US embassy cable - 05ANKARA6182

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 006182 
 
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, OCTOBER 12, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Earthquake Destroys 1,000 Hospitals in Pakistan - Hurriyet 
Gul: Reopening of Halki Seminary Not Urgent - Sabah 
EU to Release Turkey Progress Report on November 9 - Bugun 
Rice's First Stop Kyrgyzstan on Central Asia Tour - Tercuman 
Athens Won't Join Greek Cypriot Nikiforos Military Exercise 
- Hurriyet 
Eighteen Turkish Human Traffickers Detained in Britain - 
Milliyet 
British Police Crackdown on Turkish Human Smuggling Gang - 
Vatan 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Pakistanis Fume at Government for Delaying Aid Distribution 
- Cumhuriyet 
Rice Angers Armenian Lobby in the US - Cumhuriyet 
Rice's `Effectiveness' Tour in Central Asia - Radikal 
British Police Smash Turkish-Kurds' Human Smuggling `Empire' 
- Radikal 
EU Criticizes Britain's Anti-Terror Law - Zaman 
Iraq under Referendum Siege - Yeni Safak 
Khalilzad Pressures Iraqi Groups to Compromise on 
Constitution - Cumhuriyet 
USD One Billion of Corruption in Iraqi Military - Radikal 
Arrest Warrant for 4 Iraqi Ministers - Yeni Safak 
Bombs Kill 64 in Baghdad, Tal Afar - Yeni Safak 
Bakiyev: US Can Use the Manas Base as Long as it Needs - 
Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Wexler Joins EU Fast-Breaking Dinner in Brussels:  US 
Congressman Robert Wexler joined a Muslim fast-breaking 
dinner (Iftar) at the European Parliament together with some 
European and Turkish lawmakers on Tuesday evening, "Zaman" 
reports from Brussels.  Wexler called on the Turkish nation 
to consider the friendship between the two countries and the 
support provided by Washington with regard to Turkey's EU 
drive, and to `tone down' criticism against the United 
States.  `Both the United States and Turkey need each 
other,' Wexler said.  Wexler said it was `relieving' that EU 
accession negotiations with Turkey kicked off October 3, 
adding that the opening of talks had ended the debates 
whether Turkey is European or not.  Wexler stressed that the 
negotiation process will bring full membership and advised 
Ankara not to make concessions on reforms, says the report. 
 
Turkey Sends Aid to Pakistani Earthquake Victims:  Prime 
Minister Tayyip Erdogan told the ruling AK Party group 
meeting yesterday that the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) 
had been the first group to take international aid to 
Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir which was 
stricken badly in the South Asian earthquake.  Erdogan said 
that Turkey dispatched to Pakistan 93 rescue and health 
teams, five vehicles, two ambulances and 23 journalists on 
four cargo planes.  The Turkish aid team also took to 
Muzaffarabad USD 250,000 in cash, 10 tons of blood, infant 
food and hygiene materials, he said, adding that 40 doctors, 
one ambulance, tents, 12 tons of food and 10,000 blankets 
will be sent tomorrow.  `Our cooperation with Pakistani 
officials and humanitarian aid to Pakistan will continue,' 
Erdogan noted.  Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriots sent five 
doctors, 12 rescue workers, 2,500 blankets and 21 tons of 
food on a cargo plane to Pakistan on Tuesday, papers report. 
 
Avian Flu Threat in Turkey:  On Tuesday, Health Minister 
Recep Akdag ruled out the risk of infection of humans in the 
current bird flu crisis in Turkey, adding that the ministry 
had prepared a national action program to cope with possible 
crises.  The Agriculture Ministry said the same day that 
some 7,000 turkeys and hens have so far been culled in the 
quarantined three-kilometer-square area around the town of 
Manyas near the Aegean Sea.  However, the Turkish 
Veterinarians' Union said that the virus is likely to spread 
to other wetlands in Turkey via migrating birds.  The EU 
Commission, Greece, Croatia, Kosovo and Ukraine suspended 
imports of poultry from Turkey following the first bird flu 
outbreak in the country.  Meanwhile, a laboratory in London 
set to test the bird flu virus found in Turkey is to 
announce within days whether it is the highly dangerous H5N1 
strain, papers report. 
 
Gul on Turkey/EU, Kosovo:  Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul 
told journalists on his plane while en route to Kosovo that 
Turkish Cyprus will go its own way if a lasting solution 
under the supervision of the UN is not found in Cyprus.  Gul 
said that the parliamentary ratification of the extension of 
Turkey's customs union to cover new EU member states 
including Cyprus was not an `urgent issue' on the Turks' 
agenda, along with the reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki 
Seminary in Istanbul.  On his trip to Kosovo, Gul said that 
there were more Kosovars living in Turkey than there are 
living in Kosovo.  `All the Balkans are our relatives,' Gul 
said: `I hope that all this geography will be within the 
European Union and NATO in the future and the fighting will 
be buried in history.' 
 
Gul Visits Pristina, Belgrade:  Foreign Minister Gul met 
with the Kosovar Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi and lawmakers 
in Pristina on Tuesday.  Kosovar lawmakers praised the role 
of Turkish peacekeepers in the region and asked for Turkey's 
support of economic development in Kosovo.  Gul said after 
meeting with PM Kosumi that Turkey favored peace, stability 
and cooperation in the Balkans.  Kosumi thanked Gul for 
Turkey's support in determining the final status of Kosovo, 
voicing belief that Kosovo will be independent in June 2006. 
President Ibrahim Rugova said after receiving Gul that 
discussions on UNSG Annan's Kosovo report at the UN Security 
Council on October 24 will constitute a milestone on the way 
to the independence of Kosovo.  Gul moved on to Belgrade 
later in the same day to be received by Serbian President 
Boris Tadic.  Tadic said after meeting with Gul that Turkey 
always backed Serbia's efforts in `Euro-Atlantic 
integrations,' international wires report.  Tadic also 
pointed to the danger of further divisions within the EU in 
case Kosovo went independent and called for a solution that 
will meet Serbian, Albanian and Turkish interests.  Gul said 
that relations among Serbia, Montenegro and Turkey were very 
good and stressed the need to further encourage economic 
cooperation.  On Wednesday, the Turkish FM met with the 
President of Serbia and Montenegro, Svetozar Marovic, and 
the Serbian PM, Vojislav Kostunica, to discuss bilateral 
ties and recent developments in the Balkans.  Gul will also 
hold a meeting with FM Vuk Draskovic after which the two FMs 
will sign two new agreements, say reports. 
 
Turkish-Israeli Companies to Build Power Plant in Israel: 
The Israeli Infrastructures Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer 
visited Energy Minister Hilmi Guler yesterday, papers 
report.  After the meeting, Turkey's Zorlu Energy Group and 
Israel's Solbar Industries signed an agreement to build a 
USD 360 million power plant in Israel.  The power plant will 
start operating in 12 months.  Ben-Eliezer said that 
Israel's goal is to try and strengthen relations between 
Turkey and Israel.  He recalled the Pakistani-Israeli 
meeting in Istanbul last month and said that Israel would 
like to see Turkey continue acting as a bridge, especially 
with the Islamic and Arab countries.  Guler said that Turkey 
wanted strong cooperation with Israel regarding water, 
electricity, oil and natural gas.  Ben-Eliezer was later 
received by PM Erdogan and conveyed to the PM 
congratulations from Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres and Ehud 
Barak over the opening of EU accession talks with Ankara, 
say papers. 
 
EU to Release Progress Report on Turkey:  The EU Commission 
progress report on Turkey to be released on November 9 
outlines shortcomings such as the lawsuits filed against the 
editor-in-chief of the Armenian weekly "Agos," Hirant Dink, 
and renowned novelist Orhan Pamuk; police brutality against 
women protestors; lynching attempts against leftist 
demonstrators; penalties given to political cartoonists; 
inhuman treatment of mental patients; deficiencies in the 
law on non-Muslim minorities; as well as the lawsuit against 
the Egitim-Sen labor union for defending the right to the 
use mother languages in education, papers report.  The 
progress report lauds Turkish efforts to implement the 
Copenhagen Criteria, the changes to the penal code and the 
moves to curb inflation and interest rates.  The report says 
that despite progress in some areas, Turkey regressed on 
some specific topics, say papers. 
 
Schroeder Due in Istanbul:  The outgoing German Chancellor 
Gerhard Schroeder is to arrive in Istanbul on Wednesday to 
meet with Prime Minister Erdogan, papers report.  Schroeder 
is expected to discuss with Erdogan the new shape of EU- 
Turkey relations in the aftermath of opening entry talks 
with Ankara before leaving Turkey later in the day, say 
reports. 
 
Sezer to Attend BTC Ceremony in Georgia:  President Ahmet 
Necdet Sezer is to travel to Georgia on Thursday to attend 
the commissioning ceremony of the Georgian section of the 
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline.   Sezer will be 
accompanied by the Energy Minister Hilmi Guler during the 
visit.  Georgian and Azerbaijani Presidents Saakashvili and 
Aliyev will also join the inauguration.  Oil pumping through 
the Georgian section of the pipeline began in early August 
this year. 
 
British Police Smash Human Smuggling Ring:  The British 
police detained nine people suspected of bringing illegal 
immigrants, predominantly Kurds from Turkey, into London in 
a series of house raids on Tuesday, papers report.  Police 
said the operation, code-named `Blue Sky,' was the most 
significant action taken against a huge, organized London- 
based criminal network.  Reports say that the smuggling 
system was very `sophisticated,' adding that the migrants 
would have paid between 3,000-5,000 pounds each to come to 
Britain.  The network's kingpins are Turkish Kurds who came 
to Britain from Turkey as asylum seekers.  Sources said that 
the ring is estimated to have made tens of millions of 
pounds from the trafficking of `tens of thousands of 
people'. 
 
Turkey to Construct Three Nuclear Plants in 2007:  Turkey is 
to kick off talks with France, the US, Canada, Russia and 
South Korea this week to construct three nuclear plants in 
2007, economic/political daily "Dunya" reports.  The Turkish 
Atomic Energy Institution (TAEK) and PM Erdogan are to 
decide on the location of the nuclear facilities, says the 
report. 
Five Turkish Troops Killed in Fighting with the PKK:  Five 
Turkish troops were killed and one other was injured in a 
clash with PKK terrorists near the Cirali village in the 
eastern province of Tunceli early on Wednesday, wire 
services report. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Pakistan; EU-Turkey; Syria 
"Opportunity Came with the Disaster" 
Sami Kohen wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (10/12): "One 
of the countries that immediately sent relief aid to 
Pakistan is India.  India is considered an enemy of Pakistan 
due to the Kashmir problem.  But the earthquake disaster 
brought the two sides together as Pakistan accepted India's 
offer of help.  Let's remember that Pakistan and India were 
close to declaring war on each other in 2002 over Kashmir  . 
The earthquake in 1999 brought Turkey and Greece closer 
together.  Similarly, the tsunami disaster led to an 
agreement on Indonesia-Aceh.  The disaster in Kashmir can be 
a tool to initiate a genuine peace process between India and 
Pakistan.  This seems to be a not-to-be-missed historical 
opportunity." 
 
"Critical Issues for Turkey" 
Kamuran Ozbir commented in the nationalist "Ortadogu" 
(10/12):  "There is an interesting conflict in the EU: the 
ruling elite of the EU support Turkey's membership.  For 
example, industrialists in France, chambers of commerce in 
the UK, and military strategists in Germany are aware of the 
benefits that Turkey's membership would bring.  On the other 
hand, the people of Europe do not want Turkey as a member. 
The politicians try to handle this conflict.  If the 
politicians neglect Turkey, they will be acting against the 
will of their own ruling elite.  If they accept Turkey as a 
result of the popular reaction, their political identity 
will be damaged.  Nevertheless, if Turkey presents itself as 
a serious negotiator, great success will come from the 
negotiations." 
 
"The US Prepares for an Operation against Syria" 
Erdal Guven wrote in the conservative/sensational "Tercuman" 
(10/12):  "There is no need to be a diviner or a strategy 
expert to see that the US is getting ready for a military 
operation against Syria.  It was recently reported that 
Secretary Rice prevented a US intervention against Syria. 
 
SIPDIS 
This tells us that the US is preparing the psychological 
ground for a military operation against Syria.  The US 
applied the same tactics before the Iraq operation.  First, 
the possibility of an operation against Syria will be openly 
debated in the media.  Next, the plan for an operation will 
be prepared.  Then, when public support is gained, the US 
will launch the operation." 
 
MCELDOWNEY