This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005453 |
FM Gul in New York: On Wenesday, FM Abdullah Gul attended the opening of the 59th UN General Assembly in New York. Gul is lobbying in New York to get a temporary seat for Turkey on the UN Security Council. He is also seeking support for ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish FM met yesterday with his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom. Shalom conveyed to Gul Israeli PM Sharon's invitation for PM Erdogan to visit Israel at the earliest opportunity. Shalom also told Gul that Tel Aviv would send a delegation to Turkey to brief Ankara regarding recent developments in the Middle East peace process. Turkish truckers killed in Iraq: Two Turkish truck drivers, Cuma Yilmaz and Mehmet Atatan, were shot dead around Mosul on Tuesday while en route to Turkey. Atatan, a trucker from the southeast Turkish province Gaziantep, was reportedly carrying potable water for US troops at Mosul Airport. Turkish dailies say that the Turkish government has not yet taken a clear position in the face of the killings and abductions in Iraq. On Wednesday, State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said it was `significant' that attacks against Turks and Turkish companies in Iraq have recently intensified. Tuzmen implied that the attacks and abductions may have been incited by other countries that are uneasy with Turkey's presence in the Iraqi market, "Radikal" reports. `Iraq has become a new Beirut, a new Lebanon,' Tuzmen said. Human rights group criticizes Turkey: Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an evaluation of Turkey that despite sweeping reforms, torture and mistreatment of detainees continues in the country. HRW Europe and Central Asia Director Holly Cartner said in Brussels Wednesday that the Turkish government's official declaration of `zero tolerance' for torture had been a significant step, but complained that implementation was `weak.' Only effective controls will prevent torture,' Cartner said. The HRW report also noted that Turkish detainees are frequently denied their right to legal counsel while in custody. Yusuf Islam denied entry to the US: Turkish papers carry detailed coverage of Yusuf Islam, the pop singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, being denied entry into the US on a flight from London to Dulles International Airport in Washington. "Hurriyet" reports that the Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR) criticized the decision, saying it sent a disturbing message that moderate Muslims would be treated like terrorists. `America is afraid of Yusuf Islam,' says a headline in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak." Greek Patriarchate awaits a response from Ankara: The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul said that Ankara has not responded to its several applications for the reopening of Halki Seminary, which has been kept closed since 1971. The Patriarchate press office on Wednesday complained about a lack of dialogue with Ankara on the issue, and called for an official response to their inquiries. EDITORIALS "Puzzling Attacks on Turkish Drivers in Iraq" Cengiz Candar wrote in the conservative-sensational "DB Tercuman" (9/23): "A Turkish taxi driver who drives between Diyarbakir and Zakho called me the other day to say that around 30 Turkish truck drivers have been killed in Mosul. Many other Turkish drivers entering Iraq through Habur border gate are complaining about the killings and demanding security measures for their safety. I asked the taxi driver who he is expecting would take such measures - the Turkish Government, the US, or Barzani? His answer was that the first responsibility lay with Barzani. He added that Arabs and some Turkmen were carrying out these attacks. Turkish Foreign Ministry recently drew attention to the systematic killing of Turkish drivers, implying the presence of powers that don't want Turkish interference in Iraq. The Foreign Ministry implied that the deterioration in the Turkish-American relationship has led to these problems. It is still an open question who is behind the violence and terror in Iraq and what is motivating it. It is not satisfactory to say that it is the Iraqi resistance fighting against the American occupation. Why should the resistance attack Turks? Besides, the resistance in Tal Afar were Shiite-Turkmen who claimed to belong to Ansar-Al Islam. As a branch of Al-Qaeda, what is Ansar-Al Islam doing among the Shiite-Turkmen population in Tal Afar? Yesterday's "Financial Times" reported that Turkey has not been able to determine a policy for Iraq, and was unable to control developments there. Therefore, Turkey is being dragged along by events to which it can only react. According to Turkish MFA evaluations, Iran is a suspect. If that is the case, why is Foreign Minister Gul giving priority to cooperation with Iran and Syria each time Iraq becomes an issue? If one motivation behind the attacks against Turkish targets is to create a rift between Turkey and the US, why did the Turkish FM imply that Turkey may stop cooperating with the US in Iraq? Iraqi PM Allavi had been scheduled to come to Turkey two weeks ago. Why didn't he come? When will he come? Iraq is still a huge puzzle. But it is no mystery that Turkey has become very ineffective in Iraq." "Last Tango in Brussels" Derya Sazak commented in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (9/23): "PM Erdogan is going to Brussels for the last tango. Adultery or the EU? If it hadn't been for the AKP's efforts to add adultery as a crime to the Turkish Penal Code, PM Erdogan's Brussels visit would have been more like a holiday than an official visit. Because the EU Commission had already prepared its report and, on October 6, would have recommended that Turkey begin accession negotiations in 2005. AKP's insistence on the adultery provision destroyed this plan. After two and a half years of determined efforts, PM Erdogan, by his own hand, has pushed the EU project to the brink. Some columnists warned the PM that if he insists on the adultery issue during his discussions in Brussels, it will be a big mistake. If the Turkish Penal Code is not passed by the parliament before October 6 without the adultery issue, there will likely be some new conditions for starting negotiations. During the last tango in Brussels, the Prime Minister shouldn't play with Turkey's destiny". EDELMAN |