ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 003589

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,
THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2004


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

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
CIA official: US losing war against terror - Aksam
Istanbul `closed' for NATO Summit - Vatan
Papadopoulos promises not to block Turkey's EU negotiations
- Milliyet
Talabani sees no reason for tension in Kirkuk - Aksam
Osman Ocalan criticizes PKK for ending cease-fire - Hurriyet
Afghan troops decapitate four Taliban - Milliyet
Chechen fighters catch Russian army off-guard - Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Bush wants all of Turkey - Cumhuriyet
Turkey expects Cyprus gesture from Bush - Yeni Safak
Northern Iraqi Kurds preparing for June 30 - Cumhuriyet
Turkmen: An ethnic federation will divide Iraq - Yeni Safak
Abu Ghraib `rehearsal' made in Guantanamo - Zaman
Iran to release British captives - Zaman
Tehran cuts British captive crisis short - Radikal
Zarkawi threatens Allawi - Radikal
Iraq furor in South Korea - Radikal


BRIEFING

President Bush's upcoming Turkey visit: President Bush will
give Turks a `comprehensive' list of demands during his stay
in Ankara June 26- 27 says "Cumhuriyet." US wants to set up
a base in Thrace, two naval bases in Samsun and Trabzon, and
one in Iskenderun; wants to deploy 18,000 troops at six
logistical stations alongside the Mardin-Batman route in
southeast Turkey; and wants unfettered passage rights
through the Straits, "Cumhuriyet" claims. The paper
speculates that US wants to set itself up `permanently' in
Turkey, and wants the work done through bilateral
agreements. Ankara expects Bush to announce palpable US
measures in support of the Turkish Cypriots, writes
"Milliyet." Turkey's hopes with regard to a US military
operation to remove the PKK presence in northern Iraq have
diminished, and Ankara regards Cyprus as the remaining issue
in which progress is considered possible from a bilateral
point of view, according to "Milliyet." "Cumhuriyet" quotes
an unidentified Turkish diplomat as holding the US, the
occupier of Iraq, responsible for leaving the PKK problem
unresolved.
Talabani meets PM Erdogan: Patriotic Union of Iraqi
Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani said after a meeting
with PM Erdogan yesterday that the Kurds respected Turkey's
sensitivity with regard to regional terrorism and the
Turkmen in northern Iraq. Kirkuk can be a city where Arabs,
Kurds and the Turkmen live together in peace, Talabani
stressed. We have deeply rooted historical relations with
Turkey, said the PUK leader and added that Turkey's
influence is being felt in the regional economy and
politics. Erdogan voiced Talabani's dissatisfaction over
the level of representation of Turkmens in the interim Iraqi
government. Erdogan also reiterated that a federal Iraq
based on ethnic grounds would be unacceptable for Turkey.
Armenia wants good relations with Turkey: Armenian
President Robert Kocharian said at a Council of Europe
meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday that the EU must set for
Turkey a condition for `good neighborly relations with
Armenia' before granting Ankara a date for entry talks.
Armenians are ready to start meetings over cooperation
without setting any conditions, Kocharian said. A dialogue
with Azerbaijan is necessary without any mediation by a
third country, the Armenian President stressed.
Government seeking ways to reopen Halki Seminary: Turkey
will tell President Bush during his visit to Ankara that the
Halki Seminary, which has been kept closed for 33 years,
would be reopened soon, says "Milliyet." The Seminary will
not be linked to the Higher Education Board (YOK) but will
be given a private college status under the control of the
Ministry of Education. If the formula is worked out, the
school will regain the status it had in 1971.

EDITORIAL OPINION:

"How Will Unity be Established?"
Sami Kohen opined in the mass appeal Milliyet (6/24): "It
is not possible for a project with an undecided name to be
discussed seriously at the NATO summit. However, this is
not an obstacle for President Bush to bring this issue to
the summit and present it in broader detail. This issue
will be discussed at NATO, and the project will be called
the `Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.' Is NATO going to
take on such a project? It is clear that France does not
support the project. The Chirac administration is against
NATO taking such responsibilities. The picture of a bridge
on the NATO summit logo represents the alliance's connection
with the world. However, first of all NATO needs to build a
unity bridge within its own structure."

"A love that is worth war"
Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamist/opinion maker "Yeni Safak"
(6/24): "Israel thinks it is insufficient to see an Iraq
devoid of a significant military power in the region.
Israel wants a satellite country under Israeli control.
Such a result could not be achieved due to the deficiency of
coalition forces, so Israel had to act on its own. Since
the UN Security Council's latest resolution envisages the
protection of Iraq's territorial integrity, Israel aims to
break northern Iraq away from Baghdad. Oil-rich Kirkuk is a
mere tool to wet the appetite of the Kurds. However,
Ankara's stern attitude with regard to recent developments
has disrupted that plan. It seems that the plan to
establish a state on Turkey's borders with a certain
resemblance to the Israeli state, which is ready to shed
blood all over the region, has failed. We hope that Israel
is reading correctly the message given by Ankara. The
Washington power elite's love for Israel has caused great
trouble for the US. If Israel's calculations are realized,
that love is sure to cause even greater trouble for the
world. Turkey is doing its best to contain the problem.
The next step will be the responsibility of the American
voters."

EDELMAN