clearly 
indicates that the differences between Shiites, Kurds and 
Sunnis cannot be eliminated within this time frame.  Even if 
the concerned sides reach an agreement and pass the 
constitution, the structure of Iraq will still require 
further work.  In fact, if the constitution is approved, it 
will serve as a transitional document for the next stage. 
Iraq's future will not be shaped in the paperwork but in the 
field. . The southern oil-rich area in Iraq is under Shiite 
control and makes up both 60 percent of oil production and 
60 percent of the total population.  Moreover this area is 
under the full influence of religious parties and is exposed 
to Iranian influence as well.  There are even efforts in 
this area to form an Iraq-Iran alliance. . Shiites want a 
federal Iraq with autonomy from the central Baghdad 
administration.  Sunnis are against the federal structure 
because it would give extra power to the Shiites.  . As for 
the Kurds, they have been ruling themselves since 1991 and 
they want an official recognition of the de facto situation. 
The only additional issue is about Kirkuk, which Kurds want 
to include in their area.  . If the Iraqi sides do not agree 
on federalism, Kurds are likely to start immediately working 
for an independent structure.  In fact, some argue that even 
if federalism is the formula agreed on, it will not last 
long.  It will only be the initial stage for the eventual 
division of Iraq.  Given the current picture, will Turkey 
benefit more from an independent Kurdish state?  This is a 
question worth thinking about." 
 
"Israel's New Equation" 
Mete Cubukcu wrote in the leftist "Birgun" (8/17): 
"Everyone tries to claim credit for Israel's withdrawal 
process.  El-Fetih, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are celebrating 
the withdrawal separately.  Mahmud Abbas claims that the 
Palestine Administration forced Israel to withdraw, while 
Hamas and Islamic Jihad believe that the insurgency is the 
main reason for the withdrawal.  In short, everyone 
announced their own victory.  Hamas, which is getting 
stronger in the region, claims rights in certain areas where 
Israel withdrew and also wants to be a partner in the Gaza 
Administration.  However, Hamas also rejects the surrender 
of weapons.  The Palestine Administration has to convince 
the armed groups on that point.  The fanatic right wing 
groups in Israel are very disturbed by the armed Hamas 
presence and claim that withdrawal encouraged the terrorist 
groups to act in the region.  It is a well-known fact that 
during this process, any attack launched by either side 
could damage this sensitive process.  In sum, it seems that 
the plans in the Middle East, as before, will proceed on a 
fragile equation." 
 
MCELDOWNEY