ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006565

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, NOVEMBER 24, 2004

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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


HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Powell tells Gul US doing its best in Iraq - Sabah
Gul reminds Powell of the PKK - Sabah
Powell chats with Kharazi - Sabah
Erdogan: Time for self-criticism in the Muslim world -
Hurriyet
Bush: Iran should prove it suspended uranium enrichment
program - Hurriyet
Annan supports international flights to north Cyprus -
Milliyet
US-Russia competition lies behind election crisis in Ukraine
- Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Erdogan issues a call for change for Islamic world - Yeni
Safak
Erdogan advises Islamic world - Radikal
Sharm-al Sheikh conference ignores Fallujah - Yeni Safak
Saddam's trial to begin before Iraqi elections - Cumhuriyet
Al-Fatah's candidate is Mahmoud Abbas - Yeni Safak
Sabra-Shatilla `butcher' Gen. Eytan dies - Yeni Safak
Israeli `hawk' drowns - Cumhuriyet
Hate crimes on the rise in US - Cumhuriyet


BRIEFING

Powell, Gul meet at Sharm-al Sheikh conference: In a
bilateral meeting with Secretary Powell at the conference of
Iraq's neighbors at Sharm-al Sheikh in Egypt, FM Gul
reminded Secretary Powell of past US pledges to eliminate
the PKK presence in northern Iraq. Gul told Powell that the
Turkish nation expected `concrete' action on the issue.
Powell and Gul also discussed the upcoming elections in Iraq
and the safety of Turkish truck drivers inside Iraqi
territory. Powell told Gul that the US is doing its best on
the security issue, and promised to continue those efforts.
Powell also told Gul that the issue of starting
international flights to northern Cyprus remained on the US
agenda. Meanwhile, Turkish papers report Secretary Powell
as having had a `cordial chat' with Iran's FM Kemal Kharazi
at a dinner on Tuesday evening. Iran denied that a
`meeting' took place between Powell and Kharazi.

US-Turkey-Iraq Joint Committee Against Terrorism: The US,
together with the governments of Turkey and Iraq, has
started work to establish a joint committee for the struggle
against terrorism, "Radikal" reports. Iraq's Ambassador to
Ankara, Sabah Cemil Umran, said the three countries have
agreed to help Iraq and its neighbors to combat the threat
of terrorism. Umran stressed that while none of the sides
prefers a military operation, Iraqi forces would not
hesitate to fight against the PKK. The Iraqi Ambassador
said the first meeting for the establishment of the joint
committee will take place in Ankara. The US particularly
emphasized the need to cut financial sources of terrorist
groups as part of the joint action plan to be determined by
the committee. Umran asserted that terror organizations
seek legitimacy by using the media in Iraq, but pledged to
prevent Iraqi TV stations from joining that effort. Umran
added that some Kurdish groups' attempts to seized a
privileged position in the Iraqi administration have caused
concern for Baghdad as well. `We want a central government
in Baghdad which serve as the administration for all
Iraqis,' he said. Umran also warned against attempts to
postpone the upcoming Iraqi elections on January 30.
`Everybody should take this opportunity. Turkey can provide
us significant support during this process,' he concluded.
Erdogan calls for self-criticism in Muslim world: PM
Erdogan called for self-criticism and change in the Muslim
world at a conference held by the Islamic Development
Organization (IKT) in Istanbul on Tuesday. Erdogan stressed
that problems in the Muslim world require methods that go
beyond accustomed national practices, because those problems
have reached a global level. He said that most Islamic
countries are underdeveloped but still had rich underground
resources. `We must work hard in solidarity without
forgetting that this century is one for sharing,' Erdogan
stressed. Several government officials and businessmen from
Islamic countries attend the three-day conference.

EU-backed Kurdish conference ends in Brussels: Kurdish
interests should be defended if Turkey is granted a date for
accession negotiations at an EU summit in late December,
according to a conference held by the London-based Kurdish
Human Rights Project under the auspices of the EU in
Brussels, "Cumhuriyet" reports. Speakers agreed that the
Turkish government should ensure the safe return of people
displaced from their villages in southeastern Turkey, fight
effectively against torture, and protect the Kurds' cultural
and minority rights. Feleknaz Uca, Kurdish European
Parliament lawmaker from Germany, called for Kurdish
participation in the EU December summit at which Ankara's
aspiration for full membership will be evaluated. The two-
day conference's final declaration voiced support for Turkey
being granted a date for EU entry negotiations. It said a
democratic Turkey is not to be admitted into the EU without
resolving its Kurdish question. The conference called on
Ankara to grant constitutional recognition to the Kurdish
people. The declaration urged the EU to call for an
international conference with participation by the Turkish
government and Kurdish representatives.

Putin due in Turkey: Russian President Vladimir Putin will
officially visit Turkey on December 5-6 for meetings with
top Turkish leaders, papers report. During his stay, Putin
will discuss alternate routes for transportation of Russian
oil to global markets, the transport of Russian natural gas
through Turkey to Europe, and the fight against terrorism.


EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq

"Fallujah and the Resistance Groups"
Zafer Atay commented in the economic-politic "Dunya"
(11/24): "The US is aiming to use Fallujah as a model for
dealing with resistance groups in Iraq. The US hopes that
by using severe action in Fallujah and by ignoring Geneva
Convention and moral values, it might create a deterrent for
future actions by the Iraqi resistance. Yet this argument
has already proven false, as the violence in Fallujah has
now spread to Mosul and Ramadi. Instead of thinking about a
`deterrent,' the US should go back to the history books and
take lessons from the past, especially from Vietnam. . On
the other hand, the resistance in Iraq against the
occupation force is rather complex. There is no unity among
the resistance groups, since some of them are acting with
religious motivation while others are genuine patriots.
However, there is one more group to add to this list:
terrorists. Terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda and Al-Zarkawi
continue to kidnap and murder innocent people. . The real
Iraqi heroes who fight against the invaders deserve respect.
Yet it is out of the question to put terrorists and patriots
in the same category. They are terrorists, and they should
be treated accordingly."

"The US Contradiction"
Fikret Bila commented on the mass appeal Milliyet (11/24):
"It is not expected that the Iraqi people will elect a pro-
American administration in the upcoming elections. This is
where the US contradiction lies. Surely it is not very
realistic to expect the Iraqi people to support the
occupiers at the ballot box. Only the Kurdish groups in
Northern Iraq would support the US in the elections, since
they are the only ones who have benefited from the US
occupation. Support from the Shiites and the Sunnis should
not be expected. Since the Shiites form the majority in
Iraq, it would be natural for them to win the elections. As
a matter of fact, the Shiites are avoiding a direct role in
the resistance with this expectation in mind. They expect
to come out of the elections with a mandate to form the new
government. For this reason, they are not joining forces
with the resistance until elections can be held."

EDELMAN