US embassy cable - 05ANKARA7069

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 007069 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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 
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2005 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Victory in Iraq Clear, Pullout Date Not - Hurriyet 
Bush: US Pullout of Iraq Will Bring Disaster - Sabah 
US Bribes Iraqi Dailies for Positive Coverage - Sabah 
US Plants News in Iraqi Dailies - Vatan 
Pentagon's `Information Operation:' US `Buys Off' Iraqi 
Media - Milliyet 
Rumsfeld: Iraqi Groups are Terrorists, Not Insurgents - 
Vatan 
Rice Pledges to `Look into' Torture Claims - Sabah 
Merkel: No Automatic Membership for Turkey - Hurriyet 
EU to Monitor Pamuk Case on December 16 - Aksam 
3.5 Million Earthquake Victims Fight for Survival in 
Pakistan - Vatan 
CNN `a la Francaise' - Hurriyet 
Catholic Church: Don't Marry Muslims - Milliyet 
Benedict XVI: I Would Like to be in Istanbul - Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bush: We Will Stay in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Bush Did Not Announce Timetable for Iraq Pullout - Zaman 
`Handbook' of Victory in Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
General Pace: White Phosphorus a Conventional Weapon - 
Radikal 
US Pays `Independent' Iraq Press for Positive Coverage - 
Cumhuriyet 
Peres Becomes Sharon's Man - Cumhuriyet 
Russian Police Partly Responsible for Beslan Killings - Yeni 
Safak 
Chavez: Bush Guilty of Genocide, Terrorism, Human Rights 
Violations - Cumhuriyet 
Climate Change Conference: US Pollutes the World - Yeni 
Safak 
12.5 Percent of Americans Live Under Poverty Line - 
Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Mottaki Visits Ankara:  Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister 
Manouchehr Mottaki brought a message to Ankara from Iranian 
President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad for the strengthening of 
bilateral ties, Turkish papers report.  On Wednesday, 
Mottaki met with the representatives of Turkish Union of 
Chambers (TOBB).   He said that Iran was interested in 
Turkish privatization projects, particularly in the energy 
sector.  Mottaki added that trade between Turkey and Iran 
will reach 5 billion USD this year, up from last year's 4.5 
billion USD.  Mottaki also pledged political support for the 
activities of Turkish businessmen in Iran.  Mottaki later 
called on Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.  Gul complained 
about problems seen in transporting Iranian natural gas to 
Turkey, and Mottaki promised to send a delegation to discuss 
the issue.  Gul also advised the Iranian FM to cooperate 
with the UN inspector on Tehran's nuclear program.  Mottaki 
said Tehran will kick off preliminary talks in two weeks 
with EU countries over Iran's nuclear activities.  On Iraq, 
Mottaki said Iran supported Iraq's territorial integrity, 
and urged for a gradual pullout of US troops from the 
 
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country.  He added that Iran did not support any ethnic or 
religious group in Iraq.  The two FMs also discussed 
possibilities for enhancing cooperation in the struggle 
against the terrorist PKK.  Gul also drew attention to 
problems encountered by Turkish mobile phone operator 
Turkcell and construction company TAV in Iran, and noted 
that such hardships scared other Turkish companies willing 
to invest in the country.  Papers say that during the 
meeting, Gul also urged Iran and other Islamic countries to 
carry out reforms for democratization and human rights. 
Dailies note that Mottaki did not visit Ataturk's Mausoleum, 
a requirement for official visitors, so his visit is not 
considered official.  Mottaki said yesterday in an exclusive 
interview with the all-news broadcaster NTV that Tehran 
regarded it unlikely that Iraq will be partitioned.  `A 
regional federation administration does not mean that Iraq 
will be divided up,' Mottaki said.  In line with the 
constitution that was ratified by the Iraqi people, Mottaki 
noted, Iraqis will decide on the use of their own natural 
resources.  With regard to the activities of the PKK in 
Iran, Mottaki said that Tehran will not allow anything that 
will damage bilateral ties with Turkey.  On Tehran's nuclear 
aspirations, Mottaki said that Iran merely wanted to make 
civilian use of nuclear energy, recalling that Iran had 
called for removal of all nuclear weapons in the Middle 
East.  He added that President Ahmadinajad's statement with 
regard to Israel had been misinterpreted by Western 
countries.  On Thursday, Mottaki is expected to meet with 
former president Suleyman Demirel and former prime minister 
Bulent Ecevit, as well as the banned Islamist leader 
Necmettin Erbakan. 
 
MFA on Direct Turkish Civilian Flights to Iraq:  Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan rejected on 
Wednesday press reports claiming a change in Turkey's Iraq 
policy, stressing that the administration in the north was 
part of Iraq.  On the upcoming flights by the private 
Turkish airliner, Fly Air, between Istanbul and Erbil and 
Suleymaniye in northern Iraq, Tan said there was no obstacle 
to Turkish Airlines to begin direct flights to Baghdad and 
other Iraqi cities.  Tan underlined that Turkey helped to 
protect northern Iraq for over a decade, and that flights to 
the region should be assessed within this context.  Tan also 
noted that Ankara considered the appointment of an Iraqi 
Turkmen, Enise Avci, as the Iraqi deputy PM as an important 
development regarding participation of Turkmen in Iraqi 
politics. 
 
MFA: Turkey Continues Humanitarian Aid to Iraq:  Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan told a weekly 
press briefing that Turkey decided to offer humanitarian aid 
worth 1 million USD to Iraq, recalling that the first 
consignment was sent to Tal Afar in November in a convoy of 
16 trucks.  He said the aid was distributed to Tal Afar 
residents despite the fact that Turkish Red Crescent 
(Kizilay) executives were exposed to harassment and gunfire. 
Tan said 5 truckloads of goods were delivered to the Iraqi 
Red Crescent to meet the urgent needs of people in several 
regions of Iraq, adding that the second shipment containing 
food and cleaning items, was sent to Dohuk on November 24. 
 
Erdogan on Turkish Economy, Upcoming Visits by Merkel, 
Zapatero:  In a televised address to the nation on 
Wednesday, Prime Minister Erdogan recalled that the Blue 
Stream natural gas pipeline between Turkey and Russia was 
officially inaugurated two weeks ago.  Erdogan stated that 
Blue Stream will make Turkey one of the most significant 
energy corridors in the world, and thanked Russian and 
Italian leaders, Putin and Berlusconi, for their support to 
 
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the project.  He noted that Turkey, a functioning market as 
stressed in the EU progress report, will be a competitive 
element in the European market as long as Ankara continued 
structural reforms.  The PM added that the latest report of 
International Monetary Fund (IMF) once again confirmed the 
successes that have been achieved in the Turkish economy. 
`Now, our government is targeting a lower unemployment rate, 
poverty and income inequality in Turkey,' Erdogan said. 
Erdogan also said that, accompanied by a group of German 
businessmen, Chancellor Merkel will visit Turkey soon, and 
that Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero will come to Turkey in 
the beginning of April.  The PM also reiterated during his 
address to the nation his pledge not to protect anybody 
implicated in the incidents in the mainly Kurdish Semdinli 
town in southeast Turkey.  The blasts in Semdinli on 
November 9 and ensuing protests by angry local Kurds that 
left six people dead has drawn wide public and press 
attention in Turkey, with covert state involvement being 
suspected in the attacks.  The Turkish parliament has 
assigned an investigation commission to probe the incident 
and the unrest following the blasts. 
 
St Andrew's Day Celebrations in Istanbul:  The Greek 
Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul, the spiritual head of the 
world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, yesterday 
celebrated the November 30 feast day of St Andrew, papers 
report.  The ceremony at the Greek Patriarchate in the Fener 
district of Istanbul was attended by Turkey's Armenian 
Patriarch Mesrob II, the Greek deputy foreign minister 
Panayotis Skandalakis, the Greek Ambassador to Ankara Yorgo 
Yenimatas, Greece's Istanbul Consul-General Aleksandros 
Aleksandris as well as representatives from Jerusalem 
Orthodox Patriarchate and many Turkish nationals of Greek 
heritage.  Pope Benedict XVI was represented at the ceremony 
by German Cardinal Walter Kasper.  In a message to Patriarch 
Bartholomew I read out at Wednesday's gathering, Pope 
Benedict expressed hopes for `a deeper communion which will 
overcome the obstacles remaining between the two churches.' 
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I had invited Pope Benedict 
XVI to attend the liturgy in Istanbul.  Benedict XVI 
accepted the invitation, but Ankara, believing that 
Bartholomew I had overreached his authority, invited the 
Pope to visit in 2006 instead.  The Vatican has accepted 
Ankara's invitation.  Patriarch Bartholomew expressed hope 
that Pope Benedict will visit the Patriarchate in Istanbul 
in 2006.  Bartholomew noted that no date had been fixed for 
the visit yet.  The Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday 
that Pope Benedict XVI intended to be in Istanbul to attend 
the ceremony, and that he still wanted to visit the 
Patriarchate in Istanbul as soon as possible. 
 
Prosecutor Demands Closure of AKP:  A Turkish prosecutor 
referred the ruling AK Party to the Constitutional Court on 
Wednesday for breaking the law, reviving memories of the 
AKP's Islamist predecessors, Welfare Party (RP) and the 
smaller Felicity Party (FP) closed down by authorities for 
breaching Turkey's secular code in 1998 and 2001. 
Prosecutor Nuri Ok charged that some of the AKP party 
regulations breached the law governing political parties, 
and called on the Constitutional Court to demand that the 
AKP revise its rules.  Ok noted that changes in the AKP's 
regulations had given too much power to the party leader, 
Prime Minister Erdogan.  `Following the changes in the 
internal rules, the leader has become the only person who 
can elect members of the party,' Ok said in his court 
filing.  The court has the right to shut down a political 
party if it is deemed to have broken the law, but observers 
doubt that the AKP is in serious danger. 
 
 
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Supreme Military Council to Discuss Security:  The regular 
biannual meeting of the Turkish Supreme Military Council 
(YAS) is to be held on Thursday.  The meeting will be 
presided over by Prime Minister Erdogan.  Erdogan is 
expected to be briefed on the recent terrorist activities 
and regional security issues.  YAS convenes twice a year, in 
August and December.  The first convention of the year 
discusses promotions and retirements in the Turkish 
military, whereas the amendments of regulations and the 
needs of the military are the major points discussed in the 
second meeting in December. 
 
EU to Monitor Novelist Pamuk Trial:  A European Parliament 
delegation headed by Dutch lawmaker Camiel Eurlieng will 
attend the upcoming trial of novelist Orhan Pamuk on 
December 16, papers report.  Dailies comment that the 
delegation wants to see if Turkey is abiding by EU standards 
in human rights, and whether constitutional reforms are 
implemented in Turkey.  "Vatan" reports that the Greek Group 
in the EU Parliament will send a separate delegation to 
Turkey for the trial.  The head of Turkey-EU joint 
parliamentary commission, Joost Lagendijk, and German 
lawmakers Daniel Cohn Bendit and Helga Trupel will come to 
Istanbul for the trial. 
 
Gul Remarks on Turkish Judiciary:  Turkish Foreign Ministry 
(MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan said yesterday that Foreign 
Minister Abdullah Gul meant that Turkish judges acted more 
in line with our judiciary system when the FM said in a 
recent interview with Financial Times (FT) that the 
`judiciary in Turkey is conservative, and the prosecutors 
are even more conservative.'  `It was a technical 
description, and did not include any ideological aspect.  We 
have carried out reforms together with the judiciary.  FM 
Gul's words should be understood within this context,' Tan 
said.  Gul had also told FT that it was difficult to `spread 
the spirit of liberal reform' through the Turkish judicial 
system. 
 
Bush Orders Torture of Terror Suspects:  Turkish dailies 
cover an ABC news report on torture of terror suspects by 
Americans, citing a 2002 document signed by President Bush 
as well as then-National Security Advisor Rice and then- 
Attorney General Ashcroft. 
 
36 Million Americans Live Under Poverty line:  Dailies 
report newly released US statistics showing that 12.5 
percent, i.e. some 36 million, Americans live below the 
poverty line.  Mississippi leads the US states in terms of 
poverty with 18.3 percent of people living under the poverty 
line.  The poverty line in the US is 16,600 USD for a family 
of four. 
 
Hejaz Railway to be Reactivated:  Turkey, Syria, Jordan and 
Saudi Arabia will work together to reactivate the `Hejaz 
Railway' which was linking Damascus to Medina, demolished 
during World War I, the semi-official "Anatolian News 
Agency" (AA) reports.  Turkish State Railways (TCDD) 
officials said on Wednesday that the railway, built between 
1900 and 1908, will be reactivated.  A Jordanian delegation 
led by project director Abdul-Razzaq came to Ankara on 
Wednesday to hol talks on the project until December 5. 
The railway will strengthen cooperation among regional 
countries in many areas.  Turkey attributes importance to 
the project as the railway will connect Europe to Middle 
East, and will also revive historical ties among regional 
countries, says the AA report. 
 
Report on Street Children, Domestic Violence in Istanbul:  A 
 
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report by the Istanbul Governor's Office shows that nearly 
80 percent of children living rough on the streets of 
Istanbul are under 15 years old, "Radikal" reports. 
According to the report, the reasons for the increase in the 
number of homeless children are family disagreements (20.7 
percent), domestic violence (20.6 percent), and forced labor 
(17.1 percent).  10.5 percent of homeless children are 5 to 
9 years old, 28.5 percent are 10-12, 40.3 percent are 13-15, 
and 20 percent are 16-18.  The report says that many girls 
have left their homes to escape harassment and abuse, but 
faced more violence and exploitation on the streets.  On 
problems of women, the report says that social welfare 
institutions established to give support to battered women 
were not sufficient.  In 2005, 227 women have applied to the 
office of Istanbul Governor for help, and 29 other have made 
phone calls to seek help from authorities.  The applications 
are generally related to domestic violence or abuse, or 
violence at the work place. 
 
Interior Ministry Releases Alcohol Circular:  Turkish 
Interior Ministry released a controversial circular 
regarding restriction of alcohol sales, "Milliyet" reports. 
The circular released by the Interior Ministry in October 
says that municipalities had to reserve special areas for 
the sale of alcohol.  The circular had been disclosed amid 
press reports lashing out at AKP municipalities for 
attempting to ban alcohol consumption, says "Milliyet." 
 
Police Report on Narcotics Operations:  According to a 
report by the Turkish Security Department on the fight 
against narcotics smuggling and organized crime, Turkish 
police seized 9.3 tons of hashish, 8.8 tons of heroin, 4.7 
tons of base morphine, 126 kg of cocaine, 85 kg of opium, 
and 9.4 million Captagon pills and 845,390 ecstasy pills in 
2004, papers report.  Police arrested 14,009 suspects in 
6,749 drug operations carried out across Turkey last year. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Kyoto; Iraq 
 
"Time to Act for Kyoto" 
Derya Sazak commented in the mainstream "Milliyet" (12/1): 
"The entire world is standing up to show its awareness of 
global warming.  The Montreal meeting is also an effort to 
break the US and Australian resistance to the Kyoto 
protocol. Interestingly enough, global warming and its 
consequences pose the most serious threat to developed 
countries such as the US and Canada as seen during the 
recent hurricane. However, the US, one of the worst 
polluters, continues to decline to sign the protocol.  The 
US is acting against reports from American institutions as 
well as the Pentagon warning about the danger of climate 
change.  Canadian officials have already described climate 
change as a problem more dangerous than terrorism.  Turkish 
environmentalists will join the international forum on 
December 3 and organize local demonstrations to warn against 
global warming. We support their drive to urge the US to 
sign the Kyoto Protocol and work for clean energy." 
 
"Recognition of Kurdish Fact in Iraq" 
Cengiz Candar commented in the tabloid "Bugun" (12/1): "With 
elections coming in two weeks, Iraq is getting ready for a 
new era as the transition period comes to an end.  In 2006, 
Iraq will either continue its current existence with a 
confederation-like structure or face a process of division 
following a civil war.  Even though the international 
community, Turkey included, favors the former option, given 
Iraq's internal and regional circumstances the latter option 
is not off the table yet. The Turkish Foreign Ministry gave 
 
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its okay for flights between Turkey and Erbil, the center of 
the Kurdistan regional administration.  This signals an 
important step toward changing traditional Iraq policy. 
However what Turkey should do as well is recognize and 
establish official contact with Barzani as the president of 
the Kurdistan regional administration.  There is no other 
conceivable way to address the situation, as Barzani has 
already been received at high levels in London, Washington, 
Berlin and the Vatican." 
 
MCELDOWNEY