US embassy cable - 05ANKARA6183

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 006183 
 
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 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Earthquake Wiped Out a Generation in Pakistan - Aksam 
Musharraf: We Need Money, Not Rescue Workers - Hurriyet 
10/10 
World Bank to Give 20 Million USD to Pakistan - Tercuman 
10/10 
The Merkel Era in Germany - Milliyet 
Condi Saved Syria - Milliyet 
Gul Due in Kosovo, Montenegro -Turkiye 
Zabari: Anarchy Will Prevail if Constitution is Rejected in 
Iraq - Sabah 10/10 
Iran: All Nuclear Arms Must be Destroyed around the World - 
Sabah 10/10 
Three PKK Terrorists Killed in Tunceli - Star 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
World Rushes to Help Pakistan - Zaman 
Turkish Rescue Teams in Pakistan - Yeni Safak 
Turkey Sends 4 Planes Full of Aid to Pakistan - Cumhuriyet 
10/10 
Over 30,000 Killed in Kashmir Alone - Radikal 10/10 
Newsweek: US Plans to Set up Military Base in Erbil - 
Cumhuriyet 
Bush Invites Barzani to US after October 13 - Yeni Safak 
10/10 
Merkel Germany's First Woman Chancellor - Yeni Safak 
Rice Blocked US Attack against Syria - Yeni Safak 
US Looks for a New Leader for Syria - Radikal 
Only 32 Percent of Americans Support Bush's Iraq Policy - 
Radikal 
White Policemen Beat Old Black Man in New Orleans - Yeni 
Safak 
Hurricane Stan Death Toll Rises in Central America - Yeni 
Safak 
Mossad on the Decline since 2002 - Zaman 10/10 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Turkey Sends Rescue Teams, Aid to South Asia Earthquake 
Victims:  Papers report over the weekend and on Monday that 
Turkey sent three military planes carrying search and rescue 
teams to Pakistan following the powerful 7.6-magnitude 
earthquake that rocked South Asia on Saturday, killing 
thousands of people and injuring hundreds in Pakistan, India 
and Afghanistan.  The prime minister's office said that the 
planes carried 21 rescue workers, 30 medical personnel, 11 
tons of aid material, two ambulances and rescue vehicles, 
and that the Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) will take more 
aid to the victims on three separate planes to the 
Muzaffarabad region, which was stricken worst by the 
earthquake. 
 
Turkey Fights Avian Flu, EU Bans Bird Imports:  Ankara over 
the weekend confirmed an outbreak of the highly contagious 
`avian flu' and culled about 3,000 turkeys and chicken at a 
farm in Manyas near the Marmara and Aegean seas, papers 
report.  The slaughtered animals were buried in lime- 
drenched pits and a 3 km area around the affected farm was 
quarantined.  Turkish experts said the outbreak of disease 
is not an epidemic.  The Health Ministry announced on Sunday 
that the recent bird flu outbreak in Turkey has no 
connection with the global avian influenza.  The EU 
Commission said the results of bird flu tests in Romania and 
Turkey should be known by October 12.  The EU Commission, 
Greece, Croatia, Kosovo and Ukraine suspended imports of 
poultry from Turkey. 
Erdogan Seeks Bush Support on Cyprus:  Sunday "Zaman" 
reports that Prime Minister Erdogan asked President Bush to 
support efforts aimed at lifting the international isolation 
of the Turkish Cypriots during a telephone conversation the 
two leaders had last week.  Sources said that Bush backed 
the idea and expects Erdogan to have a meeting with UN 
Secretary General Annan with regard to the Cyprus question. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Dardari on Ties with Turkey, US:  The semi-official 
"Anatolian Agency" (AA) reports Abdullah al-Dardari, 
visiting Syrian deputy PM for economy, as saying on Saturday 
that Syria needs investments of 10 billion USD for 
infrastructure projects over the next decade.  Dardari 
pointed out that Damascus wanted to increase the trade 
between Turkey and Syria to two billion USD by the end of 
2007 from the existing 800 million USD.  Dardari said that 
the free trade agreement among the two countries will be 
endorsed by the Turkish parliament in the next three months. 
`We want to set up a joint tourism zone and also forge a 
partnership to explore oil,' he said.  Dardari noted that 
Damascus appreciated Turkey's stance in the face of the 
pressures put on by the US: `Anyone who underestimates 
American pressures is not clever.  However, we will not 
yield to pressure from the United States and our economic 
and political reforms will continue.'  Dardari rejected 
accusations of Syria's role regarding the terror in Iraq. 
Dardari noted that he brought a message from President Assad 
to PM Erdogan about the political impact of the UN-led 
investigation into the assassination of the former Lebanese 
PM Hariri.  Dardari also criticized the US for denying 
President Assad a visa to attend the 60th Summit of the UN 
in New York. 
 
Turkish Terror Suspects Admit Ties to Sakra:  Burhan Kus and 
Sadettin Akdas, Turkish suspects in the 15-20 November 
bombings in Istanbul, said that Louai Sakra, the al-Qaida 
linked terrorist of Syrian heritage who was captured in 
Turkey earlier this year while preparing to stage bomb 
attacks against Israeli cruise liners, hid some of the 
perpetrators of the said bombings in his house in Syria, 
Monday papers report.  Kus and Akdas, currently under 
detention in the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq, admitted ties to 
Sakra to a special team of security officials sent from 
Ankara. 
 
Ben-Eliezer Due in Ankara:  Israel's Infrastructure Minister 
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is to meet with Prime Minister Tayyip 
Erdogan and Energy Minister Hilmi Guler during an official 
visit on Wednesday, the "Israel National News" (INN) 
reports.  Ben-Eliezer will discuss the proposal of an Israel- 
Turkey `infrastructure corridor' which will help Israel 
break its regional isolation, Infrastructure Ministry 
officials said. 
 
Dink Sentenced to Six Months, Term Deferred:  Hrant Dink, 
the chief editor of the Armenian daily "Agos," was sentenced 
by a court in Istanbul to six months in prison for 
`insulting' Turkish identity, papers report over the 
weekend.  The sentence was deferred due to Dink's good 
behavior during the trial.  Dink denied any wrongdoing and 
said that he had in fact called on the Armenian diaspora to 
leave aside their hatred of Turkey for events which happened 
90 years ago.  Dink faces another trial for a speech he 
delivered at a panel meeting on terrorism and human rights 
in February 2002.  The trial is to be held at a court in the 
southeastern province of Urfa on February 9.  Acclaimed 
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk will also stand trial for 
`denigrating the Turkish identity' at a court in Istanbul on 
December 16. 
 
Rehn Meets with Pamuk:  EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli 
Rehn, in Turkey to mark the opening of EU membership talks 
with Ankara, met with the renowned Turkish novelist Orhan 
Pamuk in Istanbul, weekend papers report.  `Free speech and 
free expression are core values of the European Union,' 
Rehn's spokesperson quoted him as saying after meeting 
Pamuk, who was charged in connection with claims that some 
1.5 million Armenians were killed at the hands of Ottoman 
forces during World War I.  Rehn stressed that any country 
to become a full member of the EU should respect freedom of 
expression.  Rehn met Turkish leaders in Ankara on Thursday 
and told them their country would now come under closer 
scrutiny as it tries to bring its laws and standards into 
line with those of the 25-nation EU. 
 
Poll on Turkish University Students' EU Perceptions:  An 
opinion research conducted among 1,776 state and private 
university students in Ankara in late September showed that 
62 percent of those surveyed believe that Turkey will be 
unable to integrate into the European Union, the English- 
daily "Turkish Daily News" (TDN) reports on Sunday.  Thirty- 
eight percent believe that Turkey will join the bloc, and 10 
percent said that the EU will no longer be seen as a 
Christian club after Turkey's membership.  If it cannot join 
the EU, 27 percent of students said Turkey can turn to the 
`Turkic world,' and 26 percent said it can move closer to 
the `Russia, China and Iran' trio.  Only 18 percent think 
that Turkey has no alternatives other than the EU.  Turkey 
is considered a European country by 57 percent while 43 
percent disagree.  Half of those surveyed see France as the 
biggest obstacle to Turkey's full membership, and 82 percent 
find the EU of having `double standards' when it comes to 
Turkey. 
 
Anti-Terror Drills in Turkish Cities:  Monday "Zaman" 
reports that anti-terror drills will be conducted in all 
Turkish provinces as part of a new strategy by the Turkish 
police to counter attempts of sabotage by the outlawed PKK 
using C-4 and A-4 explosives.  The report also says that the 
PKK is preparing to stage `al-Qaida inspired' attacks by 
using makeshift bombs that contain ammonium nitrate and 
sugar. 
 
PKK Abducts Policeman:  A group of PKK terrorists abducted a 
police officer near the Idil town of the southeastern city 
of Sirnak, papers report today.  On Monday, security forces 
killed three PKK militants in the eastern province of 
Tunceli.  Two PKK members were captured with 5.6 kg of 
plastic explosives in Istanbul over the weekend. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  US-Turkey; Iraq 
 
"How the Washington-Ankara Line Was Restored?" 
Asli Aydintasbas wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (10/11): 
"It is no longer a secret that the US conducted a huge 
lobbying effort with the EU to ensure a negotiation date for 
Turkey.  Moreover, Secretary Rice was personally involved 
during the critical final 48 hours of the process.  An 
official who was an active participant in the discussions 
admitted that `things would have been a lot different if the 
US did not exert pressure.'  . Shortly before the October 3 
EU date, Karen Hughes, a close advisor of President Bush, 
included Turkey in her public diplomacy tour.  Prior to this 
visit, US National Security Advisor Steve Hadley visited 
Turkey on his first trip abroad and had an extensive meeting 
with Prime Minister Erdodan.  In recent months Deputy 
Assistant Secretary Bryza visited Turkey twice.  All this 
busy diplomatic traffic must mean something.  Circles in 
Washington talk about a new courting, a sort of second 
honeymoon, in the Turkish-American relationship  .  The US 
administration decided to restore its ties with Turkey even 
before the visit of  Prime Minister Erdodan to the US in 
June.  This strategic decision was based on the view that 
achieving American objectives in Iraq and in the region 
would be easier with the support of Turkey.  Although Turkey 
is not currently making any concrete contributions to US 
interests in the Middle East, the US understands that 
tension with Turkey could be costly.  On the other hand, 
Turkey also took important steps to repair its ties with the 
US.  Turkish officials such as advisor Ahmet Davutoglu, who 
was not well received by Washington, are now given a low 
profile.  As of June, Ankara is more careful on the Syrian 
issue than before.  Syrian leader Assad was not able to 
visit Turkey for his summer holiday.  Syrian Deputy Prime 
Minister Dardari was not received by Prime Minister Erdogan 
or FM Gul during his recent Ankara tour.   In addition, 
there are some important political and economic developments 
related to Israel that have had a positive impact in 
Washington.  Ankara played a mediating role to initiate a 
dialogue between Pakistan and Israel.  All these 
developments indicate that one can now talk about a new era 
in Turkish-American relations." 
 
"While Iraq Disintegrates" 
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-political "Dunya" 
(10/11):  "During the Iraqi constitution process, Sunnis 
were completely left out.  The draft constitution looked as 
if administration and oil reserves were left to the Kurds in 
the north and to the Shiites in the south.  The whole 
process transpired as Kurd-Shiite bargaining, establishing a 
legal basis for dividing the country between two ethnic 
groups.  If the draft constitution overcomes Shiite 
opposition and is accepted, Iraq will be divided into states 
ruled by powerful local administrations.  Under the 
constitution, regions can be comprised of more than one 
state, and two or more regions can join together to form one 
larger region.  For example, Kurdish regions can merge into 
one Kurdish state and Shiites can merge into another state. 
This means that Iraq will be divided between the American 
collaborator Kurds and the Shiites, who will definitely 
cooperate with Tehran in the future.  In the name of 
democracy, the Bush Administration is creating a second 
`Shiite Islamic Republic' in Iraq." 
 
MCELDOWNEY