ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003046

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, JUNE 2, 2004


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


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION


HEADLINES


MASS APPEALS
Two Shiites, one Kurd, one Sunni to govern Iraq - Milliyet
PKK terror team captured in Istanbul - Milliyet
Bush and team coming with 230 limousines - Sabah
US Iraq occupation toll: 802 US troops dead, 4,682 injured -
Hurriyet
Russia reacts to US, Azerbaijani exercise in Caspian Sea -
Aksam
Pakistan's Musharraf: Time for renaissance in Islam - Sabah


OPINION MAKERS
Afghanistan the main topic of June NATO Summit - Zaman
New Iraqi leader al-Yawer stresses full sovereignty - Zaman
FM Gul warns against `playing' with Kirkuk - Yeni Safak
US troops `loot' Iraqi homes - Radikal
US soldiers steal Iraqis' personal belongings - Yeni Safak
Pentagon launches investigation on `thefts' by US soldiers -
Cumhuriyet
Bloody day in Baghdad, 36 killed - Yeni Safak
John Kerry: US security overrides democracy - Zaman
Annan to present UNSC Cyprus report - Cumhuriyet
Saudi Arabia pledges support for `TRNC' - Radikal
Riyadh opposes `secular' Turkish candidate for OIC -
Cumhuriyet




BRIEFING


NATO's role in `GME' initiative: Turkey and the US disagree
over the role of NATO within the Greater Middle East (GME)
project, "Cumhuriyet" claims. Ankara believes that US
support for a NATO role within the GME will `frighten'
Middle Eastern countries. The US wants to expand NATO's
Mediterranean Dialogue to include the countries of the
Greater Middle East. Ankara is worried that such an attempt
will make NATO seem like a military tool to force reforms in
regional countries. Ankara argues that the GME should not
be imposed, but must be based on cooperation with the
regional countries. Areas of cooperation with these
countries should include the struggle against terror,
prevention of the proliferation of WMD, control of border
passages, and the joint struggle against organized crime.


Iraqi Deputy PM Salih visits Ankara: The new Iraqi deputy
Prime Minister, the PUK's Barham Salih, called on Turkish
businessmen to make energy and infrastructure investments in
northern Iraq. Salih said after meeting with the MFA
Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal that he would block all attempts
to use Iraqi territory for terror attacks against
neighboring countries. Salih also proposed direct Turkish
flights to the northern Iraqi town of Suleymaniye.
Meanwhile, FM Gul warned northern Iraqi Kurdish groups
against attempts to change the demographic structure of
Kirkuk. `Playing with Kirkuk will be very risky,' Gul said.


Israel criticizes PM Erdogan: Israel has criticized PM
Erdogan for accusing the Israeli state of carrying out
`state terrorism' against Palestinians. In a diplomatic
note to Turkey's ambassador to Israel, the Israeli ministry
of foreign affairs said the main hurdle before the peace
process between Israel and Palestine was Palestinian terror
attacks which claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent
Israelis over the past three years. `We would have expected
Turkey, a country victimized by terrorism, to show more
understanding for Israel's position,' the Israeli MFA said.


June NATO Summit in Istanbul: Turkey is eager to deter
violence during NATO's June 28-29 summit in Istanbul.
Nearly 30,000 police will patrol the city. Concrete barriers
will block vehicle and pedestrian traffic around the zone
where NATO delegates will be meeting, an official said on
Tuesday. The summit is expected to host 46 world leaders,
about 3,000 delegates and nearly 3,500 journalists. The
Istanbul governor's office has identified 19 places in
Istanbul where legal protests can be held. The security
effort is expected to cost about $20 million, with Turkey
contributing approximately $4 million. Officials from the
United States, which is sending a delegation of 1,000, have
already started to arrive to inspect security conditions.


PKK militants captured: Two PKK/Kongra-Gel militants were
captured in Istanbul on Tuesday before they had a chance to
stage a `sensational' terror attack by using C-4, DNT and
TNT explosives, papers report. The terrorists were trained
in PKK camps on the Iraq-Iran border and were sent to
Istanbul to carry out bombing attacks in densely populated
zones in the city. Meanwhile, former DEP lawmaker Zubeyir
Aydar, who was elected as chairman of the PKK/Kongra-Gel,
announced on "Mezopotamya TV," a PKK mouthpiece, a recent
decision to restart attacks against Turkey. Aydar called
for the release of the organization's imprisoned leader
Abdullah Ocalan. He claimed that the organization is not
seeking to divide Turkey, but rather to enshrined Kurdish
cultural and language rights in the Turkish constitution.




EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraqi Council


"Iraq for the Iraqis"
Sami Kohen noted in the mass appeal Milliyet (6/2): "The
administration of Iraq is going into the hands of Iraqis.
The newly established Iraqi Governing Council is an
important step toward the self-administration of Iraq. . The
IGC seems to pave the way for a political restructuring in
Iraq by Iraqis. President Al-Yawer has already voiced his
determination to end the current occupation regime and carry
out a transition to a multi-national United Nations security
force. The new IGC has also set goals for a united and
democratic Iraq. Yet it is too early to talk about the
achievement of these goals, because it remains to be seen
whether the interim administration will be able to follow
the vision outlined by the new Iraqi President and Prime
Minister. We must also wait and see whether the new Iraqi
administration is going to have a full mandate or work under
the US shadow after the formal handover of authority on June
30."


"People in Darkness"
Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamist-opinion maker Yeni Safak
(6/2): "It seems that Washington, having failed to bring
democracy to Iraq, has now decided to redefine the concept.
The efforts to establish an interim administration in Iraq
are completely against democratic principles, to the point
that even the staunchest supporters of the Iraq war might be
amazed. Those appointed to the new governing council are
not the choices of the people. In fact, nobody bothers to
ask the Iraqis for their opinions. A representative of the
UN is working to `choose names' for Iraq under US
authorization. . The whole process is a clear violation of
democracy and stands as more proof of the failure of the
argument that the occupation is about `bringing democracy'
to Iraq. This is not democracy, but rather a redefinition
of it."


"Towards A New Era in Iraq"
Fikret Ertan opined in the Islamist-intellectual Zaman
(6/2): "Ghazi Al-Yawer was elected yesterday as Iraq's
interim President. Although Yawer has been assigned to a
symbolic position with limited authority, I can already see
that he will try to test the limits of his power. In the
past, Yawer has declared that he would never accept a
symbolic position. During his acceptance speech, Yawer did
not hesitate to imply that in case of a delay in the UN
Security Council decision on Iraq's full sovereignty, there
might be a conflict between the US and Iraq after June 30.
As a matter of fact, Yawer has been debating this issue with
the US for a very long time. He does not want the presence
of US military power in Iraq after June 30. I cannot tell
yet if he can realize his aim, but I believe he will never
stop fighting to take the country in this direction. The
new era in Iraq carries both immense dangers and great
opportunities. If the interim government can manage to keep
a decent distance from the US, it will be able to gain
public support and play an historic role during the
transition from today's bloody and painful days."


EDELMAN