US embassy cable - 05ANKARA7216

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 007216 
 
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, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
US Prohibits Torture of Captives - Vatan 
Plame to Resign from CIA - Milliyet 
Zawahiri: Bin-Ladin Alive, Leading Jihad - Vatan 
Russia to Pass Anti-Soros Law - Hurriyet 
Israel Discusses Preemptive Strike against Iran - Hurriyet 
Muslims' Conference in Mecca Denounces Terrorism - Milliyet 
Zawahiri Orders Attacks against Oil Facilities in Muslim 
Countries - Aksam 
Schroeder Appeals to Terrorists on Al-Jazeera - Vatan 
Nobel Laureate Pinter: Bush, Blair Must be Tried for Iraq 
War - Hurriyet 
Cameron: Blair is History - Aksam 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
FBI Director Mueller Due in Ankara - Radikal 
Rice's Visit `Silences' Europe on Secret CIA Prisons - Yeni 
Safak 
Rice Takes a `Slight U-Turn' on CIA Torture Claims - Radikal 
Rice Gives Assurances against Torture - Zaman 
US Approves Bill to Support Torture Victims - Radikal 
In Romania, Ukraine, Rice Implies US Aggressive Policies 
Will Continue - Cumhuriyet 
Nabi Sensoy the New Turkish Ambassador to Washington - 
Cumhuriyet 
Zawahiri: Bin Ladin Alive, Still Fighting - Yeni Safak 
Muslim World to Take a New Route at OIC Mecca Summit - Yeni 
Safak 
Israeli Missile Strikes Kill 2 in Gaza - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
General Buyukanit to Kick Off US Visit December 10:  Turkish 
Land Forces Commander General Yasar Buyukanit is to pay an 
official visit to the US on December 10 at the invitation of 
US Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker, "Cihan News 
Agency" (CNA) reports on Thursday.  Buyukanit will arrive in 
New York on Saturday and will pay a visit to West Point 
Military Academy.  On Monday, Buyukanit will move on to 
Washington to meet with US Defense Department Undersecretary 
for Policy, Eric Edelman, former US Ambassador to Turkey. 
General Buyukanit is expected to convey Turkey's 
expectations from the US with regard to the PKK during his 
four-day stay in the US.  Land Forces Commander Buyukanit is 
tipped to take over the Chief of Turkish General Staff (TGS) 
post in August 2006. 
 
FBI Director Mueller Due in Ankara:  Federal Bureau of 
Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller is to visit 
Ankara on late Thursday to meet Friday with high-level 
officials of the Turkish intelligence service MIT, interior 
ministry officials and police chiefs, papers report. 
Mueller will discuss with Turks al-Qaida related terror 
activities in Turkey, and the issues of human trafficking 
and refugees.  On Friday, Mueller will call on Turkish 
Security Director-General Gokhan Aydiner, and will have 
lunch with high-level police officials.  Papers expect the 
Turks to give Mueller a file on the activities of the 
outlawed PKK.  Mueller will hold a press briefing in Ankara 
on Friday afternoon before he departs for the US. 
Turkey a Transit Country in Smuggling Nuclear Parts into 
Libya:  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says 
that thousands of key nuclear items were transferred to 
Libya through companies in Turkey, "Cumhuriyet" reports. 
The Turkish Customs Inspection Board has launched an 
investigation into the role of Turkish companies in the 
trafficking of nuclear parts, and released a report on 
November 29.  According to the report, Turkish companies 
sent `container supports, ring magnets, stators, and 
frequency converters' to Libya.  The "Tekno Elektrik," 
company owed by Gunes Cire, and the EKA company, owned by 
Selim Alguadis, have bought 40,084 ring magnets from 
Germany.  20,000 of the magnets have been sent to Dubai- 
based "Gulf Industries," and the rest to the "Abid Light" 
company in Pakistan.  40,034 `ring magnets' have been sent 
to Libya from various countries.  The US seized only 19,477 
magnets in Libya, and the remaining 20,557 are missing. 
Specialists say that the missing parts could be used to 
produce up to 20 nuclear weapons.  Companies in Turkey have 
supplied Libya with nuclear parts worth USD 10 million.  `A 
report by the US Energy Department said that, 6,992 
centrifuge motors sent to Libya by Turkish companies had 
been seized under the framework of Libya's nuclear program, 
and that they can be used in manufacturing enough enriched 
uranium to make seven nuclear weapons every year,' said the 
Turks' report submitted to the Chief Prosecutor in Istanbul. 
The report asked the prosecutor to file a lawsuit against 
EKA company partners Zubeyr Baybars Cayci, Ertugrul Sozmen 
and Marco Walter Tinner for organized smuggling that 
endangers the political, financial and military security of 
Turkey.  If a lawsuit is filed by the prosecutor, the 
suspects may face up to 32 years in prison, says 
"Cumhuriyet." 
 
Israel Needs Turkey to Strike Iran:  A report drafted by US 
Army War College for Pentagon military leaders said that 
Israel lacked the capacity to extensively bomb Iran's 
nuclear facilities on its own, "Hurriyet" reports from 
Washington.  The report said that the distance of targets 
and refueling problems restricted the Israeli Air Forces' 
capacity for an effective strike.  Iran's nuclear facilities 
are located at a distance of 1500-1700 km from Israel.  The 
report expresses doubt that countries such as Turkey and 
India will allow Israeli planes to stop over during possible 
attack flights against Iran.  The US report says that Israel 
needs logistical support from Turkey to launch a preemptive 
strike against Iran. 
 
Barzani Rejects, Talabani Accepts Cooperation With Turkey 
against the PKK:  "Cumhuriyet" cites the Greek daily 
"Elefterotipia" as claiming that the Iraqi Kurdistan 
Democratic Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani had refused to 
cooperate in possible Turkish military operations against 
the PKK camps in Kandil Mountains.  "Elefterotipia" reported 
Kurdish sources as saying that Barzani's refusal had made 
officials from the Turkish intelligence service MIT contact 
President Talabani in an effort to seek support in the fight 
against the PKK.  Talabani has accepted Turkish offers for 
financial aid, and agreed to back Turkish efforts to 
eliminate the PKK.  In a recent meeting with the Iranian 
President Ahmadinajad, Talabani offered to allow military 
action against the PKK in exchange for guarantees that the 
borders between the two countries will not be changed. 
 
Iraqi Kurdish Parties Disagree on Election Alliance: 
Turkish papers report that northern Iraqi parties, Barzani's 
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Talabani's Patriotic 
Union of Kurdistan (KDP), have been fighting with the Iraqi 
Kurdistan Islam Union (IKIU) due to IKIU's reluctance to 
enter the December 15 legislative elections on a single list 
with the other two major Kurdish parties.  On Tuesday, four 
Kurds were killed during attacks by KDP members on IKIU 
offices in several northern Iraqi towns such as Duhok, Zaho, 
Amedi, Saklava, Kadas, Serdaras and Akra.  "Zaman" says that 
Ankara has recently begun to cooperate closely with IKIU 
leader Selahaddin Muhammad Bahaddin against Barzani and 
Talabani.  Bahaddin met with Turkish MFA officials in Ankara 
three weeks ago, says "Zaman." 
 
AKP MP Complains of Military Appearance of Ankara:  Turkish 
papers cite the ruling AK Party lawmaker Resul Tosun as 
writing in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak" yesterday that 
the war academy and the headquarters of the force commands 
should be moved outside Ankara, as they give the EU-aspirant 
Turkish capital the image of a military town.  Tosun said 
that to transform Ankara into a civilian capital, the 
Turkish General Staff (TGS) needs to pull back the military 
guards deployed in parliament, to move the War Academy to 
another city or at least outside Ankara, and to move Land, 
Air and Navy Force Commands outside Ankara.  Tosun 
complained that members of parliament were working in the 
shadow of military compounds, adding that the atmosphere of 
Ankara was very different from the atmosphere of European 
capitals. 
 
AKP MPs Criticize Party Policies:  AK Party lawmaker Mahmut 
Kocak joined his colleague Turhan Comez, criticizing the 
lack of democracy in the ruling party.  Papers expect the 
AKP administration to take disciplinary action against Comez 
after PM Erdogan returns home from his state visits to New 
Zealand and Australia.  Dailies report Kocak as saying that 
party policies had been shaped according to the preferences 
of the leader rather than the priorities enlisted in the 
party program.  Kocak recently conducted an opinion survey 
which showed a decrease in popular support for AKP. 
Nationalist lawmakers in AKP have been disturbed with the 
statements by PM Erdogan that being a citizen of the 
Republic of Turkey constituted an `upper-identity' for all 
Turks, and with irregularities in privatization which 
involved Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, papers speculate. 
"Cumhuriyet" recalls that 11 nationalist MPs in AKP had 
released a declaration to condemn FM Gul for meeting with 
former Kurdish lawmakers.  The paper claims that AKP 
lawmakers opposing party policies had increased to 30 
following recent developments. 
 
Erdogan in Australia:  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan began a 
five-day visit to Australia Wednesday expected to focus on 
trade, security issues and preserving historic World War I 
battlefields in Gallipoli in Turkey, Turkish papers report. 
Erdogan, accompanied by four cabinet ministers and a large 
business delegation, met Victorian state Premier Steve 
Bracks and business leaders in Melbourne at the start of his 
trip, the first to Australia by a Turkish prime minister. 
Erdogan said during talks with Turkish community 
representatives in Melbourne that the state ban on women 
wearing headscarves in universities remains a problem in 
Turkey, stressing that the most important factor is to 
achieve agreement on the issue in parliament.  Prime 
Minister John Howard said prior to his meeting with Erdogan 
in Canberra on Thursday that their talks will touch on the 
fight against terrorism as well as on the reconstruction of 
Iraq and Afghanistan.  Howard also said the two leaders 
would discuss the preservation of the Gallipoli 
battlefields, which sparked controversy earlier this year 
when the Australian press claimed they had been partially 
destroyed by construction work.  "Agence France Press" (AFP) 
reported on Wednesday that Erdogan said the US-led invasion 
of Iraq had transformed the country into a training ground 
for extremists.  He said global defense budgets totaled one 
trillion USD annually, with only a fraction of that amount 
spent trying to eradicate extremism's root causes such as 
poverty, ignorance and religious intolerance.  Erdogan's 
remarks that militarism had failed in Iraq implicitly 
challenged Canberra's strong commitment to the US-led 
campaign in Iraq, AFP commented.  `We must have a lot of 
intelligence sharing in order to dry up the swamp of 
terrorism,' Erdogan said.  Erdogan will return home on 
Sunday. 
 
EU Warns Turkey on Torture:  Dailies report EU Enlargement 
Commissioner Olli Rehn as stating to the BBC that torture 
was still seen in Turkey despite the fact that Ankara, in an 
effort to adjust to EU regulations, has pledged to maintain 
a policy of zero-tolerance against torture and mistreatment. 
Rehn had earlier warned that Turkey's EU accession process 
will not advance unless Ankara displays a stern attitude 
against torture. 
Rehn warned that Turkey's EU drive will be harmed if Orhan 
Pamuk, the renowned Turkish novelist due to appear before 
court on December 16 for statements on the mass-killings of 
Armenians by Ottomans, is found guilty.  Rehn, however, also 
told the BBC that there had been remarkable improvements in 
Turkey, thanks to the EU reforms process. 
 
Sensoy the New Turkish Ambassador to US:  Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA) Deputy Undersecretary Nabi Sensoy has been 
appointed Turkish Ambassador to Washington to replace Faruk 
Logoglu, Turkish papers report.  Logoglu will return to the 
MFA in Ankara.  MFA Deputy Undersecretary Volkan Bozkir is 
appointed as Turkey's permanent representative in the EU. 
Ambassadors Husnu Gurcan Turkoglu and Fuat Tanlay have been 
appointed to Tehran and Brussels respectively. 
 
OIC Stands against Terrorism, Extremism in Islamic World: 
Turkey is being represented at the Organization of the 
Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Mecca by Parliamentary 
Speaker Bulent Arinc and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, 
papers report.  Ekmeleddin Ihsanouglu, the OIC Secretary 
General, told the opening of the summit that one of the 
challenges Islamic nations face today is the distorted image 
of Islam around the world.  This distortion was largely 
caused by the actions of some extremist Muslims, said 
Ihsanouglu, underlining that terrorism in the Islamic world 
was a result of social and economic problems.  However, the 
ten-year program to be issued at the end of the summit can 
rescue Muslim nations from the existing situation, 
Ihsanouglu said.  The final communiqu will announce that 
Turkey, according to an earlier decision adopted by the OIC, 
will host an Islamic women's conference soon, say papers. 
 
PKK-Linked Counterfeiters Arrested in Istanbul:  "Yeni 
Safak" reports that Turkish police seized several bags full 
of forged US Dollar banknotes in simultaneous security 
operations held yesterday in Istanbul and Ankara.  Acting on 
a tip-off by Ankara, police raided a printing house in 
Istanbul and seized counterfeit USD banknotes.  A 23-member 
gang, suspected to be linked to the PKK, has been arrested. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq 
 
"As Dialogue Channels Are Opening" 
Soli Ozel opined in the mass appeal "Sabah (12/8): "Only a 
federal structure can save Iraqi territorial integrity so 
Turkey should revise its Iraq policy and accept the reality 
of a Kurdish federal state in northern Iraq.  Currently 
Turkey has started to signal some change in its policy on 
the domestic Kurdish issue, which is leading to consequences 
for its northern Iraq policy.  The Turkish Director of 
Intelligence recently met with Barzani.  Regular flights 
from Istanbul to northern Iraq have started.  Cooperation 
with Turkey will also serve the interests of Iraqi Kurds, 
regarding their political structure.  In the days ahead, we 
might even see some developments concerning the settlement 
of the PKK issue through dialogue between Turkey, Iraqi 
Kurds and the US." 
 
"New Politics" 
Okay Gonensin observed in the mass appeal "Vatan" (12/8): 
"As Barzani emphasized, one of the main problems of an 
`independent Kurdistan' is the fact that it has no sea 
coast. To ship its oil in a safe environment Kurdistan only 
has access to the open seas via Turkey. As Turkey enters 
into the EU process, a newly revised security procedure is 
needed.  That means Turkey has to adapt a policy line based 
on the realities in the region by taking Kurds in Turkey as 
well as Kurds in northern Iraq into account.  There are 
credible signals showing that Ankara has started working on 
this.  The fact of the matter is that regardless of 
Kurdistan's status in northern Iraq, whether federal or 
independent, it still needs Turkey.  And Turkey will benefit 
from a policy shaped by this reality." 
 
"The Congress in Erbil" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative-nationalist 
"Turkiye" (12/8):  "The Independent Kurdistan Conference 
convened in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, on 
November 11, 2005.  The American Kurdish Congress sponsored 
the conference, the topic of which was "Kurds in Turkey, 
Iran and Syria."  The possibility of establishing autonomous 
Kurdish areas in the Kurdish populated provinces of 
countries other than Iraq was also debated at the 
conference.  How Kurds living in Turkey, Iran and Syria, can 
fight against their states in order to achieve autonomy was 
also discussed.  One of the discussions at the conference 
focused on the possibility of Kurdish regions in other 
countries uniting and establishing a `Greater Kurdistan'. 
This conference showed that the organizer of the conference, 
the US, is preparing for some action.  I have been warning 
for months that Washington is planning to establish a 
`Greater Kurdistan' together with a `Greater Armenia' if 
Turkey rejects coordinating with the US in restructuring the 
Middle East." 
 
WILSON