ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002322

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
MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

MASS APPEAL
US Embassy Says Incirlik Not To Be Used Against Iran, Syria
- Sabah 4/24
President Bush Omits `Genocide' in Commemoration Statement -
Milliyet
54 Percent of Germans Now Oppose Turkey's EU entry - Sabah
Bombs Never Cease in Baghdad: 23 Dead - Sabah
Mossaoui Admits Plan to Strike White House - Aksam 4/24
`Terminator' Schwarzenegger Recognizes `Genocide' - Aksam
Pope Excludes Muslims in Inauguration Speech - Hurriyet
Israel Loses Legendary Leader Weizman - Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Thousands Commemorate Armenian `Genocide' in Yerevan -
Cumhuriyet
Gallipoli Participants Hold Emotional Gathering in Canakkale
- Yeni Safak
Pentagon Clears Commanders of Abu-Ghraib Charges - Zaman
4/24
Human Rights Watch: Rumsfeld a War Criminal - Radikal
Benedict XVI Assumes Papacy - Radikal
Islam Under Pressure in Europe - Yeni Safak 4/24
Syria to Complete Lebanon Pullout Today - Radikal
North Korea Threatens US With Nuclear Retaliation -
Cumhuriyet


BRIEFING

US Request for Using Incirlik Airbase as a Logistics Hub:
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Sunday that the US
will not be given a `blank check' on the use of Incirlik
Airbase as a logistical cargo hub. Gul added that the
Turkish government will instead offer `blanket permission'
that will allow flights and cargo to move in and out of
Incirlik if detailed cargo information is provided by the
Americans beforehand. A decree on the issue was submitted
to the Council of Ministers for approval last week.

US Denies Incirlik Will Be Used Against Iran, Syria:
Sunday's "Sabah" reports a statement posted on the US Ankara
Embassy webpage with regard to the US request for using
Incirlik Airbase as a logistical hub. The statement says
that the US request for the cargo transit hub includes
blanket diplomatic clearance for cargo planes landing at and
taking off from Incirlik, but that cargo flights will not
carry troops, ammunition, or personnel. The statement
denies plans to use Incirlik to carry out operations against
Iran or Syria, and notes that the US proposal is
specifically linked to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
only. `The United States will respect Turkey's decision on
the issue,' the statement concludes. Most other papers
carried parts or all of the embassy statement on Saturday.

Ozkok Remarks Worry EU Envoys in Ankara: Ambassadors of
European Union (EU) countries believe the speech delivered
last week by TGS chief General Hilmi Ozkok was `unfortunate'
in that it created the impression that the Turkish military
is filling a political `vacuum,' Sunday's "Milliyet"
reports. Unidentified EU sources voiced concerns that the
relationship between the civilian government and the Turkish
military could `return to the past.' EU envoys charged the
Dutch Ambassador to Ankara with the task of learning the
views of the Turkish government through unofficial talks
with the foreign ministry (MFA),the report claimed.

Erdogan on Turkey-Greece Ties: Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan warned Turkish and Greek media on Sunday not to blow
minor incidents `out of proportion,' and urged them to
contribute positively to the rapprochement between the two
countries. `Karamanlis and I will lay the cornerstone of
the Karacabey-Gumulcine (Komotini) natural gas pipeline in a
few months,' Erdogan said, adding that incidents like the
confrontation near the Kardak (Imia) islet are not
`appropriate' at such a time. `We should raise our next
generations on peace and friendship and not on enmity and
hatred,' Erdogan said. Meanwhile, Chief of the Turkish
General Staff (TGS) General Hilmi Ozkok confirmed on Sunday
that the Greek military has sent a written apology for the
desecration of the Turkish flag at a military academy in
Athens, where Turkish military students were being hosted as
part of a bilateral exchange program.
Gul Visits `TRNC' for Talat's Inauguration: Visiting north
Cyprus on Sunday to attend the inauguration of the new
`president' of the `TRNC,' Mehmet Ali Talat, Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul said that promises given to the
Turkish Cypriots have not been kept since the twin referenda
held in the divided island in April 2004. `The Annan Plan
has shown that the Turkish Cypriots are not the ones who do
not want a solution on the island,' he said. Gul wished
Talat success, and stressed that Turkey will support all UN
initiatives to bring lasting peace to Cyprus.

Syrian Illegal Money Transferred to Turkey: Monday's
"Hurriyet" reports a claim by the Syrian opposition `Syrian
Reform Party' (RPS) that large amounts of money have been
transferred from Syria to banks in Turkey, France, and
Cyprus in recent weeks. The RPS claims that Rami Mahluf,
President Assad's cousin and business partner, as well as
leading Syrian intelligence officers have transferred abroad
millions of dollars gained from the illicit arms and drug
trade.

Turkish Military Disbands Eastern Division: Within the
framework of a reorganization of its forces, the Turkish
military will disband its Ninth Division, based in Sarikamis
of Turkey's eastern province of Kars, Sunday's "Milliyet"
reports. A brigade will replace the division, which was
formed to protect Turkey's border crossing with the former
Soviet Union.

Kazakhstan to Join Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Kazakh oil
will flow to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan through
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, Monday's "Radikal"
reports in a front-page story. Despite pressure from Russia
and China, Kazakhstan has decided to join the BTC pipeline
project in order to carry oil from the Kashagan area to
world markets. Kazakhstan will transport 7.5 million tons
of crude oil from Kashagan to Baku every year. The report
sees the move as an important step forward in transforming
Turkey's Ceyhan port into an energy hub.

Anniversary of Gallipoli Campaign: Some 25,000 people came
from Australia and New Zealand to mark the 90th anniversary
of the Gallipoli campaign in northwest Turkey during World
War I, papers report. At dawn on Monday, a large gathering
of Australians, New Zealanders, and Turks commemorated the
Anzac landing at Gallipoli. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
said on Sunday that the hatred of war had long ago given way
to a bond between the sides in the campaign. New Zealand
Prime Minister Helen Clark said that for New Zealand, as for
Australia, it was at Gallipoli that their young nations
`came of age.'

EDITORIAL OPINION: US-China; Turkey-Armenia

"America's Fear of China"
Kamuran Ozbir wrote in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (4/25):
"Nobody seems to care about China's attempts to gain
military supremacy - except for the United States. In fact,
China does not have significant nuclear capabilities yet.
The number of long-range Chinese missiles with the potential
of hitting US territory is only around 25-30. China does
not have any overseas bases, and the Chinese naval fleet
very rarely goes far from Chinese waters. Nevertheless the
US, both the White House and a majority in the Congress,
believes there is a need to keep a close eye on China's
military capabilities. Secretary Rice's remarks in Tokyo
laid out the case for keeping US forces in Okinawa in order
to maintain deterrence against Chinese forces. Some
influential American scientists, including John Mearshimer,
does not believe in the peaceful growth of Chinese military
capacity. His belief is based on the argument that China
will turn its economic power into a military threat. The US
fear of China seems rooted in paranoia more than anything
else. . In fact, Washington should abandon its anti-China
policy and should instead offer a helping hand. If China
manages to go through an economic development process like
India, it will be beneficial for everyone."

"The Armenian Genocide and the US"
Yasemin Congar wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (4/25):
"President Bush did not use the genocide word in his annual
White House April 24 statement concerning the events of

1915. Avoiding the use of the phrase `Armenian genocide'
was motivated by two factors. First, the White House did
not want to provoke new tension in the relationship and
stoke anti-Americanism among the Turkish public. Second,
Washington believes that using the genocide expression would
not serve to encourage the normalization of Turkish-Armenian
ties. . However, the fact that the term was not used does
not necessarily mean that President Bush rejects the
Armenian claims. It only shows that the President believed
that using the term would not bring any benefit at this
time. But the situation in the US Congress is just the
opposite. The majority there accepts the genocide claims
and, unlike the White House, the majority of the Congress
sees considerable political benefit in using this term. .
In sum, if the Armenian resolution comes to a vote in
Congress, it will likely be adopted. . Washington officials
are uneasy about Ankara's efforts to establish a link
between the Incirlik cargo hub request and the Armenian
issue. A US official expressed concern in this way: `I do
not believe it is useful to reduce the Turkish-American
partnership to carrot-and-stick diplomacy.' There is,
however, one move that might have a real effect in
Washington - an opening of real dialogue between Ankara and
Yerevan."

EDELMAN