Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ANKARA7205
2003-11-19 14:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 007205
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
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2003
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
HEADLINES
MASS APPEAL
PM Erdogan: Terror has no religion - Milliyet
Powell: Clues to synagogue bombing point to Al-Qaida - Sabah
PM Erdogan: I reject any message given through terror -
Sabah
Three religions pray for synagogue bombing victims -
Hurriyet
Sharon: World Jews must return to Israel - Sabah
Loizidu a pain for Turkey - Miliyet
US bombs resistance around Tikrit - Turkiye
OPINION MAKERS
US Jewish lobby happy with Turkeys' reaction to terror -
Zaman
Sharon calls on Jews to return to Israel - Yeni Safak
FM Gul: Synagogue attacks linked to Afghanistan - Cumhuriyet
Bush tension in London - Radikal
Hundreds of thousands of Britons to protest Bush - Yeni
Safak
UK to spend 5 million Pounds to protect Bush - Zaman
Bush in London, but not welcome - Cumhuriyet
Ankara will warn Talabani on humanitarian aid - Cumhuriyet
Bargaining over Kurds in Mahmur camp - Zaman
EU, Israel tense over security fence - Cumhuriyet
BRIEFING
Synagogue bombings in Istanbul: Prime Minister Erdogan
condemned Saturday's synagogue bombings in Istanbul and
challenged the powers behind the attack. `There is no ideal
or cause that can justify terror,' Erdogan said. Foreign
Minister Gul said that the bombings are linked to an
organization in Afghanistan, implying a connection between
the terrorists and Al-Qaida. Interior Minister Abdulkadir
Aksu said the synagogue bombings were carried out by Turks
manipulated by foreign groups linked to Al-Qaida. "Yeni
Safak" claims that the Turkish suicide bombers were linked
to an Egyptian terror group, at-Tekfir va'l-Hijra. The
group is responsible for the recent blasts in Saudi Arabia,
"Yeni Safak" claims, and they operate on behalf of the CIA
and MOSSAD.
Turkey and Israel have agreed to set up a special committee
for cooperation against Islamic terror organizations,
"Hurriyet" reports. Turkey will share with Israel
information about terror, and Israel will give Turkey
information regarding fundamentalist organizations gathered
via satellite.
Jewish Americans denounce bombings: Leading representatives
of Jewish organizations in the US have condemned the
synagogue bombings in Istanbul, and expressed gratitude to
the Turkish nation, government and media for the way they
responded to the attacks, "Zaman" reports. American Jewish
Committee (AJC) Director Barry Jacobs arrived in Istanbul
soon after the bombings. Jacobs said the attack was against
Turkey, not just against Turkish Jews. Jewish groups in the
US have applauded Prime Minister Erdogan for officially
visiting the Chief Rabbi in Istanbul to pay condolences.
Congressman Robert Wexler, the head of the Turkey-US Caucus,
drafted a bill urging US help for Turkey following the
terror attacks in Istanbul.
AKP blamed for loosening grip on Islamist terror:
"Cumhuriyet" claims that Islamist terror organizations have
had wider space for maneuver after the AKP assigned new
police chiefs and governors in some provinces. Cumhuriyet
stresses that the officials appointed by the AK Party should
have taken tighter measures to prevent terrorists' visit to
fundamentalist training camps in Iran and other regional
countries. Security forces captured 1,596 terrorists in
2001, but that figure fell to below 200 under the AK Party
government. The police announced that some 20,000 militants
are operating in connection with Hizbullah, but the AK Party
government made no move to capture them, the paper claims.
Talabani in Ankara: The temporary head of the Iraqi
Governing Council (IGC),Jalal Talabani, is in Ankara today
for meetings with Prime Minister Erdogan and MFA officials.
Ankara will urge Talabani not to block humanitarian aid
efforts by Turkey, and that the KDP should take measures for
solving problems at the Habur border crossing. The sides
will also discuss possibilities for cultural and educational
cooperation. Talabani's aide, Bahram Salih, said the Kurds
are not seeking independence, but rather to live in a
federal Iraq. Salih said the Kurds are seeking Ankara's
support for this aim.
Mahmur camp to be closed: US Assistant Secretary of State
for Population, Refugees and Migration Arthur Dewey will
meet with UNHCR and MFA officials in Ankara on Wednesday to
discuss the return to Turkey of Kurds living in the Mahmur
refugee camp in Northern Iraq. 9,000 Kurdish refugees are
sheltered in the Mahmur camp, and another 3,000 in Dohuk and
Irbil. Papers say that the accord for the return of Kurdish
refugees is ready, but needs some final adjustments.
Erdogan asks for removal of US loan conditions:
"Cumhuriyet" writes that Prime Minister Erdogan discussed
with US Ambassador Edelman last Friday the possibility of
removing the political conditions attached to the agreement
for the 8.5 billion dollar US credit package for Turkey.
Ambassador Edelman said that the conditions included in the
financial agreement had been mandated by the Congress.
However, Edelman told Erdogan that he would explore various
possibilities in Washington. Diplomatic sources believe
removal of the conditions is unlikely, as this would require
new action by the US Congress.
Turkish Cypriot opposition supports Annan Plan: Leaders of
the three opposition parties in the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) -- Mehmet Ali Talat, Ali Erel and
Mustafa Akinci -- have addressed the European Parliament in
support of the Annan Plan for a peaceful resolution on
Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot leaders regard Denktas as the
largest obstacle to a solution. They drew attention to the
new migrants arriving from Turkey who were granted
nationality and voting rights in advance of the general
election in December. The leaders complained of increasing
pressure on the Turkish Cypriot media. They drew attention
to the deteriorating economy of the TRNC under international
sanctions.
EDITORIAL OPINION: Istanbul bombings/Iraq
"Transnational Terror"
Cuneyt Ulsever noted in mass appeal Hurriyet (11/19):
"Globalization provided the world as an accessible
information market. First of all, this fact changed the way
of doing business. In a global world, the companies
acquired a transnational identity in order to provide world-
wide competition. . As of September 11, 2001 we began to
observe that terrorist organizations were the first ones
which implemented the transnational model. Al Qaeda is one
of them. The terrorists are working through local
individual organizations yet the orders are coming from one
center. The recent Istanbul bombings proved this fact once
again. The organizers of the terrorist attack are local yet
they are centrally trained and they are using global
technology. . Given the circumstances, transnational
terrorism can only be eliminated via transnational struggle.
Achieving this goal requires cooperation from every country
with no exception. There are still some European countries
that believe in manipulating the terrorist organizations;
and there are others, that make a distinction between `good
and bad' terrorists. Nothing can be achieved in the fight
against terrorism as long as this weakness or opportunistic
approach exists."
"The Evil Face of Terror"
Mehmet Ocaktan argued in Islamist Yeni Safak (11/19): "The
recent terrorist attack against the two synagogues is under
investigation and most likely we will read about the link
with terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda. Are we
going to be safe even after capturing the terrorists and
sentencing them? Let us not forget that Al Qaeda was held
responsible for the September 11 attacks, and the US
launched a global war against terrorism. This war continues
to the day, yet terror continues to shatter lives as well.
The fact of the matter is that the evil of terrorism has
global patrons. The US is the very one that developed and
supported Al Qaeda when it served to American interests.
Now the same America is carrying out a global war against
terrorism and killing people, as well as slaughtering
democracy and freedom, not to mention brutally occupying
foreign lands. The lords of the world feel comfortable in
creating terror for the sake of the survival of their
reigns."
EDELMAN
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
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2003
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
HEADLINES
MASS APPEAL
PM Erdogan: Terror has no religion - Milliyet
Powell: Clues to synagogue bombing point to Al-Qaida - Sabah
PM Erdogan: I reject any message given through terror -
Sabah
Three religions pray for synagogue bombing victims -
Hurriyet
Sharon: World Jews must return to Israel - Sabah
Loizidu a pain for Turkey - Miliyet
US bombs resistance around Tikrit - Turkiye
OPINION MAKERS
US Jewish lobby happy with Turkeys' reaction to terror -
Zaman
Sharon calls on Jews to return to Israel - Yeni Safak
FM Gul: Synagogue attacks linked to Afghanistan - Cumhuriyet
Bush tension in London - Radikal
Hundreds of thousands of Britons to protest Bush - Yeni
Safak
UK to spend 5 million Pounds to protect Bush - Zaman
Bush in London, but not welcome - Cumhuriyet
Ankara will warn Talabani on humanitarian aid - Cumhuriyet
Bargaining over Kurds in Mahmur camp - Zaman
EU, Israel tense over security fence - Cumhuriyet
BRIEFING
Synagogue bombings in Istanbul: Prime Minister Erdogan
condemned Saturday's synagogue bombings in Istanbul and
challenged the powers behind the attack. `There is no ideal
or cause that can justify terror,' Erdogan said. Foreign
Minister Gul said that the bombings are linked to an
organization in Afghanistan, implying a connection between
the terrorists and Al-Qaida. Interior Minister Abdulkadir
Aksu said the synagogue bombings were carried out by Turks
manipulated by foreign groups linked to Al-Qaida. "Yeni
Safak" claims that the Turkish suicide bombers were linked
to an Egyptian terror group, at-Tekfir va'l-Hijra. The
group is responsible for the recent blasts in Saudi Arabia,
"Yeni Safak" claims, and they operate on behalf of the CIA
and MOSSAD.
Turkey and Israel have agreed to set up a special committee
for cooperation against Islamic terror organizations,
"Hurriyet" reports. Turkey will share with Israel
information about terror, and Israel will give Turkey
information regarding fundamentalist organizations gathered
via satellite.
Jewish Americans denounce bombings: Leading representatives
of Jewish organizations in the US have condemned the
synagogue bombings in Istanbul, and expressed gratitude to
the Turkish nation, government and media for the way they
responded to the attacks, "Zaman" reports. American Jewish
Committee (AJC) Director Barry Jacobs arrived in Istanbul
soon after the bombings. Jacobs said the attack was against
Turkey, not just against Turkish Jews. Jewish groups in the
US have applauded Prime Minister Erdogan for officially
visiting the Chief Rabbi in Istanbul to pay condolences.
Congressman Robert Wexler, the head of the Turkey-US Caucus,
drafted a bill urging US help for Turkey following the
terror attacks in Istanbul.
AKP blamed for loosening grip on Islamist terror:
"Cumhuriyet" claims that Islamist terror organizations have
had wider space for maneuver after the AKP assigned new
police chiefs and governors in some provinces. Cumhuriyet
stresses that the officials appointed by the AK Party should
have taken tighter measures to prevent terrorists' visit to
fundamentalist training camps in Iran and other regional
countries. Security forces captured 1,596 terrorists in
2001, but that figure fell to below 200 under the AK Party
government. The police announced that some 20,000 militants
are operating in connection with Hizbullah, but the AK Party
government made no move to capture them, the paper claims.
Talabani in Ankara: The temporary head of the Iraqi
Governing Council (IGC),Jalal Talabani, is in Ankara today
for meetings with Prime Minister Erdogan and MFA officials.
Ankara will urge Talabani not to block humanitarian aid
efforts by Turkey, and that the KDP should take measures for
solving problems at the Habur border crossing. The sides
will also discuss possibilities for cultural and educational
cooperation. Talabani's aide, Bahram Salih, said the Kurds
are not seeking independence, but rather to live in a
federal Iraq. Salih said the Kurds are seeking Ankara's
support for this aim.
Mahmur camp to be closed: US Assistant Secretary of State
for Population, Refugees and Migration Arthur Dewey will
meet with UNHCR and MFA officials in Ankara on Wednesday to
discuss the return to Turkey of Kurds living in the Mahmur
refugee camp in Northern Iraq. 9,000 Kurdish refugees are
sheltered in the Mahmur camp, and another 3,000 in Dohuk and
Irbil. Papers say that the accord for the return of Kurdish
refugees is ready, but needs some final adjustments.
Erdogan asks for removal of US loan conditions:
"Cumhuriyet" writes that Prime Minister Erdogan discussed
with US Ambassador Edelman last Friday the possibility of
removing the political conditions attached to the agreement
for the 8.5 billion dollar US credit package for Turkey.
Ambassador Edelman said that the conditions included in the
financial agreement had been mandated by the Congress.
However, Edelman told Erdogan that he would explore various
possibilities in Washington. Diplomatic sources believe
removal of the conditions is unlikely, as this would require
new action by the US Congress.
Turkish Cypriot opposition supports Annan Plan: Leaders of
the three opposition parties in the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) -- Mehmet Ali Talat, Ali Erel and
Mustafa Akinci -- have addressed the European Parliament in
support of the Annan Plan for a peaceful resolution on
Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot leaders regard Denktas as the
largest obstacle to a solution. They drew attention to the
new migrants arriving from Turkey who were granted
nationality and voting rights in advance of the general
election in December. The leaders complained of increasing
pressure on the Turkish Cypriot media. They drew attention
to the deteriorating economy of the TRNC under international
sanctions.
EDITORIAL OPINION: Istanbul bombings/Iraq
"Transnational Terror"
Cuneyt Ulsever noted in mass appeal Hurriyet (11/19):
"Globalization provided the world as an accessible
information market. First of all, this fact changed the way
of doing business. In a global world, the companies
acquired a transnational identity in order to provide world-
wide competition. . As of September 11, 2001 we began to
observe that terrorist organizations were the first ones
which implemented the transnational model. Al Qaeda is one
of them. The terrorists are working through local
individual organizations yet the orders are coming from one
center. The recent Istanbul bombings proved this fact once
again. The organizers of the terrorist attack are local yet
they are centrally trained and they are using global
technology. . Given the circumstances, transnational
terrorism can only be eliminated via transnational struggle.
Achieving this goal requires cooperation from every country
with no exception. There are still some European countries
that believe in manipulating the terrorist organizations;
and there are others, that make a distinction between `good
and bad' terrorists. Nothing can be achieved in the fight
against terrorism as long as this weakness or opportunistic
approach exists."
"The Evil Face of Terror"
Mehmet Ocaktan argued in Islamist Yeni Safak (11/19): "The
recent terrorist attack against the two synagogues is under
investigation and most likely we will read about the link
with terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda. Are we
going to be safe even after capturing the terrorists and
sentencing them? Let us not forget that Al Qaeda was held
responsible for the September 11 attacks, and the US
launched a global war against terrorism. This war continues
to the day, yet terror continues to shatter lives as well.
The fact of the matter is that the evil of terrorism has
global patrons. The US is the very one that developed and
supported Al Qaeda when it served to American interests.
Now the same America is carrying out a global war against
terrorism and killing people, as well as slaughtering
democracy and freedom, not to mention brutally occupying
foreign lands. The lords of the world feel comfortable in
creating terror for the sake of the survival of their
reigns."
EDELMAN