US embassy cable - 05ANKARA5421

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 005421 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Erdogan to PBS TV: US Must Not Pull Out of Iraq - Milliyet 
Talabani to Erdogan: We Are Ready to Cooperate against the 
PKK - Milliyet 
Erdogan to UNGA: Let's Seek Peace, Freedom Not War, Violence 
- Aksam 
Erdogan: We Must Help the Destitute to Win the War against 
Terror - Milliyet 
Erdogan: Terror Our Common Enemy - Sabah 
Karayilan: US Preparing for Operations in Kandil Mts.- 
Milliyet 
President Sezer Invites Pope Benedict to Turkey in 2006 - 
Hurriyet 
Nicosia: Turkey Should Follow Israel's Example, Pull Out of 
Cyprus - Aksam 
Sharon: Palestinians Deserve Freedom - Hurriyet 
Berlusconi, Putin to Visit Turkey in November - Sabah 
PKK Landmines Kill 2 Soldiers in Hakkari - Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan: Let's Globalize Freedom, Not War - Yeni Safak 
Erdogan-Putin to Inaugurate `Blue Stream' in November - 
Cumhuriyet 
House Foreign Relations Committee Approves Armenian 
`Genocide' Bills - Cumhuriyet 
Violence Aims War between Sunnis-Shiites in Iraq - Zaman 
Clinton Gathers Leaders in New York to Discuss Global 
Problems - Zaman 
Zarkawi Provokes Civil War in Iraq - Radikal 
Chilling Scenario: Civil War in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Ahmedinajad Denounces `Interventionist' Policies by the West 
- Yeni Safak 
Denmark's Moller New UN Envoy for Cyprus - Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Erdogan in New York:  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan met 
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on the sidelines of the UN 
Summit in New York yesterday, papers report.  Talabani 
condemned the activities of the PKK, telling the press after 
he met with Erdogan for some 50 minutes that Iraq will exert 
every effort to combat the terror organization, which was 
actually working `against the interests' of the Kurdish 
people.  Erdogan said Turkey will wait and see the 
`implementation' of the pledges made by Talabani.  Erdogan 
also had a meeting with Iraqi PM al-Jafari.  Following the 
meeting, al-Jafari said that Turkey and Iraq agreed that the 
territories of the two countries should not be used for 
attacks against neighbors.  He added that the two countries 
also discussed the draft Iraqi constitution, operations in 
Tal Afar and Iraq's rebuilding.  Erdogan also had a chance 
to hold brief talks with the presidents of Russia and 
Romania, and the prime ministers of Britain and Italy at a 
lunch hosted by UNSG Annan in honor of world leaders. 
Erdogan agreed with Putin to hold the inauguration of the 
`Blue Stream' natural gas pipeline in the first half of 
November, say papers.  Erdogan later addressed the UN 
General Assembly, touching on the `injustices' regarding the 
distribution of income and the race for armaments around the 
world as the greatest obstacles against the happiness and 
prosperity of nations.  `Without wasting time, we must 
explore ways to globalize peace instead of war, prosperity 
instead of poverty and rights and freedoms instead of 
oppression and violence,' Erdogan emphasized.  The draft 
joint communiqu will constitute an important step forward 
by the international community toward fulfilling commitments 
to achieve the millennium development goals, Erdogan said, 
voicing hope that the structural reforms will be implemented 
during the term of the 60th General Assembly.  `The main 
reason for us in submitting Turkey's candidacy for the 2009- 
2010 UN Security Council is to contribute to the efforts for 
global peace and prosperity,' he noted.  On Thursday, 
Erdogan also had a one-hour one-on-one with Charlie Rose on 
PBS TV.  During the interview, Erdogan called on the US to 
heed Turkey's `sensitivities' with regard to Kirkuk and 
called for `concrete steps' forward to handle the PKK 
problem.  The PM also stressed that US forces must not pull 
out of Iraq before the Iraqi security forces are `trained 
well enough to take over the control of the situation in 
Iraq.' 
 
US Uses Iskenderun Port to Ship Military Materials to Iraq: 
The United States continues to transfer military vehicles 
and munitions into Iraq through Turkey's eastern 
Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, though US plans for its 
use as a naval base during the Iraq campaign were rejected 
in a vote in the Turkish Parliament, "Cumhuriyet" reports on 
its front page.  In the first seven months of this year the 
US has shipped 4,046 military vehicles and 3,404 tons of 
explosives into Iraq via Iskenderun.  The US military 
materiel was ferried to the nearby Incirlik Airbase before 
being transferred into Iraq.  Customs officials at the port 
told "Milliyet" that both the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) 
and the Turkish General Staff (TGS) had permitted the 
offloading of US military cargo.  MFA officials said that 
the transfer of US military equipment into Iraq was allowed 
under a `secret' decree by the cabinet of ministers in 2003 
that was extended on April 18 of this year.  `Transfer of US 
equipment into northern Iraq was allowed following 
instructions from the TGS under a framework of logistical 
support.  Transfer of military explosives is out of the 
question,' MFA officials said. 
 
McEldowney: A US Team Met with Turks on the PKK:  The US 
Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney said after meeting with 
Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) Assistant U/S Nabi Sensoy 
yesterday that a team of US `specialists' had arrived in 
Turkey to meet their Turkish counterparts earlier this week 
to discuss combating the PKK, the all-news channel NTV 
reported Friday.  McEldowney said that the US team was 
working to identify and ban organizations outside Turkey 
that support the PKK.  Commenting on the statements of Murat 
Karayilan, McEldowney advised the terror organization to end 
violence.  The Charge said she had no information with 
regard to any meeting between US officials and the PKK, and 
noted: `As you know, we do not talk with terrorists.' 
 
CHP Calls for Extraordinary Parliamentary Session on Terror: 
Turkey's parliament is to hold an extraordinary session on 
Monday to discuss the rising separatist terror and counter- 
rallies by Turkish nationalists following a request by the 
main opposition CHP, Speaker Bulent Arinc said on Thursday. 
Following Arinc's call for an extraordinary session on 
Monday, AK Party deputy group speaker Salih Kapusuz held a 
press conference, saying that the timing of the 
extraordinary session was `completely wrong.'  Kapusuz said 
that such a session would give the impression of ongoing 
major developments in Turkey.  The AKP will attend the 
meeting only if the CHP manages to gather the 184 deputies 
necessary for holding an extraordinary convention, he said. 
The CHP has 158 seats in Parliament and will need the 
support of other parties and independent lawmakers for a 
quorum. 
 
Karayilan Concerned about US Military Operations against the 
PKK:  PKK ringleader Murat Karayilan said the US was 
preparing for a military operation against his group in the 
Kandil Mountains, "Milliyet" reports.  Karayilan accused the 
US of plotting attacks against the PKK officials and urged 
Americans to discuss problems directly with the PKK. 
Karayilan threatened the KDP and PUK, saying that the 
northern Iraqi Kurdish parties would be held responsible for 
attacks against the PKK.  If expelled from northern Iraq, 
Karayilan said that he will move into `northern Kurdistan' 
(Turkey) with his militia to continue their struggle, which 
will further escalate the fighting in southeast Turkey, says 
"Milliyet." 
 
Sezer Invites Benedict XVI to Turkey in 2006:  The Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) said yesterday that President Sezer 
officially invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit Turkey in 
2006, papers report.  Benedict XVI had accepted an 
invitation from the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarch 
Bartholomew I to celebrate Saint Andrew's day in Istanbul on 
November 30 to advance the dialogue between the two 
churches, but was also waiting for the Turkish government to 
approve the trip.  MFA Spokesman Namik Tan said that the 
visit will contribute to the pontiff's efforts to enhance 
dialogue between religions and mutual understanding between 
civilizations globally.  Ankara was uncomfortable with the 
Pope's previous opposition to Turkey's bid to join the EU, 
but opposing the visit would have hurt Turkey's image in 
Europe, especially in Catholic countries such as Austria and 
France already worried about Ankara's EU aspirations, papers 
comment.  Diplomatic sources said that Turkey feared that 
the Pope may criticize Ankara's treatment of its non-Muslim 
minorities, including its refusal to reopen the Greek 
Orthodox Halki Seminary in Istanbul.  Ankara also fears that 
Benedict may refer to Patriarch Bartholomew as `ecumenical,' 
a title Turks are wary of for giving the Patriarch a much 
greater political clout. 
 
Turkey to Hold Interfaith Summit:  Turkey's Religious 
Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) is to host a meeting of the 
representatives of different religions in the southern 
province of Hatay from September 25-30, papers report. 
Prime Minister Erdogan will open the meeting supported by 
the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA).  Pope Benedict XVI will 
send his senior clerics Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, 
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN Francesco 
Brugnaro, the overseer of the Roman congregation Ambassador 
Mario Sciabja and Vatican Treasurer Franco Craci to the 
Hatay convention.  The Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan, 
the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, Chief Rabbi Isak 
Haleva and Syrian Orthodox Patriarch in Antakya Ignatius 
Zekka I will also participate in the meeting to be observed 
by the ambassadors of 37 countries in Turkey.  Academics 
from Turkey, the US, France, the UK, Germany, Bosnia- 
Herzegovina, Russia, Canada, Switzerland, Pakistan, Belgium, 
Iran, Greece, Egypt and Morocco will release 45 
proclamations at the meeting, which is to be broadcast live 
by Al-Jazeera, according to reports. 
 
Torun Lashes Out at US for `Immoral' Actions in Tal Afar: 
Cavit Torun, an AK Party lawmaker from Turkey's mainly 
Kurdish southeastern province of Diyarbakir, said in an 
article he wrote for the local daily "Diyarbakir Olay" that 
US forces and the accompanying `mean apes disguised as 
soldiers' were bombing everything that moved in Tal Afar, 
using `napalm bombs' against the Muslims living in the 
northern Iraqi city, "Milliyet" reports.  `Those who are at 
war should not be involved in immoral actions against 
unarmed innocent civilians and women and children.  US 
troops have sown the seeds of mischief on top of all values 
deemed sacred by local people, and they think that they can 
grow it with their excrement.  When you look at the 
revolutions and wars in this geography, you will see that 
the US and its flatterer Britain have either been the 
perpetrators of such actions or protected those who commit 
them,' Torun wrote. 
`Islamists' Lead among Turkish High School Students:  A 
survey sponsored by the EU showed that a significant number 
of Turkish high school students called themselves 
`Islamist,' "Milliyet" reports.  This number rises to as 
high as 64.7 percent in theology high schools (Imam-Hatip,) 
where future Muslim clergy are educated.  The overall 
percentage of Islamists in all high schools is 30.4 percent. 
Forty-seven point six percent of all students defined 
themselves as `nationalists,' 16.1 as `rightists,' and 11.1 
as `extreme rightists,' according to the research.  The 
survey was conducted among 4,545 high-school students in 12 
provinces.  The survey displays the striking gap among the 
state, private, vocational and theology high school 
students, says the report. 
 
PKK Moves News Agency to the Pacific:  "Yeni Safak" 
publishes a front-page report which says that the PKK has 
relocated the "Mesopotamia News Agency" (MNA) from Germany 
to the Tokelau Islands in the Pacific after the German 
government's decision to ban the PKK-affiliated Kurdish news 
agency.  The Turkish Foreign Ministry asked New Zealand 
authorities to ban the MNA from operating from the Tokelau 
Islands. 
 
PKK Landmines Kill 2 Soldiers in Semdinli:  Landmines 
believed to have been planted by PKK militants killed two 
troops and injured six others in Semdinli near the 
southeastern province of Hakkari, papers report.  On Friday, 
one PKK militant was killed by jandarma in the same region. 
Security forces seized 3 kg of C-4 plastic explosives, hand 
grenades and ammunition in the terrorists' hideout, say 
reports. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  United Nations; Iraq 
 
"The Powerful Ones Seek More Power" 
Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamist-opinion maker "Yeni Safak" 
(9/16): "The UN restructuring was designed by the Bush and 
Bolton duo, and generally it seems that the demands of the 
powerful were addressed.  The text proposing UN 
restructuring does not indicate good intentions behind the 
effort since it contains much rhetoric that can easily be 
distorted or misused.  .. In the agreed upon text, new 
authorizations will be provided and new units will be 
established; both of them have loopholes for misuse.  The US 
did not get what it wanted from the UN during the Iraq 
crisis, and this time its efforts are designed to shape the 
UN according to American interests." 
 
"Iraq Goes Where?" 
Erdal Guven wrote in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(9/16): "From now on it is very hard to rule out the 
possibility of a civil war in Iraq.  Despite Robert Fisk's 
argument in The Independent, civil war is more than a remote 
possibility in Iraq.  Factors related to the Shiites and the 
Kurds indicated the potential for a civil war in Iraq after 
the first Gulf War.  Today the Al-Qaeda factor must be added 
to those conditions.  Al-Qaeda has asymmetrical power in 
Iraq and is using it very effectively.  Al-Qaeda has no 
shortage of human beings who are ready to die.  It is 
obvious that both American and Iraqi forces are incapable of 
eliminating Al-Qaeda's power and influence in the country." 
"Turkey's Obligations on Iraq" 
Cengiz Candar commented in the conservative, sensational 
"Bugun" (9/16): "The upcoming referendum in Iraq is very 
important because it has the potential to impact the future 
of the region, including Turkey.  Turkey has repeatedly 
mentioned its sensitivity regarding Iraq's territorial 
integrity.  There are three obligations that must be 
fulfilled if Turkey truly cares about the territorial 
integrity of Iraq.  Turkey must exert every possible effort 
for the approval of this constitution and must pay special 
attention to persuading the Sunnis.  Turkey should be ready 
for the `loose federation' concept in Iraq, which is the 
alternative to a chaotic and divided Iraq.  And under any 
circumstances, Turkey must establish a warm and close 
relationship with the Iraqi Kurds." 
 
MCELDOWNEY