ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 007538

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
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2003


THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION


HEADLINES


MASS APPEAL
November 17 trials mark day of justice in Greece - Hurriyet
November 17 trials: Justice arrives 12 years late - Aksam
Denktas: TRNC will not become another Georgia - Hurriyet
Indecent proposal: Iran offers KADEK in exchange for natural
gas - Milliyet
FM Gul: Uzans will be extradited from US - Sabah
Observers find Russian elections undemocratic - Turkiye


OPINION MAKERS
Grossman to discuss Incirlik AB with Ankara - Radikal
Grossman came for Incirlik - Yeni Safak
EU gives moderate message on Cyprus - Radikal
Iran bargaining on terror with Turkey - Cumhuriyet
Israel helps US troops in Iraq - Cumhuriyet
FM Gul: Turkey will succeed in its EU drive - Zaman
Talabani wants to turn a new page with Turkey - Yeni Safak
Power struggle between US, Russia in Georgia - Yeni Safak




BRIEFING


U/S Grossman in Ankara: Undersecretary of State for
Political Affairs, Marc Grossman, arrived in Ankara Monday
to discuss with the Turks the new mission of Incirlik Air
Base. Grossman will reportedly stress that the war in Iraq
has shown the importance of flexibility and maneuverability
in facing new threats. He will also discuss ways for
restructuring the US mission at Incirlik. Papers expect
Ankara to tell Grossman that Turkey prefers a functional air
base like Incirlik to continue working in line with modern
conditions and the current legal system in Turkey.


Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas blamed the
opposition for attempting to remove him from the political
arena. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will
not become "another Georgia," Denktas said. He noted that
the opposition in the TRNC did not have the potential to
activate the masses toward a political goal. Denktas also
blamed the EU and western world for providing financial
support to the opposition in the TRNC. The Turkish Cypriot
opposition regards the visit by Turkey's Deputy Prime
Minister Abdullatif Sener to the island on the eve of the
elections as a political intervention by Ankara. Sener said
his visit was scheduled beforehand within the framework of
several existing protocols on cooperation. "Cumhuriyet"
expects Denktas to table a new plan for the resettlement of
Greek Cypriots in the Turkish sector. Greek Cypriots
willing to move to the north will be allowed to acquire
property in the TRNC up to a certain quota, according to the
Denktas plan. On the other hand, dailies cite Greek Cypriot
papers claiming that the US will not recognize the election
results if Denktas emerges as the winner.


Turkey-Iran: Iran has asked Turkey to send delegations to
Iran to discuss cooperation in struggle against terrorism
and the natural gas issue, according to "Hurriyet." Ankara
was disturbed by the `shocking' Iranian offer to prevent
PKK/KADEK activities in Iran in exchange for Turkey's
agreement to purchase all of its natural gas from Iran.
Turkish officials said Ankara was not against buying or
distributing Iranian natural gas to Europe via Turkey, but
decisions on energy issues require time. Ankara reportedty
informed Tehran that accepting KADEK as a terror
organization should be a unilateral decision, and that there
is no need to send a delegation to discuss the issue.
Uzans in the US: Ankara has stepped up efforts to gain the
extradition of Kemal and Yavuz Uzan from the US. Uzan
family leader Kemal Uzan and his brother Yavuz are
reportedly hiding in the US. "We will demand the
extradition of the criminals from the US," Foreign Minister
Gul said. Papers report that Interpol gave Ankara detailed
information on the whereabouts of the Uzans two weeks ago.
Washington has told the US Embassy in Ankara that the US is
ready for cooperation with Turkey on the issue."


EU Brussels summit: The EU foreign ministers' summit to be
held in Brussels December 12-13 is expected to encourage
Turkey's EU efforts. The summit's final communique is
expected to give the message that settlement of the Cyprus
problem will greatly facilitate Turkey's membership process.
The final declaration will urge a solution within the
framework of the Annan Plan.




EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq


"The New Iraq"
Yilmaz Oztuna observed in the conservative, mass appeal
Turkiye (12/9): "Iraq's demography presents a complex
picture, and the lack of a reliable census leaves us to make
only estimates about its ethnic and religious composition.
These estimates are based on general trends as well as local
interests. For instance, the Shiites of Iraq are seeking an
Iranian-style radical Islamist regime. Kurds in the north,
however, are after an autonomous structure. The US, on the
other hand, is relying heavily on the Kurds. During the
Iraq crisis, Kurdish peshmerges turned into fighters
equipped with US heavy weapons. From Israel's point of
view, a divided Iraq with a separate Kurdish state would
serve Israeli interests. . It remains to be seen how
successful the US will be in building a new Iraq,
particularly with such a complex demography and conflicting
interests. It seems that we are headed for a kind of chaos.
Even if there are elections in Iraq, there will never be a
democracy."


"Shiites Have Gained Full Control"
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-politic Dunya (12/9):
"The people of Iraq used to suffer because of Saddam. Now
the same painful process is continuing because of Bush. The
US intervention saved the Iraqis from Saddam's cruelty, yet
brought chaos and anarchy in its place. . We all used to
know the US as a state which stood for long-term planning
and clear goals and objectives. However, the policies
pursued by Bush, especially on the Iraq issue, have proved
otherwise. . Given the circumstances, the effort to `bring
democracy to Iraq' is far from credible. Everybody knows
that a new regime that a majority of Iraqis will support can
only be led by the Shiites. They not only make up 60
percent of the population, but are also working for an
immediate election process in Iraq. . It is clearly a
nightmare for the Bush administration to see a Shiite
government, which inevitably will be radical Islamist. . The
situation leads us to an odd conclusion. The US will either
accept a Shiite-led political structure in Iraq, or we will
see further chaos and anarchy, which might even lead to a
civil war."


EDELMAN