ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 003163

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, JUNE 6, 2005


THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

MASS APPEAL
Bush-Erdogan to Meet for 45 Minutes - Aksam
Bush to Meet Erdogan on Mother's Birthday - Hurriyet
Washington Post: Erdogan's US Visit a Chance to Repair Ties
- Sabah 6/5
Blair: EU Not Worth Fighting For - Sabah
6,000 Kurds Protest Haznawi Killing in Syria - Hurriyet
Hizbullah Wins Second Round of Elections in Lebanon -
Milliyet
US Has Pushed the Button to Topple Assad - Vatan
Syria Launches Reform Attack - Milliyet
Israeli Intelligence Hacks Asma Assad's E-Mails - Sabah
850,000 Spaniards Protest Against Peace Talks With ETA -
Vatan
Saddam to be Tried for 12 Crimes - Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Bush to Ask Erdogan About Syria, Iran - Cumhuriyet
Ankara Makes Incirlik `Gesture' Before Erdogan's US Visit -
Radikal .
US Media Display Wide Interest in Erdogan's US Visit - Zaman
`Orange Revolution Hero' Yushchenko in Turkey - Zaman
4 Turkish Troops Killed in PKK Ambush - Cumhuriyet
Democrats Find Bush `Overly Optimistic' on Iraq - Yeni Safak
Hizbullah's Election Victory in Lebanon - Yeni Safak
Pentagon Confirms Insults of Koran - Cumhuriyet 6/5
Saddam in Depression - Yeni Safak
Rumsfeld Blames Al-Jazeera - Cumhuriyet 6/5
Al-Jazeera Wants Reforms in the Region - Zaman 6/5
Tihic: Bosnia Will Become a Unitary State - Yeni Safak 6/5


BRIEFING

Erdogan Due in US: Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan travels to
the United States on Monday evening to hold talks with
President Bush on bilateral relations and to meet UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York for talks on

SIPDIS
Cyprus. Weekend papers expect Erdogan to urge Bush to take
`concrete' US action for removing the PKK presence in
northern Iraq, and to put pressure on the Greek Cypriots for
a settlement in Cyprus. Turkey's EU drive and the
democratization of the Middle East will be among the issues
on the agenda at the Bush-Erdogan meeting. Monday's
"Cumhuriyet" claims that the two leaders will discuss the
future of the strategic relationship, the Broader Middle
East and North African Initiative (BMENAI),and the threats
posed by Syria and Iran. The paper speculates that Bush
will urge Erdogan to take a gretaer role in the BMENAI, and
to make it a foreign policy priority for Turkey. Some
actions by the AKP government regarding Turkey's EU
membership drive have raised concern among US officials,
according to "Cumhuriyet." The Americans will also convey
their concerns about Turkey's strengthening ties with Syria,
a country seen by Washington as a supporter of the
insurgency in Iraq and a threat to its neighbors. US
officials also find it difficult to understand Ankara's
silence about Iran's nuclear program, "Cumhuriyet" claims.
Monday's "Zaman" reports that Erdogan will convey to
President Bush his appreciation for the recent visit to
Turkish Cyprus by a delegation of US Congressmen. Erdogan
is to ask Bush to allow direct flights by Turkish Cypriot
Airlines (KTHY) between Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus and
Washington. Erdogan will voice Turkey's support for
democratization in Iraq, and discuss with Bush measures
necessary for the stabilization of Afghanistan. On BMENAI,
Erdogan will say that Turkey is eager to take a role in the
US-led project without being presented as a model, "Zaman"
claims. Monday's "Aksam" writes that Erdogan will explain
to Bush the impossibility of a Turkish troop pullout from
Cyprus before a settlement is reached on the divided island.
If no settlement is reached, Turkey will begin focusing on
international recognition of the breakaway statelet in
northern Cyprus, "Aksam" claims. Ankara has made two
goodwill gestures to Washington on the eve of the Erdogan
visit, Monday's papers report. Turkey voiced support for
the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI),and
allowed the deployment of six US C-17 military cargo planes
and 100 personnel at Incirlik Airbase to establish a `cargo
hub' as of June 2. "Milliyet" reports that Erdogan has been
pushing for the purchase of 12 Sikorksy helicopters worth
385 million USD by the Turkish Naval Forces before his trip
to Washington. Erdogan will visit the Sikorsky plant in
Connecticut during his stay in the US. Sikorksy is also
competing with the French Eurocopter for the sale of 32
Blackhawk helicopters to Turkey. Ankara is expected to
choose Sikorsky in the face of growing anti-Turkish
sentiments in France, according to "Milliyet." Monday's
"Hurriyet" reports from Washington that the Bush-Erdogan
meeting on June 8 coincides with the 80th birthday of the US
President's mother, Barbara Bush. The paper expects Bush to
tell Erdogan that the US and Turkey should forget the past
and concentrate on strengthening bilateral partnership. The
paper noted that, unlike Erdogan's first visit to
Washington, there will be no meeting between Emine Erdogan
and Laura Bush. There will also be no lunch given in the
delegation's honor. A US official in Washington told the
paper that `all of these things should tell you something.'

Erdogan Interview Before US Visit: On the eve of his
upcoming visit to the United States, Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan gave an exclusive interview over the weekend to the
columnists of "Yeni Safak," the Islamist-oriented paper
published by a business group close to the AK Party. The
following is a summary of Erdogan's responses to "Yeni
Safak" columnists' questions.

"Speculation about tension in Turkish-American relations go
back to the March 1, 2003 parliamentary rejection of the
deployment of US troops in Iraq through Turkey. Actually,
there was no tension at the top levels. Following March 1,
we have had opportunities to discuss these issues with the
Americans at various meetings. At the NATO summit,
President Bush said very clearly that if we wanted him to
come to Turkey, he would do so. `If there is anything else
you want me to do, just let me know and I will do it,' Bush
told us. `I do not pay much attention to those in the US
media writing about tension in the relationship,' Erdogan
added. `There has never been anything negative between us.'
Unfortunately, the American and Turkish media have written
such things, and they came up with different
interpretations.'

`We did what we needed to do on the Incirlik issue. But
some circles disregard these in an effort to spoil Turkish-
American relations. We must be sensitive on this issue. We
do not want our strategic partnership with the US to be
spoiled. There may have been occasional troubles, but these
are sorted out through discussion. We have already overcome
many of them. We believe that our position is right. If we
see anything we consider wrong, we will say it. The United
States has given us serious support on the EU and Cyprus
issues. The Americans' decision to send their Congressmen
to northern Cyprus, and their landing at Ercan Airport
despite the objections of the Greek Cypriots, are positive
moves. We cannot disregard these.'

`We will discuss with President Bush several issues. Some
things are not moving as fast as we would like. We will ask
him to speed these up. Turkey and the United States are two
countries that need each other. We cannot disregard our
sensitivities in the Middle East. There are other issues as
well. I went to the Afghan capital, Kabul. Compared to
other countries in the world, Afghanistan makes you ashamed
of humanity when you see it. Children attend classes in
tents. There is hunger. Our government's position has
changed after seeing the situation there. We want to
contribute to the reconstruction of infrastructure in
Afghanistan. We want to make investments, build hospitals
and public housing. We will also discuss Cyprus, Iraq, and
the Middle East. Of course, some of the issues that we
discuss in private will remain private.'

`Public rejection of the EU constitution in France and the
Netherlands is mainly tied to the economy. Even the Dutch
Prime Minister did not expect the `no' vote to be so strong.
Turkey believes that the Copenhagen criteria are important
from the standpoint of increased freedoms. We want this
process to continue. Turkey has done what it was supposed
to do, and now we are waiting for the accession talks to
begin on October 3. Implementation of EU reforms requires
time. This is a matter of changing the mentality. For
example, the initial interest shown in Kurdish language
courses has started to fade, and the schools have started
asking for money, complaining to us that they cannot find
clients to keep the courses running.'

`We maintain our position on Cyprus. First of all, northern
Cyprus did what it was supposed to do regarding the Annan
plan. Turkey also did its part as a guarantor state.
Neither the other guarantor state nor the Greek Cypriots
have done their parts. We will ask Kofi Annan to bring his
report on the Cyprus process to a discussion in the UN
Security Council. The Greek Cypriot administration, which
has rejected the Annan plan, has been rewarded, while those
who approved it are being punished. We will ask Annan to
remove the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.
We will demand the establishment of economic, trade, and
cultural ties with northern Cyprus. We will also make
initiatives at the Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC). A withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus, as
demanded by Papadopoulos, is not possible.'

Defense Minister Gonul in the US: Turkish Defense Minister
Vecdi Gonul left for the United States on Saturday to attend
the 24th annual conference of the American-Turkish Council
(ATC) and the Turkish-US Business Council (TUSBC) in
Washington, papers report. Gonul will deliver the opening
speech of the conference on June 6 before joining Prime
Minister Erdogan for his meetings in the United States.

Yushchenko in Turkey on Monday: Ukrainian President Victor
Yushchenko is to visit Turkey on Monday to sign agreements
on energy, railroad transportation, technology, the fight
against organized crime, and nuclear safety, papers report.
Turkey supports Ukrainian plans for importing natural gas
from Iran and oil from Middle Eastern countries. Diplomatic
sources said the new administration in Kiev has given
significance to developing ties with Turkey in an effort to
reduce its dependency on Moscow. Ankara will give
Yushchenko the message that Ukraine should not cut ties with
Russia -- a move which may cause instability in the region.

US Trafficking in Persons Report: The fifth annual US
Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report describes
Turkey as a transit and destination country for women and
children trafficked for sexual exploitation, Turkish papers
reported on Sunday. The report claimed that there has been
increased evidence of internal trafficking of Turkish
citizens for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Most
victims come from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union. The report says that the Turkish government does not
fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking, but that it is making `significant efforts' to
do so.

Ambassador Gosses Warns DEHAP: Dutch Ambassador Sjoerd
Gosses told the mayor of Turkey's mainly Kurdish
southeastern province of Diyarbakir that pro-Kurdish DEHAP
should move away from the PKK and end all support for
separatism. Gosses also urged locally elected officials in
southeastern Turkey to reform the `feudal' structure in the
region and to learn Turkish.

Closure of Education Union Protested: Supporters protested
against a high court ruling for the closure of Turkey's
Education Union (Egitim-Sen) for defending education in
mother tongues, papers report. Several leftist parties,
including pro-Kurdish DEHAP, and other NGOs joined the
protest rallies in several Turkish provinces over the
weekend. Union leaders said that political pressure against
union and other NGOS has been on the rise, and that Turkey
had no freedom of association or expression. Thousands of
protesters gathered in Ankara and Istanbul to shout slogans
like `mother tongues do not divide, they unify,' and
`Incirlik Airbase should be closed, not Egitim-Sen.'

Former PKK Member Released from Michigan Jail: Ibrahim
Parlak, a former member of the outlawed PKK, has been
released on bail from prison in Michigan, where he was
detained for 10 months for obtaining a work permit in the
United States by denying any involvement in terrorist
actions. Parlak had earlier appealed his arrest. "Sabah"
reports that Parlak's neighbors and friends in Michigan
collected the 50,000 USD bail and organized a celebration
when he was released. Parlak had earlier served a prison
sentence in Turkey for involvement in the killing of two
soldiers in clashes in the southeast, near the Syrian
border, in 1988.

4 Turkish Troops Killed in Ambush in Eastern Turkey:
Outlawed PKK militants killed four Turkish troops in an
ambush in Turkey's eastern province of Tunceli, security
officials announced over the weekend. A military operation,
backed by helicopters, has been launched in search of the
terrorists. Meanwhile, police arrested seven PKK militants
who were preparing to carry out bombing attacks in Istanbul.


EDITORIAL OPINION

North Cyprus; Erdogan Visit to US; EU/Turkey

"Latest Developments in the TRNC"
Kamuran Ozbir observed in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (6/6):
"Following on the heels of a US trade delegation visit to
northern Cyprus several months ago, the US Congressional
delegation's direct travel to Turkish Cyprus has caused
great consternation among Greek Cypriots. The leader of the
US delegation, Congressman Ed Whitfield, criticized Greek
Cypriot President Papadopoulos for not allowing the
delegation to enter the southern part of the island. This
was an indocation that patience with inconsistency shown by
the Greek Cypriots is running out. Whitfield stressed that
this was the first such visit to northern Cyprus, and added
that parties on both sides should leave the past behind and
work for a solution. Ankara has happily taken note of the
US gesture, which came just before PM Erdogan's visit to
Washington. In order to improve the fragile Turkey-US
relationship, certain actions were needed to regain public
support. The US is expecting more active support from
Turkey for its Iraq and Broader Middle East policies. In
return, Turkey expects the US to eliminate the PKK terror
organization in Iraq. I am hoping that both sides will take
the necessary steps on this path."

"The Bush-Erdogan Meeting"
Yilmaz Oztuna commented in the conservative-mass appeal
"Turkiye" (6/6): "PM Erdogan's visit to the US starts
today. `The Washington Post' says `the US and Turkey are
meeting in hopes that they can renew their strategic
alliance.' But will this `hope' be backed by political
will? We shall see. But in our view, a renewal of the
relationship is in the interest of both countries. Europe
has been shaken by the veto of the EU constitution. The EU
will need at least a few months to resolve these problems.
During that time, the US' already strong influence in the
world will increase even further. It also appears that the
UK, the United States' closest ally, will avoid a referendum
on the EU document. In the middle of all this, Erdogan and
Bush will meet at the White House to evaluate the
deteriorating US-Turkey relationship. How successful the
two leaders will be in improving relations remains to be
seen, but the both sides should approach the meeting with
the future in mind. Otherwise, some countries will try to
take advantage of the problems in the relationship. We
could see more scud missiles flying around, and maybe this
time they will land in populated areas. We agree with `The
Washington Post:' the meeting between Erdogan and Bush has
an historic importance."

"Erdogan Goes to Washington"
Yasemin Congar wrote in the mainstream daily "Milliyet"
(6/6): "As far back as 6 or 7 weeks ago, there were many US
officials who, when asked about PM Erdogan's intentions in
coming to Washington, curled their lip and asked "what will
we talk about with him?" This was the result of
disappointment over what the Erdogan Government has and
hasn't done, and has and hasn't said. Among the factors
contributing to the disappointment were the Turks' making
Ambassador Edelman wait 6 weeks for an appointment, Ankara's
embrace of Syria following the Hariri assassination,
Erdogan's reference to Israel as `terrorist' and to those
killed in Fallujah as `martyrs,' and the government's
rationalizations for growing anti-Americanism in Turkey.
All of this raised questions about Turkey's reliability and
concerns about why the government's stated commitment to a
shared vision with the United States wasn't reflected in
practice. Although all of these concerns haven't been
erased, there aren't many on the US side who still curl
their lip at the mention of the Bush-Erdogan meeting. Part
of the reason is that Erdogan and his circle have taken some
steps and made some statements to reassure the US that
Turkey still values the relationship. Another reason that
the meeting now looks more important is the referenda in the
EU last week and their possible effects on Turkey.
Washington would like to see the Erdogan Government show the
political will to support the US-Turkish partnership. The
Americans would also like to see Turkey move beyond saying
that `there is no anti-Americanism in Turkey' to show that
the partnership can still be effective - by working together
on the Greater Middle Initiative, for example. We shouldn't
forget that support for Turkey's EU membership is a
fundamental tenet of US foreign policy. Some in Ankara
think that `Washington wants us to distance ourselves from
the EU and move closer to the United States.' In fact,
there are some in the US who may think that way. But the
decision-makers in Washington, just as in the Clinton
administration, have by their words and actions done
everything they can to rebut that argument. So one message
Erdogan is likely to hear from President Bush is `don't
close your doors' to the EU, `don't be discouraged,' and
`don't take your eye off the ball.' The US doesn't want
Turkey, either wittingly or unwittingly, to give more
ammunition to those who want to keep Turkey out of the EU.
Anakra's failure to reopen Halki Seminary and its
demonstrated intolerance for open discussion of the Armenian
issue are diametrically opposed to the kind of maturity that
Washington is hoping for."

"Europe Says No"
Gazanfer Gur wrote in the mass appeal "Posta" (6/6): "The
European Union is really made up of two unions -- one is
economic, and the other is political. So far, the economic
union has worked successfully. But as the economic bill
increases with the accession of new members, the number of
countries bothered by the expansion process will also
increase. The Germans and the French people are disturbed
by persistently high unemployment, a decrease in living
standards, and by the financial support they give to the new
members. In Turkey, there is the general belief that the EU
is rejecting Turkey. In fact, the EU is opposing Turkish
membership due to the perceived harm it will do to European
economies. But Turkey is different from other candidate
countries in that it has great importance from the political
angle. If we cannot join the EU, we could very quickly find
ouselves in a period of political instability. On the other
hand, if we join the EU, reforms implemented in the fields
of education, health, and the judiciary would be very
important for Turkey and the Turkish people. The US would
be the biggest beneficiary of all, as the bill for Turkey's
integration would be borne by Germany, France, and the other
rich countries of Europe."

EDELMAN