ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 004227

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
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Sunnis Pull Out of Iraqi Constitution Process - Milliyet
Iraq Body Count: An Iraqi Dies Every 40 Minutes - Hurriyet
3 UK Troops to be Tried of War Crimes in Iraq - Sabah
`Sharia' for Iraqi Women - Hurriyet
Rightist Judge Roberts Draws Criticism - Hurriyet
Bush Assigns Political Appointee Timken to Germany - Sabah
Turkey's Population to be 96.5 Million in 2050 - Vatan

OPINION MAKERS
Osman Ocalan: PKK on a Dead End Street - Cumhuriyet
IHT: US the New Enemy for PKK - Cumhuriyet
Livingstone: West's Policy Caused London Attacks - Zaman
Muslims Will Be Watched in Britain - Radikal
Rice Due in Israel Today - Yeni Safak
`Sharia' for `Democratic' Iraq - Cumhuriyet
Hizbullah Member in Lebanese Government - Radikal
Conservative Candidate for US Supreme Court - Yeni Safak
Pentagon: China May Pose Military Threat - Cumhuriyet
150,000 Children in Niger Face Death From Hunger - Yeni
Safak


BRIEFING

PKK Summit Due in Washington: Turkey's special Iraq envoy
Osman Koruturk conveyed to US officials Turkish demands with
regard to the PKK during a visit to Washington last week,
"Aksam" reports. Koruturk told American officials about
Turkey's uneasiness over the PKK presence in northern Iraq
and infiltrations into Turkey by PKK militants. He
complained that no PKK leaders have been handed over thus
far despite the fact that a list of 150 PKK members sought
by Turkey had been given to the US. The US is opposed to a
possible Turkish cross-border incursion into Iraq, and
offered to host the second Iraq-Turkey-US tripartite
meetings in Washington. The Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA)
initially saw no sense in holding new talks, since the first
meeting held in January produced no results. In the end,
however, Ankara accepted the US offer. Turkey plans send a
low-level delegation to the meeting, "Aksam" reports.

Osman Ocalan on His Brother, Dissident Killing, Kurdish
Party: Osman Ocalan, brother of imprisoned PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan, said that a political party established by
former Kurdish MP Leyla Zana was set up with the approval of
Abdullah Ocalan., "Milliyet" reports. Commenting on claims
by Deputy Chief of General Staff (TGS) General Ilker Basbug
that the US had ordered the capture of PKK leaders, Ocalan
said that political circumstances `are not suitable' for
this. `The Kurds are friends of the US. 90 percent of the
Kurds support the US, while 80-90 percent of the Turks
oppose the Americans. The US has to protect its interests,'
Ocalan said. He said that his brother Abdullah had control
over the Democratic Society Movement (DTH) that was founded
by Leyla Zana and her colleagues from the former pro-Kurdish
DEP. Ocalan blamed a violent group inside the PKK - but not
his brother Abdullah -- for the killing of dissident
Kurdish leader Hikmet Fidan. The DTH is undergoing a power
struggle between socialist and democratic fractions within
the party, Ocalan said, adding that Fidan was supporting the
establishment of an independent party. Ocalan argued that
Abdullah Ocalan should be included in a possible amnesty to
be declared by the Turkish government, "Milliyet" writes.
Papers also quote Osman Ocalan as telling Lebanon's daily
`al-Mustakbal" that he has left the PKK because he opposes
the killing of innocent people. Ocalan said the PKK had no
chance to accomplish anything for the Kurds, adding that the
time has come to approach issues with democracy and common
sense. Ocalan said he did not approve of terrorist actions
by the `Kurdish Freedom Hawks' (TAK),a new organization
which claimed responsibility for bomb attacks against two
Turkish resorts. Ocalan added that the number of PKK
terrorists in northern Iraq was not as high as estimates by
Turkish authorities suggest.

Cicek on General Amnesty: Papers report that Justice
Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek said on
Wednesday that the AK Party government had no plans to
declare an amnesty for members of the outlawed PKK.
`Amnesty laws enacted thus far have not yielded positive
results for Turkey. Amnesty bills have undermined the power
of the judiciary,' Cicek said. Cicek complained that it
took Turkey 20 years to have the PKK put on the European
terror list, but that the terrorist group still manages to
secure financial resources in Europe. Some commentaries
expect the issue of an amnesty for terrorists to be
discussed at a Turkish security summit in September. `The
TGS favors a limited amnesty for terrorists,' "Cumhuriyet"
claims, recalling the press briefing by General Ilker Basbug
in which the Deputy TGS Chief explored the possibility of a
targeted amnesty for PKK members who have not participated
in terrorist actions.

Turks Planning `Homeland Security' Department: "Vatan"
reports that the Turkish government and the Turkish General
Staff (TGS) are reviewing the structure of the US Department
of Homeland Security. Deputy PM Mehmet Ali Sahin recently
visited the US twice, and met with Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff. Deputy Chief of the TGS,

SIPDIS
General Ilker Basbug, also gathered information on the work
of the Homeland Security Department during PM Erdogan's
visit to the US in early June. Sahin said yesterday,
however, that a special institution for the coordination of
the fight against terrorism would be `anti-democratic,' and
give the impression that Turkey faced a high terror threat.

Iraqi Interior Minister on the PKK: On Wednesday, Iraq's
Interior Minister al-Zubayda acknowledged to the press in
Istanbul that Iraqi security forces lacked the capacity to
drive PKK terrorists out of Iraq. `Only the US military is
capable of such an operation. The Iraqi government would be
pleased if the US were to eliminate the presence in Iraq of
militants from the People's Mujahidin, the Muslim
Brotherhood, and the PKK,' al-Zubayda emphasized. He voiced
hope that the upcoming tripartite security meetings among
Iraq, Turkey, and the US will take decisions that will
please the Turkish people.

Kan'an: Syria, Turkey Working Together Against the PKK:
Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kan'an told the Turkish press
on Wednesday that Syria is working together with Turkey in
the struggle against the PKK. Kan'an said that neither the
PKK in Turkey nor Kurdish separatist efforts in Syria will
be successful. Kan'an stressed that Syria is taking all
possible measure to control the border with Iraq. Kan'an
noted that Syrian troops previously pulled back from Lebanon
have been dispatched to the Iraqi border, and claimed that a
total of 550 control points had been set up there. He added
that Syrian security forces have captured 1,217 infiltrators
and sent them back to their countries, and asserted that
both the Iraqis and the Americans knew of these efforts.
`The Iraqi side, however, has not taken any measures at all.
I find claims of terrorist infiltration into Iraq from
Syrian territory to be deliberate,' Kan'an said. The Syrian
Interior Minister was in Istanbul, where he participated in
a summit meeting of Iraq's neighbors on Tuesday.

US Getting Stationed in the Balkans: The US is conducting
joint military exercises with Romanian and Bulgarian troops
in the Balkans in a sign of a growing US military presence
in the region, "Yeni Safak" reports. Following the
disagreements with west European countries before the war
with Iraq, the US has decided to move its bases in Europe to
Romania and Bulgaria. US Commander James Jones said joint
military exercises in Romania and Bulgaria were indicative
of a `gravity shift' of US military policies to the east.
The US Defense Department plans to transfer at least one-
third of the 75,000 US troops stationed in western Europe to
US bases established in Eastern Europe, the report claims.
Anniversary of `TRNC': `TRNC President' Mehmet Ali Talat
said on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Turkish
intervention in Cyprus that his government is waiting for
the Greek Cypriots to shake the hand of peace offered by the
Turks. `The Greek Cypriots need a new and mature leadership
that will respect the Turkish Cypriots' will to have a
common future in the European Union,' Talat said. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul, in Lefkosa to participate in the
ceremonies on Wednesday, called for an end to the
international isolation of Turkish Cyprus. `Turkey and
northern Cyprus will do whatever it takes to find a
solution. The security of the Turkish Cypriots will be
strengthened, and their welfare will be increased,' Gul
said.

Gitmo Captives Go on Hunger Strike: Two Afghan captives who
were released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center,
Habir Russul and Muhep Ulla Burekzai, told the press in
Kabul that 180 detainees have gone on a hunger strike in an
act of protest against the mistreatment of prisoners,
Turkish papers report. The two former prisoners said that
Wednesday marked the 15th day of the hunger strike. Russul
claimed that some of the hunger strikers are being denied
medical treatment despite the deterioration in their health.
Burekzai confirmed allegations that the Holy Koran had been
desecrated by some Americans in Gitmo.


EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq

"Cross Border Operation"
Okay Gonensin wrote in the mass appeal "Vatan" (7/21):
"Ankara is eager to conduct a cross-border operation in an
effort to prevent the full reemergence of PKK terrorism.
This kind of action might be justified under UN resolutions
as well as international law. But the issue has also become
a major conflict between Ankara and Washington. It is not
even clear yet whether American forces in Iraq were really
given an order to capture the PKK leadership. . It is
unlikely that the current Iraqi administration will give
approval for a Turkish cross-border operation. The American
administration has also expressed its disapproval
repeatedly. Given the current position of the PKK in
northern Iraq, a single operation might not be the way to
solve the problem either. . There are possible consequences
in the event of a Turkish cross-border operation. The most
critical one is the possibility that Turkey will find itself
in a military clash with the Kurdish administration in
northern Iraq. If that happens, worldwide attention will
shift from the terrorist threat to Turkey's intervention in
the autonomous Kurdistan in northern Iraq. Ankara is now
fully focused on the terrorist haven in northern Iraq. Yet
Turkey's Kurdish issue lies within Turkey and could be
settled domestically. Utmost attention must be paid in
order not to serve the interest of the PKK by treating the
issue only through military measures."

"Kandil and Asos"
Erdal Safak wrote in the mass appeal "Sabah" (7/21):
"Talabani wears two hats. He is at once the president of
Iraq and the leader of the PUK. In his PUK capacity, he
controls the area in the north near the Iranian border.
Most agree that nothing happens in this area without
Talabani knowing about. Turkey's concern is about the
terrorist groups stationed in the Kandil mountains, where
Talabani's armed militia force has full control. The Kandil
mountains run up against the Asos mountains along the Iran-
Iraq border. Turkey is discussing the possibility of a
cross-border operation in the Kandil area. Iran is
targeting the Asos area for the same reasons. . Talabani has
so far made evasive statements about PKK terrorism, and he
has yet to name the PKK as a terrorist group. He has
preferred to avoid taking action against the armed PKK
presence in Kandil. He thinks those PKK militants can be a
tool for pressuring Turkey toward a political solution of
the Kurdish issue. He probably even thinks of using the PKK
as a trump card in bargaining over Kirkuk. . Talabani is the
main figure who can address this issue, and he should be
invited to Ankara as soon as possible."

"General Basbug's Messages to the US"
Sukru Kucuksahin commented in the mass appeal "Hurriyet"
(7/21): "Turkey presented a list of the PKK leadership to
the US and to Iraq three months ago. Those names are also
on Interpol lists. Iraqi PM Jaferi promised to do whatever
is required, and the US passed out the list through its
command in Iraq. Three months have passed, and not a single
PKK has been captured. More interestingly, some of those on
the wanted list have made public appearances when they were
invited to the inauguration of the Kurdish parliament. .
PKK figures are comfortable enough despite the tight
security established by the US. Turkish experts interpret
the situation from two perspectives. Some believe the PKK
wants Turkey to launch a cross-border operation so that the
PKK can get closer to the US as Turkey comes into conflict
with local militias and US forces. Others say the US now
considers the PKK as a part of the northern Iraq
equilibrium, and hopes to use the PKK against Syria and Iran
in the future. Experts believe this is the reason that
Washington has advised Turkey not to conduct a cross-border
operation. But Turkey is not helpless in either scenario.
As General Basbug pointed out, both Syria and Iran have
started taking effective measures against the PKK. The PKK
has now become a headache for both of them. Isn't it
possible for Turkey to carry out the operation using Iranian
airspace and territory? . Turkey is telling the US that it
has some options. The message is that when Turkey uses its
options over US objections, the consequences will be serious
enough to change the regional equilibrium."

MCELDOWNEY