US embassy cable - 05ANKARA4861

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 004861 
 
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 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan Praises Sharon over Gaza Pullout - Milliyet 
Sharon Watches Gaza Evacuation in Tears - Aksam 
Sharon: I am the one to Blame - Hurriyet 
Sharon: Attack Me, Not Our Troops - Sabah 
Islamic Jihad Celebrates Gaza Pullout `Victory' - Sabah 
Turkish Anti-Terror Draft Contains Tough Measures Against 
Terror - Vatan 
Turkish Cypriot Airlines to Fly to Baku August 28 - Milliyet 
350 Minor Blasts in Bangladesh: 2 Killed - Milliyet 
Radical Islamists Claim Bangladesh Bombings - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan Congratulates Sharon, Abbas on Gaza Pullout - Zaman 
Blood, Sweat, and Tears in Gaza - Radikal 
Sharon: Pullout is Heart-Breaking - Yeni Safak 
Jewish Settlers Burn Own Houses before Evacuating Gaza - 
Zaman 
Sharon Leaves Gaza, Turns to West Bank - Zaman 
Hamas: Resistance Will Continue Until Occupiers Leave - Yeni 
Safak 
Khalilzad: Kurdish Independence in Iraq Out of Question - 
Yeni Safak 
Baghdad Bloodshed: 43 Killed in 3 Attacks - Cumhuriyet 
Russia Advises Continuation of Dialogue with Iran - 
Cumhuriyet 
Washington Post: Bush's `Axis of Evil' Policy `Unsuccessful' 
- Yeni Safak 
British Police's `Right to Kill' Terror - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Turkish Military `Fully Prepared' for Cross-Border 
Incursions into Iraq:  Turkey's Second Army Commander, 
General Sukru Sariisik, said at a change of command ceremony 
in Diyarbakir yesterday that the Turkish military has 
completed `all preparations' for a cross-border incursion 
into Iraq, "Milliyet" reports.  `I have personally seen that 
the 7th Army Corps, which serves in the most volatile region 
of our country, has carried out flawlessly preparations and 
planning for any possible duty in Iraq in a way that would 
ensure the rapid transfer to duty locations and the 
execution of an operation,' Sariisik said.  The 7th Army 
Corps, based in Diyarbakir and now commanded by Lt. Gen 
Cahit Sarsilmaz, is comprised of 25,000 soldiers divided 
into five brigades.  It has air capabilities, can destroy 
targets through the use of tactical attack helicopters, and 
can transfer military personnel to operational areas.  The 
main zone of responsibility for the 7th Corps, which 
actively engaged the PKK during the days of emergency rule 
in the southeast, is along Turkey's border with Iraq.  The 
7th Corps is prepared in the event of the establishement of 
a Kurdish state in Iraq and to deal with separatist 
terrorism coming from Iraq.  It would also deal with threats 
to the existence of the Turkmen in Iraq, "Milliyet" claims. 
 
PKK May Call Unilateral Cease Fire on Friday:  Dailies 
expect the PKK, under pressure to cease attacks following 
Prime Minister Erdogan's reference to the `Kurdish problem' 
in southeast Turkey, to announce on Friday its decision on 
whether or not to lay down its arms.  Papers cite the 
"Mesopotamia News Agency" (MNA) as reporting that Kongra-Gel 
chairman Zubeyir Aydar will clarify the terror 
organization's position at a press conference at the 
International Press Center in Brussels on Friday.  It is 
unclear if Aydar will be allowed to travel from northern 
Iraq to Belgium to hold the press conference, given the fact 
that the EU has declared Kongra-Gel to be a terrorist 
organization. 
Kurdish Intellectuals to Back Erdogan Efforts in 
Declaration:  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's former adviser 
Mehmet Metiner said that the PM had the support of Kurdish 
intellectuals for the democratic messages he issued in 
Diyarbakir last Friday.  Metiner told the press that some 
prominent Kurdish intellectuals have drafted a declaration 
calling on the PKK to lay down its arms.  `I hope that Leyla 
Zana and her colleagues will also sign this declaration,' 
Metiner said.  In the early 1990s, Metiner prepared for 
Erdogan, then the mayor of Istanbul, a special report on the 
Kurdish issue that included a series of proposals for 
solutions to the problem. 
 
CHP Lawmakers Support Erdogan's Southeast Policy:  Two 
opposition CHP lawmakers from southeast Turkey, Naci Aslan 
and Esat Canan, announced their support for Prime Minister 
Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue.  A 
column in "Sabah" outlines proposals from the CHP lawmakers. 
The proposals include a general amnesty, from which 
imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan would also benefit, 
and a political deal with DEHAP to achieve a lasting 
solution.  Canan said that the PKK is backed by DEHAP, which 
received 2 million votes in the last elections.  He advised 
the AKP government to deal with DEHAP, NGOs, and 
intellectuals in order to resolve problems in the Southeast. 
 
New Kurdish Grouping Deemed a Front for Ocalan:  The pro- 
Kurdish Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) announced in a 
declaration that it is disbanding itself in order to join 
the Democratic Society Movement (DTH) established by former 
Kurdish lawmakers Leyla Zana and her colleagues.  DEHAP 
added that it wanted imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan 
to be seen as an interlocutor in talks aimed at resolving 
the Kurdish problem.  The declaration noted that governments 
in the UK and Spain had accepted a dialogue with 
organizations such as the IRA and ETA.  Several columnists 
criticized the declaration, accusing Zana of fueling fresh 
tensions, and describing DEHAP as a mouthpiece for the PKK. 
`For DEHAP and Zana, the Kurdish issue seems to be limited 
to the fate of Ocalan.  They seem not to care about the 
plight of 20,000 homeless children in Diyarbakyr, honor 
killings, and economic backwardness in the region,' a column 
in "Milliyet" argues.  Another "Milliyet" column lashes out 
at Zana and DEHAP for making `ethnic-chauvinist 
provocations.'  On September 11, DTH will file a petition to 
establish a new party, which DEHAP members will subsequently 
join.  The new party will be co-chaired by two Kurdish 
leaders, most likely Zana and her colleague Hatip Dicle. 
 
Compensations for Terror Victims in Southeast Turkey:  A 
news commentary in today's "Cumhuriyet" reports that state- 
funded compensation to victims of terrorism had been the 
most significant move made by the ruling AK Party to resolve 
problems in southeast Turkey.  The AKP government, however, 
has allocated only 10 trillion lira to fund the 
compensations.  104,734 people applied for compensations, 
but the government has only reviewed 5,239 applications. 
5.7 trillion lira in compensation has been paid to 755 
applicants, "Cumhuriyet" reports, while 4,049 claims have 
been rejected. 
 
Erdogan Letter Lauds Gaza Pullout:  On Wednesday, Prime 
Minister Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Israeli Prime 
Minister Sharon commending the `courage and determination' 
of the Israeli government in implementing the disengagement 
from the Gaza Strip.  The Turkish PM voiced hoped that the 
Gaza pullout would be a step on the road to peace. 
`Creating an atmosphere of security and the rule of law in 
the Palestinian areas, building the necessary 
infrastructure, and implementing reforms in an effort to lay 
the ground for a democratic state -- these are the 
challenges that must be dealt with together,' Erdogan said 
in his letter. 
 
`Vaccine Crisis' with the US:  The US has been debating 
claims that child vaccines containing `thimerosal' cause 
autism and other neurological disorders in young children, 
Turkish papers report.  Despite the fact that thimerosal was 
banned in the US in 2003, vaccines containing the toxic 
element have been exported to some `underdeveloped' 
countries including Turkey, "Vatan" reports.  The paper 
claims that George Bush Sr. was a board member of the Eli 
Lilly Co., which holds the patent for thimerosal.  White 
House Budget Planning Director Mitch Daniels worked as a top 
executive at Lilly.  The company's president, Sidney Taurel, 
is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and 
is closely tied to President Bush, according to the report. 
Scores of lawsuits filed against Lilly by the families of 
thimerosal victims have yielded no results.  The Republican 
Party allegedly received 1.5 million USD in political 
donations from Lilly during the last election cycle, and 
Republican Senators are preparing a bill to save the company 
from compensation lawsuits.  The Turkish Health Ministry 
announced yesterday that almost all child vaccines in Turkey 
contain thimerosal, adding that there is not yet conclusive 
evidence proving that thimerosal causes autism. 
 
Gul to Join EU Counterparts in Britain:  Foreign Minister 
Abdullah Gul has been invited to attend the unofficial 
meeting of EU foreign ministers in the UK on September 1, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  At the meeting, the EU will review the 
framework for accession negotiations with Turkey, and 
Turkey's recent declaration on the non-recognition of 
Cyprus. 
 
Turkish Cypriots to Open a New Border Gate with Greek 
Cypriots:  Turkish Cypriot `Prime Minister' Ferdi Sabit 
Soyer said Wednesday that his government had decided to open 
a second border crossing in Bostanci (Zodhia) to allow 
passage between the two sides in Cyprus as of August 31, 
papers report.  Soyer rejected criticism from Nicosia that 
the Turkish Cypriots were not authorized to open a new 
border-gate, saying that he hoped that the Greek Cypriot 
side would fulfill its obligations as well. 
 
Turkish Cypriot Plane to Fly Directly to Baku:  Turkish 
Cypriot Airlines (KTHY) will begin direct flights to the 
Azerbaijani capital of Baku on August 28.  The flights will 
be the first from northern Cyprus to a foreign country other 
than Turkey.  A delegation of Turkish Cypriot `officials,' 
businessmen, and journalists will meet President Aliyev and 
some cabinet ministers in Baku to discuss economic and 
cultural cooperation as well as tourism issues. 
 
Uranium Seized in Istanbul `Not Dangerous':  Turkish police 
said Wednesday that the 173 grams of partially enriched 
uranium seized from two suspects in an operation last week 
in Istanbul was not pure enough to be used in either weapons 
production or energy production.  The suspects were arrested 
as they were trying to sell the uranium to police for 7 
million USD.  Reports say that the seized uranium, which was 
apparently smuggled to Turkey from Russia, had a market 
value of 1,500 USD. 
Another Turkish Truck Driver Killed in Iraq:  Papers quote 
the Baghdad-based independent news channel "Al-Sharqiyah TV" 
as reporting that three truck drivers, including a Turkish 
national, were killed in an attack by gunmen against their 
convoy near Bayji in northern Iraq yesterday. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq 
 
"Dancing with the Kurds" 
Soli Ozel commented in the mass appeal "Sabah" (8/18): 
"Given that Turkey's Kurdish issue is being shaped according 
to what is happening in Iraq, Turkey will need to develop a 
serious policy for Iraq and the entire region.  Along with 
the Iraq issue, Turkey also has to define and structure its 
relationship with the US by considering both mutual 
interests and differences.  . A majority of the Turkish 
public probably believes that the US had an independent 
Kurdistan in mind before the start of the Iraq war.  But the 
very same public rejected Turkey's involvement in the Iraq 
process that would have enabled Turkey to prevention the 
formation of an independent Kurdish state.  . Turkey's 
rejection of the March 1 motion naturally resulted in an 
alliance between the Iraqi Kurds and the US.  But Turkish 
public opinion has not been able to digest this.  The 
current US reluctance to take action against the PKK only 
feeds growing anti-American sentiment and leads to 
speculation that Washington intends to divide Turkey or to 
force it toward a federal structure.  It will be interesting 
to see what kind of relationship Turkey will manage to 
establish with the Iraqi Kurds in light of these 
developments.  A federal structure in Iraq will end up 
leading to Islamist administrations in both the Shiite and 
the Sunni regions.  Moreover, Iran has an excellent chance 
to influence Iraq through the Iraqi Shiites.  It remains to 
be seen whether Turkey will be able to accept the Iraqi 
Kurds as partners and act together with them on behalf of a 
more secular regime and to minimize Iranian influence." 
 
"Democracy in Iraq" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative "Turkiye" (8/18): 
"President Bush must have been joking when he expressed 
satisfaction about the stage of democracy in Iraq. 
Seriously, democracy in Iraq can only be defined in Middle 
Eastern terms.  It remains debatable whether democracy is 
the best thing for these countries.  Human rights and free 
elections are certainly good indicators of democracy, but on 
the entire Asian continent, these concepts are only applied 
in Japan, Israel and Turkey.  Others have tried and failed. 
For instance, democracy in Armenia meant the rise to power 
of a terrorist organization.. Unlike Iran, Iraq has never 
been a real state.  It emerged as a pre-designed country at 
the end of the colonial period.  The US has effectively 
divided Iraq.  This will not be changed by the US-imposed 
constitution." 
 
"Is Iraq Going to Disintegrate?" 
Sami Kohen wrote in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" (8/18): 
"The new Iraqi constitution definitely foresees a federal 
system.  The Kurds and Shiites have already on this, and the 
Sunnis are at least considering it.  This process, which 
could also lead to the disintegration of Iraq, started after 
the US occupation and the demise of Saddam's regime.  Is it 
possible that Iraq will maintain its integrity under a 
federal system without splitting into pieces?  There is no 
doubt that this needs to be guaranteed by the constitution. 
But whether it will last over the long run depends on 
developments in Iraq and the international environment.  In 
this context, foreign, domestic, and economic factors will 
play an important role.  The main foreign factor is the 
level of US pressure and influence.  .  Turkey is another 
foreign factor that will remain opposed to the 
disintegration of Iraq.  The level of prosperity achieved by 
the federal state structure could play a uniting role.  If 
oil revenues are distributed fairly in Iraq and the living 
conditions of Iraqis improved, the Kurds, Shiites and the 
Sunnis could opt to live happily together under the same 
roof.  Logic and the common sense would be on the side of 
maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity.  I hope that the 
new constitution will consider these facts." 
 
MCELDOWNEY