Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ANKARA2453
2004-04-30 15:17:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT,

Tags:  OPRC KMDR TU 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002453

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,
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2004

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


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION




HEADLINES


MASS APPEAL
FM Gul: Turkey will not pull troops out of Cyprus - Milliyet
US troops torture Iraqi captives - Milliyet
Fukuyama: I don't see Turkey in the EU - Hurriyet
BP to leave Iraq, cites lack of security - Sabah
EU Turkey Rep: Situation deteriorating in Iraq - Turkiye
Chirac: Turkey may join EU by 2015 - Sabah


OPINION MAKERS
US signals de facto recognition of `TRNC' - Zaman
FM Gul aims at removal of political sanctions on `TRNC' -
Radikal
No new UN plan for Cyprus - Yeni Safak
Bush, Cheney testify at 9/11 commission - Zaman
US mistreats Iraqi prisoners - Radikal
US cannot break Fallujah resistance - Yeni Safak
US leaves Fallujah command to former general of Saddam -
Radikal
US warns nationals against travel to Israel - Cumhuriyet
Sharon insists on `nuclear ambiguity' - Zaman
Lieberman, Hagel propose development bank for Middle East -
Cumhuriyet




BRIEFING


Cyprus: A Cyprus regulation in favor of the Turkish
Cypriots was approved at the EU Council ministerial meeting
in Luxembourg on Thursday. Turkish papers regard the
decision as an initial step toward ending the isolation of
northern Cypriots. The Greek Cypriots and Greece have not
raised objections to EU plans to ease the economic isolation
of their Turkish Cypriot neighbors. In an effort to ease
the isolation of the Turkish north and to force the Greek
south to hold a second referendum, the US will establish an
economic relationship with the Turks without officially
recognizing the `TRNC,' dailies speculate. The US is also
working to open Ercan Airport in the north to international
flights. Washington is also planning to open a non-official
presence post on the Turkish side of the island. While
bidding farewell to Turkish leaders in Ankara on Thursday,
UN Cyprus envoy De Soto said that a second referendum for
reunification could only be held in south Cyprus. Kofi
Annan is not planning to launch a new initiative on Cyprus,
De Soto said, and he urged the Greek Cypriots to make a
better assessment of the UN plan. `TRNC PM' Mehmet Ali
Talat has agreed with Turkey's PM Erdogan not to allow the
Greek Cypriot administration to interfere in contacts

between the `TRNC' and the EU. Turkey will support the
export of Turkish Cypriot goods to EU countries.


PM Erdogan to Greece: Prime Minister Erdogan will visit
Western Thrace in northern Greece next week. The region has
a large ethnic Turkish minority, and Erdogan's visit is a
sign of warming ties between Ankara and Athens. As the
first Turkish government leader to visit Western Thrace
since 1952, Erdogan will discuss with Greek officials the
political, economic and educational problems of the Turkish
minority.


US annual report on Global Terrorism: The US State
Department's 2003 report on global terrorism notes that the
PKK has thousands of members in northern Iraq, and that the
terror organization has been receiving support from Syria,
Iraq and Iran. The PKK's successor organization, Kongra-
Gel, is using Europe as a source of fundraising and
political propaganda. The report adds that Turkish
Hizbullah, which has several hundred members, is going
through a period of reorganization. DHKP-C and IBDA-C are
among the other terror groups cited in the report, which
praises Turkey as a strong and enduring partner in the
struggle against terrorism.


AKP vetoes provision favoring women: The ruling AK Party
removed from a draft constitutional amendment a provision
that would have allowed `affirmative action' for women,
"Radikal" reports. The provision would have introduced
special quotas for women in politics. A package of
constitutional amendments that envisages significant changes
to smooth Turkey's path to the EU will be voted on by the
parliament next month.




EDITORIAL OPINION:


a) Afghanistan
b) Iraq
c) EU expansion


"Duty Call for Turkey!"
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-political Dunya
(4/30): "The US effort to stabilize Afghanistan has ended in
failure, just like the deteriorating situation in Iraq. The
Karzai administration does not have control over
Afghanistan. The fact that Karzai survives in Kabul is due
to the support he receives from NATO forces. Outside of
Kabul is another story. Security in the outlying regions is
zero. Al-Qaeda is still operating in the mountains of
Afghanistan, and apparently Usama Bin Ladin is free enough
to shuttle between Afghanistan and Pakistan. . In this very
chaotic situation, the Bush administration is making an
incredible proposition to NATO, and particularly to Turkey,
by asking for more troops to serve in Afghanistan. Sending
Turkish troops to Afghanistan, even if their mission is
designed as operational, is totally unacceptable. Under
current circumstances, there is no way to justify such a
mission."


"Getting out of Iraq will be Harder than Going in"
Mustafa Balbay argued in the social democrat-opinion maker
Cumhuriyet (4/30): "One year has been since President Bush's
announcement that the Iraq war had ended, yet the situation
is only worsening day by day. It is interesting that even
staunch US supporters like the UK and Poland are now calling
on the Bush administration for either a complete reversal of
its current Iraq policy or at least for the formulation of
more realistic policies. . The Prime Minister of Poland was
forced to resign amid heavy criticism of his policiy in
Iraq. Poland stands as the primary US ally in Central
Europe, but only 29 percent of the Polish people support the
country's military presence in Iraq. Iraq, on the other
hand, has been divided into three regions. The north has
become strongly pro-American, and the center and south
strongly anti-American. . Things in Iraq are going in a very
problematic direction for the US. It looks leaving Iraq
will not be as easy as it was to go in. The US made a very
detailed plan for toppling Saddam and occupying the country,
but it seems to have overlooked one fine detail -- the
people of Iraq."


"The Union Expands, But How Far"
Sami Kohen opined in the mass appeal `Milliyet' (4/30):
"One of the reasons that EU administrators have accepted the
EU's `expansion policy' has been to increase the union's
political power through the inclusion of countries that will
support democracy, peace, and prosperity in the European
geography. Such an entity might one day emerge as a kind of
superpower. One other reason for the expansion policy is to
include the Eastern and Northern European countries that
were run by communist regimes for decades. A final reason
is connected with the economic benefits reaped by the rich
and powerful European countries. After all, there is a new
internal market of 75 million people about to be added to
the union. .The economic factor is paramount for the 10 new
members states. Since most of these are developing
countries, they are hoping to reach higher European
standards through their membership. On top of this, the ex-
communist countries will become members of a powerful union
that will provide them political support and security
guarantees. Will Europe continue to expand beyond these 10
new members? There are many countries still on the waiting
list. Bulgaria and Romania are at the front of the line.
Then comes Turkey, which is waiting for a negotiation date.
Other willing nominees include Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus,
and Croatia.At the moment, the debate is continuing in the
EU -- some say `let us stop here,' while others say the
expansion should continue.
"EDELMAN