OUTREACH FOLLOWING NEWSWEEK'S RETRACTION OF ITS

UNCLAS ANKARA 002814 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO KISL PREL SUBJECT: OUTREACH FOLLOWING NEWSWEEK'S RETRACTION OF ITS STORY ALLEGING KORAN DESECRATION AT GUANTANAMO REF: STATE 90992 ¶1. The Turkish media has been uncharacteristically restrained in its coverage of the alleged desecration incident at Guantanamo. News coverage since the claim was first published in Newsweek has generally been factual and balanced. Most papers reported on the demonstrations and violence in Afghanistan sparked by the story, but they also carried Secretary Rice's comments confirming that the charge is being investigated and that desecration of the Koran or any other holy book is antithetical to the principles on which the United States was founded. ¶2. Weekend papers here also reported factually on Newsweek's backtracking on the story, and several main papers ("Milliyet," "Cumhuriyet," and "Radikal") give extensive coverage today to Newsweek's apology for misleading its readers. Even Turkey's most influential Islamist-oriented media outlets - the dailies "Yeni Safak" and "Zaman" - have dealt with the issue fairly, including coverage of the secretary's statement and Newsweek's subsequent retraction. SIPDIS There has been virtually no editorial commentary on the issue, even among columnists who frequently engage in anti- Americanism. ¶3. The Embassy has put the text of the Secretary's statement on the embassy website in both English and Turkish. The Ambassador will deliver reftel points tomorrow during a scheduled meeting with MFA Undersecretary Tuygan. Given that the allegation has not caused significant problems in the Turkish public debate, we believe these steps are sufficient at this point. EDELMAN