Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ANKARA5556
2004-09-28 14:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT,

Tags:  OPRC KMDR TU 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 005556

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,
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2004


THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
-------------- --------------

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Powell: Resistance intensifies in Iraq - Sabah
US doesn't believe peace will come to Iraq - Turkiye
Kurdish population growing in Kirkuk - Aksam
Washington Post: PKK disintegrating - Turkiye
PM Erdogan signals cabinet reshuffle - Aksam
Papandreou: Change in Turkey `surprising' - Milliyet
Egypt involved in Israel's killing of Hamas leader - Sabah

OPINION MAKERS
Powell: Anti-Americanism on rise in Islamic world - Zaman
Powell acknowledges situation getting worse in Iraq -
Cumhuriyet
Powell: Resistance growing in Iraq, things getting worse -
Radikal
European press: Turkey now closer to EU - Yeni Safak
Syria route `thorny' for Turkish truckers - Radikal
Syria detains 26 Turkish truckers - Yeni Safak
Israel threatens Syria - Cumhuriyet
Second Intifadah turns 5 - Yeni Safak
Intifadah Brings Death, Misery to Palestinians - Zaman
Russian forces kill Turkish militant in Chechnya -
Cumhuriyet
Attacks against foreigners on the rise in Russia - Radikal


BRIEFING

US companies may be excluded from Turkey's defense projects:
The economic-political daily "Referans" claims that US Eric
Edelman warned officials at Turkey's Defense Industry
Undersecretariat that Turkey might face problems in the
installation of American electronic warfare systems if
Ankara decides to buy attack helicopters from non-US
companies. In that case, Turkey will have to get special
permission from the US to equip the new helicopters with US
Hellfire missiles, "Referans" reports. The report suggests
that Ankara's cancellation of three defense projects worth
$6 billion in May 2004 was an indication that US companies
may be eliminated from the helicopter tender. The project
was scrapped after three years of discussions US-based Bell
Textron after the US Administration declined to give Turkey
crucial information regarding the helicopters' computer
systems. There is speculation that Turkey may prefer to
purchase the helicopters from EU members like France and
Italy in an effort to increase Ankara's chances of being
granted a date for EU entry talks in December.

FM Gul in New York: On Monday, FM Abdullah Gul said at a

dinner hosted by the American-Turkish Society (ATS) and
National Committee for American Foreign Policy in New York
that Turkey did not have a secret agenda, but only a
`legitimate interest' with regard to Iraq. Gul stressed
that Turkey and the US have been working together for a
prosperous Iraq, adding that the two countries needed more
cooperation in the region. `The logistical needs of
coalition forces are mainly met by Turkey,' Gul claimed,
recalling that 3,000 Turkish trucks carried goods into Iraq
every day. The Turkish FM also assessed the need for a
joint fight against terrorism. `Our government has
increased the standards of democracy and human rights in
Turkey to the level of European norms through sweeping
reforms over the past two years,' Gul noted. `A European
Union decision to grant Turkey a date for accession talks
will be an historic decision for the world,' Gul said, `and
it will also add momentum to Turkey-US relations.' FM Gul
blamed the Greek Cypriots for `missing an opportunity' for
peace in Cyprus. `There would have been only 600 Turkish
troops instead of the thousands now deployed on Cyprus if
the Greek Cypriots had accepted the UN-backed plan for
peace,' Gul said.

TalAfar/Kirkuk: Turkmen officials from TalAfar told
"Hurriyet" that the recent attack against the northern Iraqi
town had been a `rehearsal' for a larger military operation
in Kirkuk in an effort to reduce the Turkmen population on
the eve of a general census in Iraq. During the US
operation, they claimed, unidentified gunmen fired on
TalAfar residents and later hoisted a Kurdish flag in the
city fortress. The flag was soon removed by Turkish special
team members accompanying US troops, "Hurriyet" reports.
Meanwhile, "Cumhuriyet" cites international wire services
reporting on Kurdish attempts to drive Arabs and Turkmen out
of Kirkuk in an effort to dominate the oil-rich northern
Iraqi city. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said last month that
if land ownership disputes between Arabs and Kurds are not
resolved, the already strained ethnic relations in the area
could `explode.'

US assistance for Turkish Cypriots: A 7-member team from
the US consulting firm "Bearing Point" held meetings in
Cyprus in an effort to ease international sanctions on the
northern Cypriots and to promote economic growth in the
north, reports the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak." USAID
funded the visit, which was aimed at determining the
disposition of the additional $30.5 million aid package
allocated by the US for the Turkish Cypriots. The
assistance package is intended to augment existing bi-
communal programs and facilitate the reunification of the
island by supporting economic growth in the Turkish Cypriot
community, according to a statement by the US Embassy in
Nicosia.

Greeks urge EU to boycott EU-OIC summit: The Greek Cypriot
Administration is strongly opposed to northern Cypriots'
joining the upcoming meetings between the EU and the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) under the name
"'Turkish Cypriot state.' The meeting is to be held at the
foreign ministerial level in Istanbul on October 4-5.
Nicosia is urging EU members to boycott the forum if the
Turkish Cypriots attend the talks under that name. `The
designation `Turkish Cypriot State' is part of Turkish
Cypriot efforts for recognition, and will harm efforts for a
solution,' a Greek diplomat in Ankara told "Cumhuriyet."
The paper fears that the EU-OIC summit in Istanbul could end
up as a fiasco if the Europeans side with the Greek
Cypriots.

Syria detains Turkish truckers: Syrian customs officials
detained 21 Turkish truck drivers in the northern city of
Aleppo for carrying diesel exceeding the legal limit of 200
liters per truck, papers report. The truckers were
reportedly carrying fuel for US troops in Iraq. The Turkish
consulate general in Aleppo said the drivers would be
released after appearing before a court on Tuesday. Turkish
truckers prefer the comparatively `secure' Syrian route in
the face of intensifying attacks against Turkish workers in
Iraq.

AKP Debates Intra-party Democracy: In a speech to AKP
deputies at the resort town of Kizilcahamami near Ankara, PM
Erdogan said that Turkey must `eliminate superficial
tensions with the state and society' and respect `the free
choices' made by Turks. Erdogan faced significant criticism
by some AKP deputies for a perceived lack of internal
democracy within the AKP. Yahya Akman, an AKP deputy from
Sanliurfa, warned that the party could split if the views of
deputies are not taken into account by the party leadership.

EDITORIAL OPINION: UNGA; Iran
"A role for the future"
Sami Kohen wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (9/28): "The
UN General Assembly has served as a suitable forum for
Turkey to voice Ankara's determination to play a significant
role in international platforms. Foreign Minister Gul
talked about Turkey's experiences and positions on issues
ranging from the Balkans to Iraq, from Palestine to
Afghanistan, and from terrorism to anti-Semitism. Given
Turkey's involvement in international organizations, the
Minister stated Turkey's advantage in contributing to a
convergence of the Islamic world and the West. Turkey
wants to see a restructuring of the UN. It also wants to be
a member of the UN Security Council. There are more reasons
than ever before to expect that Turkey will be supported for
this position. Turkey is becoming an increasingly important
international player due to its recent efforts in world
affairs. The expectations voiced during the UNGA indicate
Turkey's willingness to expand its role even further."

"Democracy in the Middle East"
Yilmaz Oztuna commented in the conservative-mass appeal
Turkiye (9/28): "During his speech at the UN General
Assembly, President Bush said that `although lives were lost
in Afghanistan and Iraq, we were able to bring democracy to
those countries.' This statement would seem like a huge
gaffe, but we shouldn't see it that way. It is certain that
his speech was prepared very carefully some weeks ago. Let
us ask the question correctly: `What kind of regime does
the US mean when it refers to democracy for the greater
Middle East?' No doubt, a democracy of the west European or
North American type is not being considered. The presence
of political parties and the holding of seem to be deemed
sufficient. But democracy depends on many other factors.
Democracy is a way of life. The countries and people of the
Middle East don't know anything about this way of life.
They have never lived under such conditions. It is even
wrong to say that they want to live under such a regime.
Democracy in the west is real democracy, but in the east it
is a utopia. Turkey is outside of this `Greater Middle
East', but is still very close to it. But even Turkey
reached a democracy consistent with the Copenhagen Criteria
only yesterday. Even then, most of the criteria have still
not been implemented. Therefore, although the US has
officially announced its plans to establish democracy in the
Greater Middle East, in reality the US plan is to establish
an Asian or African type of democracy there. It has been
openly stated that the US has the right to intervene in
these countries to establish such a democracy. President
Bush has explained the `Pax-Americana' concept. Turkey's
national policy should be to make the right decisions about
where and how to stand in relation to this concept".

"The US will strike Iran"
Nejat Eslen, a retired general, commented in the liberal-
intellectual Radikal (9/28): "The US is actively preparing
for a preemptive strike against Iran in order to prevent
Tehran from becoming a nuclear power. The US is very
determined about this issue. The only questions are about
timing and methods, and the strategic centers in Washington
are now working hard on these problems. . In the event that
Iran becomes a real nuclear power; the entire regional
equilibrium would change. Such a possibility would also
bring the potential for an arms build-up and a nuclear
weapons race in the region. . Turkey should consider
taking new measures based on these developing circumstances
even if the Iranian nuclear capability does not target
Turkey."

EDELMAN