ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002025

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, APRIL 7, 2004


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


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION


HEADLINES


MASS APPEAL
Ankara warns Denktas to compromise - Milliyet
Erdogan couldn't convince Denktas - Hurriyet
Denktas, Papadopoulos agree on one point: `No' - Milliyet
Papadopoulos expected to urge Greek Cypriots to vote `no' -
Milliyet
Weston: EU should not keep Turkey out - Sabah
UK launches `Yes' campaign for Cyprus referenda - Aksam
US Democrats: Iraq turning into Vietnam - Milliyet
US hunts for es-Sadr - Sabah
Air raid on Fallujah: 26 killed - Milliyet


OPINION MAKERS
Erdogan warns Turkish Cypriots against deadlock - Radikal
Papadopoulos is not convinced - Cumhuriyet
Iraqi resistance evolves into war - Zaman
Americans debating new troops in Iraq - Zaman
US pressures, Sadr resists - Radikal
Kennedy: Iraq is Bush's Vietnam - Radikal
Fallujah will determine the fate of Bush - Yeni Safak
Blix: Iraq war worse than Saddam's dictatorship - Yeni Safak


BRIEFING


Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas told PM Erdogan and
FM Gul at a meeting in Ankara on Tuesday that he would work
against the Annan Plan. Ankara told Denktas that preserving
the status quo in Cyprus would not bring a solution.
Denktas was also warned to refrain from siding with
Papadopoulos in advocating a `no' in the referenda. The
April 24 referenda process is not reversible, Gul told
Denktas. Denktas charged that the Turkish government was
too optimistic in its interpretation of the Annan Plan, and
warned Ankara not to trust the Greek Cypriots. The Turkish
Cypriot leader predicted that Cyprus would become a Greek
Cypriot island unless the Turks are given guarantees that
the derogations in the Annan Plan will be made part of EU
primary law. Today, Erdogan will guarantee to the UN that
Turkey will submit the results of the April 24 referendum to
the Turkish parliament for approval. The UN-backed peace
process for reunification of Cyprus was debated in
parliament on Tuesday. FM Gul said that the Turkish
Cypriots would be better off in a new, unified state of
Cyprus. Gul acknowledged that the plan, if accepted, will
bring some financial burden for Turkey. The opposition CHP
blamed the government for getting involved in a process that
would not solve the Cyprus issue, but would result in the
liquidation of the Turkish Cypriot state. The CHP charged
that the government has forsaken Cyprus in hopes of getting
a date for EU accession talks. The opposition warned that
the government may end up with nothing at the end of the
process. PM Erdogan said at his party group meeting on
Wednesday that those who now oppose the UN Plan had had 30
years to reach a solution in Cyprus and had failed to do so.
Erdogan asserted that Turkey's essential conditions have
been accepted into the plan. He acknowledged that the plan
carried risks, particularly on the issue of EU primary law.
But he said that no international agreement could be risk-
free. Meanwhile, papers report that US Special Cyprus
Coordinator Weston told the ATC meeting in Washington that
if Turkey does its part, but progress in Cyprus is stalled
due to the rejection of the UN Plan by the Greek Cypriots,
Turkey must not be kept waiting outside the EU.


New Turkish offer re QIZ: State Minister Kursad Tuzmen
offered to form a US- Turkish Qualified Industrial Zone
(QIZ) that will allow only high-technology Turkish products.
Tuzmen, in Washington for the annual meeting of the American-
Turkish Council (ATC),noted that the US responded
positively to the offer, and that preparations for QIZs
would begin immediately. `The US side can contribute the
know-how,' Tuzmen said, `and we can bring the manpower and
capital.' Tuzmen argued that such a model could be useful
in Turkey's economic development. Dailies reported that
Turkey has given up on insisting that Turkish textile
products be included in a QIZ.


Kurdish broadcast brings closure for local TV: Turkey's
media watchdog Radio and TV High Board (RTUK) has closed ART-
TV, a local broadcaster in Diyarbakir, for a period of one
month on the grounds that the station aired songs in the
Kurdish language. ART-TV managers criticized the decision,
saying it was in violation of Turkey's EU harmonization
laws.




EDITORIAL OPINION:


a) Iraq/Shia Unrest
b) Cyprus


"President Bush Has Lost Control of His Policy"
Semih Idiz observed in the mass appeal-sensational Aksam
(4/7): "A keen observation of the Washington scene shows
that President Bush is losing significant political ground,
and for the first time Republican circles are talking about
the possibility of losing the election. The growing tension
in Iraq has become a major concern and has led to a serious
debate on how best to respond. The debate centers around
two arguments. One group supports harsh retaliation, while
another group warns about the severe consequences of
escalation and urges the administration not increase
tensions through harsh reprisals. . The general view in
Washington is that the Greater Middle East Initiative has
become invalid due to recent developments. The realities of
the region make it impossible to apply. In sum, President
Bush seems to have lost control of his foreign policy line,
and developments in Iraq will be playing more significant
role in shaping U.S. policies."


"Settlement or the demise of Cyprus"
Hasan Pulur argued in the mass appeal Milliyet (4/7): "What
some people are calling the `settlement' of the Cyprus issue
actually means the demise of Cyprus. This is because of the
fact that the Greek Cypriots will join the EU even if they
say `no' in the referendum. As for Turkey, we remain
waiting at the gate. Thinking about Cyprus in isolation
will not give us the full picture. You should look at the
broader ramifications, from Cyprus to the Aegean, and from
Armenia to Turkey's southeast. Then we should add the
`Islamic state' concept to this. Secretary Powell - who was
also the former US Chief of Staff - referred to Turkey as an
Islamic state. If you are naive enough to believe that that
was a slip of the tongue, then we have nothing left to talk
about."


EDELMAN