US embassy cable - 05ANKARA5244

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 005244 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
US Embassy: No Chemical Weapons Used in Tal Afar - Hurriyet 
MFA: Civilians in Tal Afar Must be Protected - Turkiye 
US Commanders Due in Ankara - Turkiye 
Popular Support for Turkey's EU Membership Drops - Milliyet 
Germany's Fischer: Rejecting Turkey Would be Historic 
Mistake - Milliyet 
Talabani: Saddam Hussein Has Confessed to His Crimes - Sabah 
Voters Protest Alleged Fraud in Egypt Elections - Sabah 
Washington Post: Charges against Pamuk `Outrageous' - Aksam 
Cousin of Arafat Killed in House Raid - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
US Generals Due in Ankara to Discuss PKK - Cumhuriyet 
Residents Flee Tal Afar Under US Siege - Zaman 
22 Percent of EU Citizens Support Turkey in EU - Cumhuriyet 
Greece Bans Racist Anti-Turkey Festival - Cumhuriyet 
Friedman: Bush, Cheney Only Inflict Pain - Yeni Safak 
US Rejects Iran's Hurricane Aid Offer - Zaman 
European Parliament to Monitor Pamuk Case - Radikal 
Mubarak `Extends' Mandate in `Democratic' Way - Yeni Safak 
Arafat Killing Shakes Palestine - Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
US Denies Using Chemical Weapons in Tal Afar:  The US 
Embassy in Ankara defended US-led military operations in the 
northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, saying in a written 
statement to the press that `significant distortions and 
inaccuracies' about the operations had appeared in the 
Turkish media.  The Embassy stressed that the operations are 
aimed at removing the terrorists and foreign fighters who 
are using Tal Afar as a base for attacks.  `These operations 
are in no way targeted at any ethnic group,' the statement 
said.  It also underlined that coalition forces do not 
possess, and have not used, chemical weapons.  "Hurriyet" 
also reports that Iraqi Turkmen Democrat Party Deputy 
Chairman Kasim Omer has once again accused coalition forces 
of using chemical weapons in Tal Afar.  `Chemical weapons 
were definitely used,' Omer asserted, `and what started out 
as a massacre on September 3 has now turned into a 
genocide.'  `The death toll so far is up to 213,' he added. 
Omer called on the international community to take immediate 
action to halt the `genocide.'  Turkish Foreign Ministry 
(MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan warned the US on the need to 
distinguish between civilians and insurgents during the 
operation.  `We have sent a strong message to the US, 
expressing our sensitivity about Tal Afar,' Tan said in his 
weekly press conference.  Tan added that Turkey was prepared 
to send humanitarian aid to Tal Afar, and to help resolve 
the city's infrastructure problems over the longer term. 
"Sabah" reports that US Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney, 
following her meeting with MFA Undersecretary Aloi Tuygan, 
rejected claims that coalition forces had used chemical 
weapons in Tal Afar. 
 
Abizaid, Jones Due in Ankara:  General James Jones, 
Commander of US Forces in Europe (EUCOM), and General Lance 
Smith, Deputy Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) are 
expected to arrive for an official visit in Ankara on 
Thursday, papers report.  Top-level Turkish commanders will 
brief the US generals at the Turkish General Staff (TGS) on 
Friday morning in advance of a meeting with Chief of the 
turkish General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok.  The American 
generals will also visit the Center of Excellence for 
Defense Against Terrorism to sign a cooperation agreement 
before leaving Ankara later in the day on Friday. 
 
Talabani Awaits Approval to Visit Turkey:  The Government in 
Baghdad is awaiting approval from Ankara for an Iraqi 
request to send President Talabani on an official visit to 
Turkey, "Zaman" reports.  Iraqi officials said that Ankara 
has not yet responded to the request, but stressed that the 
request has not been rejected by the Turkish side.  The 
Iraqis reportedly recognize that Turkey may not agree to 
such a visit in the face of the ongoing debate about Kirkuk 
and northern Iraq, "Zaman" claims. 
 
Erdogan to Visit US:  Prime Minister Erdogan is to represent 
Turkey at the UN summit meeting of heads of state in New 
York September 14-16, "Yeni Safak" reports.  Foreign 
Minister Gul will join Erdogan in New York, and will also 
attend the UNGA meetings on September 17-23 and 26-28, 
according to the report. 
 
Draft Anti-Terror Bill:  Turkey's draft anti-terror law 
includes US-style measures against terrorists, according to 
today's "Aksam."  Monetary awards will be offered to 
individuals who cooperate in capturing terrorists.  State 
officials will participate in meetings of terrorists with 
their lawyers, and heavy penalties will be applied for those 
who spread terrorist propaganda and support terrorists.  The 
bill will deal a blow to supporters of the PKK and Chechen 
terrorists, "Aksam" claims.  Several dailies voiced concern 
that Turkey's bid to expand freedoms will suffer a setback 
if the new draft is approved. 
 
Ocalan Supporters Attack Police in Hakkari:  Papers report 
that some 5,000 PKK supporters staged a protest 
demonstration in Yuksekova in the southeastern province of 
Hakkari following a press statement by the local leader of 
pro-Kurdish DEHAP calling for an end to the imprisonment of 
Abdullah Ocalan.  Riot police used tear gas and opened fire 
in the air to disperse the crowd, which attacked the police 
with stones and sticks.  In Antalya, 20,000 people attended 
a funeral ceremony for a soldier killed earlier this week by 
a landmine believed to have been laid by the PKK. 
 
European Support for Turkey's EU Membership Declines:  An 
opinion survey conducted by the German Marshall Fund in 
France, Germany, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, 
Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, and Turkey showed that overall 
European popular support for Turkey's EU membership has 
fallen to 22 percent, a decrease of 8 points compared to 
last year.  29 percent of Europeans surveyed say they oppose 
Turkey's membership, while 42 percent are undecided on the 
issue.  29 percent believe that Turkey's poor economy will 
be an obstacle to its EU membership, while 62 percent 
disagreed.  According to the survey, 35 percent said that 
Turkey, a country with a Muslim majority, does not belong to 
Europe, while 59 percent rejected this idea. 
 
Israeli Representations in Turkish Missions in Islamic 
Countries:  "Cumhuriyet" reports that the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA) has not denied press reports claiming that 
Israel plans to open a representation in the Turkish embassy 
in Pakistan.  However, the Israeli and Pakistani embassies 
in Ankara have rejected the reports, denying there is any 
effort to open Israeli interest sections in Muslim 
countries. 
 
EU Committee to Monitor Trial of Pamuk:  The European 
Parliament will set up a committee to monitor the trial of 
Orhan Pamuk, the prominent Turkish novelist.  Pamuk is 
accused of denigrating Turkey and the Turkish people when he 
claimed in an interview with a Swiss journalist earlier this 
year that 1 million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed 
by Turks.  If convicted, Pamuk will face from 6 months to 3 
years in prison.  The trial is set to begin in Istanbul 
December 16.  Meanwhile, papers carry a Washington Post (WP) 
editorial describing the prosecution of Pamuk as 
`outrageous,' and calling on the Turkish government to drop 
the charges.  The WP said the prosecution had been the wrong 
signal for Turkey to be sending as the EU debates its 
admission to the bloc, adding that the timing of the 
charges, coming as European ministers meet in Wales to 
discuss Turkey's membership, is `suspicious.' 
 
Turkey 94th in UNDP Human Development Index:  According to 
the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 15th annual 
Human Development Index, Turkey still faces challenges in 
human development, and ranks 94th among 177 countries, a 
decline from last year's ranking of 88.  Turkey's GDP per 
capita is 6,772 USD, making it 75th on the list.  Turkey 
comes in 19th among 103 developing countries with regard to 
poverty indicators.  It ranks 76th among 140 countries with 
4.4% of parliamentary seats held by women, 30% of 
professional and technical jobs taken by women, and 6% of 
administrative and managerial posts occupied by women.  The 
report said that Turkey's position seemed to decline this 
year due to the fact that more updated data were used 
globally in the calculation of various indicators.  `When 
using comparable data, the recalculated Human Development 
Index value and rank for Turkey for the 2004 Index would 
have been 96 (compared to 94 in the 2005 report).  This 
implies that the Index rank for Turkey would actually have 
improved by two positions, due primarily to an increase in 
per capita GDP.' 
 
`Bomber' Armenians Granted US Citizenship:  Viken Hovsepyan 
and Vikan Vasken Yakubyan, two Armenians who were convicted 
and served jail time in the US for the bombing of the 
Turkish Consulate in Philadelphia in 1985, have been granted 
US citizenship, Turkish papers report.  A US local appeals 
court rejected objections to the citizenship decision, and 
approved the Armenians' US citizenship in light of their 
`good behavior' since 1992. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
a)   Iraq/CENTCOM-EUCOM Visit to Ankara 
b)   Hurricane Katrina 
c)   The Egyptian Election 
 
"Two Visitors from the US" 
Murat Yetkin wrote in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(9/8): "The visit of the two US generals to Ankara was 
arranged to discuss the fight against the outlawed PKK 
organization in Iraq. When the Turkish General Staff first 
mentioned the visit back on July 19, the names of EUCOM 
Commander General Jones and CENTCOM Commander General 
Abizaid were specified as the heads of the US delegation. . 
Before the start of Iraq war, EUCOM and CENTCOM had 
disagreements about Turkey. The two institutions had 
different priorities: EUCOM wanted to keep Turkey as part of 
the European system, while CENTCOM was preoccupied with 
toppling Saddam Hussein. While Turkey focused on the risk 
that a Kurdish entity could be established in Northern Iraq, 
CENTCOM did not want to lose the support of the Kurds, its 
only real ally in Iraq.  So CENTCOM was not inclined to pay 
much attention to Turkey's concerns. . The complicated 
structure of the US military command is the main reason that 
the visit has been delayed until today.  General Jones and 
General Abizaid report directly to the Secretary of Defense. 
Despite the agreement reached between the two sides back in 
June, General Abizaid is not coming to Turkey, but rather 
sending his deputy, General Lance Smith. Abizaid is 
currently preoccupied with critical operations in Tal Afar 
and other parts of Iraq.  General Smith probably discussed 
the PKK issue with Barzani and Iraqi President Talabani 
before coming to Turkey, and he will brief the Turkish 
generals about this issue.  .  It is very important for 
Ankara to have visits by high-level representatives of EUCOM 
and CENTCOM at the same time.  Such occasions always bring 
important consequences." 
 
"The American Dream" 
Ali Sirmen commented in the leftist-nationalist 
"Cumhuriyet":  "Certain wars or disasters in the past have 
created strong bonds among the American people and enhanced 
solidarity in the US.  WW II and the events of 9/11 are good 
examples of this.  But there have been polarizing events as 
well, such as the Vietnam war, which damaged American 
solidarity and forced many people to question the political 
values of the country.  Hurricane Katrina is another example 
of this kind of reaction.  The hurricane damaged the 
`American Dream' and has left an ugly picture marred by 
racism.  The US witnessed the biggest shock in its history 
on September 11.  But the Bush Administration managed to 
manipulate that disaster to strengthen solidarity in the 
country.  Unfortunately, this time the solidarity of the 
American people has taken a big hit.  Just like Vietnam, 
which affected the whole country - not only those who were 
involved in the war -- the facts that have surfaced with 
hurricane Katrina will affect all Americans.  There is no 
doubt that President Bush will take the biggest share of the 
damage." 
 
 
"Congratulations" 
Sami Kohen commented in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (9/8): 
"The Egyptian election signifies the demise of a political 
monopoly in that country.  Unlike Egypt's last four 
elections, Mubarak allowed a multi-candidate system this 
time.  He competed against 9 other candidates.  Mubarak's 
move provides an important step toward the democratization 
of Egypt.  There are various reasons why Mubarak took this 
initiative, including US pressures and Egypt's own internal 
political dynamic.  Regardless of the motives behind it, the 
initiative by Mubarak deserves to be encouraged.  There 
might still be some problems along the way, but democracy is 
not achieved overnight.  It is a long process.  Egypt has 
embarked on that road, which is, at least for now, the most 
important thing." 
 
MCELDOWNEY