Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ANKARA5396
2005-09-15 15:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

Tags:  OPRC KMDR TU 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 005396

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, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES


MASS APPEAL
Bush to Talabani: You Must Do Something against the PKK -
Hurriyet
Gul Signs UN Agreement against Torture - Hurriyet
Dervis May Replace Annan - Hurriyet
Sharon Asks Erdogan for Help in Gaza Rebuilding - Sabah
Greek Organizations in US Support Armenian `Genocide' Claims
- Hurriyet
Schroeder's Destiny in the Hands of 600,000 Turks - Aksam
The Arab League Supports Turkey's EU Bid - Milliyet
Zarkawi's Revenge: Suicide Attacks Kill 160 in Iraq - Aksam

OPINION MAKERS
Bush Conveys to Talabani Turkey's Unease with the PKK -
Zaman
Bush: I Warned Talabani against the PKK - Yeni Safak
Erdogan Asks Jewish Organizations' Support against Armenian
Claims in US - Zaman
Leaders Discuss Terror at UN 60th Summit - Zaman
60th Summit to Decide on the Fate of UN - Yeni Safak
`Turkish Style' Elections in Germany - Zaman
Majority of 600,000 Turks in Germany to Vote for Schroeder -
Radikal
Senator Biden in WP: Turkey May Fall into Iraq Swamp -
Cumhuriyet
Zarkawi Declares War against Shiites - Cumhuriyet
Bush Admits Failure in Handling Hurricane Katrina -
Cumhuriyet
Karzai Calls on Taliban to Vote at General Elections - Zaman
US May Reduce Troops in Afghanistan in 2006 - Cumhuriyet
210 Captives Continue Hunger Strike at Gitmo - Yeni Safak
US `Minuteman-3' Missile Test Successful - Cumhuriyet
Bin Ladin Seeks Medical Treatment - Radikal


BRIEFING

US Ships Military Equipment to Iraq through Iskenderun Port:
"Cumhuriyet" reports on its front page that in the first
seven months of the year, nine US vessels brought 4,046
military vehicles and 3,404 tons of explosives to Turkey's
east Mediterranean port of Iskenderun to be shipped to Iraq,
according to data by the Iskenderun Chamber of Commerce.
The US has been using Iskenderun port to ship munitions to
Iraq despite the fact that the Turkish parliament rejected a
motion for cooperation with the US in Iraq war, says the
report. A trade union member told "Cumhuriyet" that the US
was planning to use the port of Iskenderun as a `naval base'
under the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative
(BMENAI).

US Thanks Turkey for Helping Hurricane Katrina Victims: US

Ankara Embassy Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney thanked
the Turkish government and nation for the help provided for
the victims of Hurricane Katrina, "Radikal" reports.
McEldowney said at an American reception Wednesday that the
Turkish government made 2.5 million USD of aid for Katrina
victims, and that Turkish universities had offered four-year
scholarships to American students. `Besides official aid,
we have been receiving letters from around Turkey. They not
only put money inside the envelopes, but write messages of
support that say `The United States has done the same for
us.' Our ties with Turkey have gone beyond politics. We
are tied to each other from the heart; our endless thanks go
to Turkey,' McEldowney said.

Erdogan Meets Bush, World Leaders at UN Reception: Prime
Minister Erdogan and President Bush had a chance for a brief
talk during the reception hosted by the US President in
honor of world leaders attending the 60th UN Summit in New
York on Wednesday, Turkish papers report. Bush told Erdogan
that he had asked Iraq President Talabani to `do something'
against the PKK to ease the discomfort of Turks, adding that
the US was aware of the security threat posed by the PKK
against Turkey. Secretary Rice also said that Talabani had
been told about Turkey's uneasiness over the PKK presence in
northern Iraq. Erdogan expressed his `profound sorrow' with
regard to the loss of lives in Hurricane Katrina. Erdogan
has not been pleased to see that Bush is shifting the
responsibility of fighting against the PKK to Talabani,
"Hurriyet" comments. The Turkish PM also chatted with the
presidents of Pakistan, Georgia and Iran and the prime
ministers of Denmark, Greece, Israel and the Netherlands.
During his talk with the Israeli PM Sharon, Erdogan welcomed
again Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Sharon
briefed Erdogan on the situation in the region and asked for
Turkish help in rebuilding Gaza. Erdogan later met with
Ahmedinajad and discussed Turkey's natural gas purchases
from Iran and ways to increase bilateral trade with the
Iranian President.

Turkey Pleased by Draft UN Summit Final Declaration: Turkey
welcomed the draft joint communiqu to be issued at the end
of the 60th UN Summit in New York, defining the guidelines
of the road map of the UN for the coming years, diplomatic
sources told the press. The draft declaration reflects the
views of Turkey with regard to the fight against terrorism,
saying that `the UN strongly condemns terrorism, regardless
of who committed it and where, which poses one the most
serious threats against international peace and security.'
It calls on all countries to refrain from supporting
terrorist acts and to prevent terrorist groups from using
their lands for their activities. Turkey was also pleased
by the reference made in the draft to the `Alliance of
Civilizations' initiative cosponsored by Turkey and Spain as
well as the support of the UNSG to the project, say papers.

Ankara Sends `Intelligence Team' to Tal Afar: Ankara, with
US approval, sent a 16-member `intelligence team' to Tal
Afar to investigate charges of mistreatment of the Turkmen
by some Iraqi commanders, reports "Aksam." The Turkish Red
Crescent (Kizilay) took five trucks of food, medicine and
tents to Tal Afar, and Ankara also wants to send a mobile
hospital and kitchen and technical help to fix the water
system in the city, says the report.

MFA Condemns Terrorist Attacks in Iraq: The Turkish Foreign
Ministry Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday that over
100 were killed and nearly 200 were wounded in recent
terrorist attacks in Iraq, stressing that Turkey strongly
condemned the attacks. `We offer our condolences to the
Iraqi people, government and the relatives of those who died
in the attacks,' the MFA said. The statement noted that
terrorist attacks are aimed at inciting ethnic fighting in
Iraq, adding that `national cohesion' should be further
strengthened to spoil the terrorists' goal.

Turkey-US Agree to Fight the PKK in Europe: Ankara has
adopted a new strategy against the PKK after the visit of
top US commanders to Turkey last week, "Sabah" reports,
adding that from now on, Turkey will cooperate with
Washington to combat the PKK in Europe instead of staging
military operations against the terror organization in
northern Iraq. During the visits to Ankara by DAS Matt
Bryza in August and US Generals James Jones and Lance Smith
last week, Americans told the Turks to use democratic means
to fight the PKK and offered cooperation on the matter.
Turkey and the US have agreed to cooperate to cut the
financial support to the PKK coming from Europe, says
"Sabah."
US Official on the PKK, Iraq, Tal Afar, US-Turkey: An
unidentified high-level US official told "Radikal" columnist
Murat Yetkin that Turkey's growing uneasiness with the PKK
problem has been a source of concern for the US as well.
Struggling against the PKK is not only Turkey's but the US
and the new Iraqi government's business, the official said,
adding that the stabilization of Iraq carries great
importance in narrowing the opportunities for such terror
activities. The American noted that both the US and Turkey
were trying to control the problems that have arisen in the
turmoil in Iraq. `Turkey has been helping us in Iraq,' the
official said, adding that the US expected this help to
increase: `Turkey can suggest to the Iraqi groups it is in
contact with to go to the ballot box at the December
elections and advise them to voice their objections and
demands at political levels.' The US official added that
Turkey can also suggest to Syria that it should stop the
flow of money and insurgents to Iraq. `Turkey should see
that Syria is a destabilizing element with regard to
Lebanon, the Israel-Palestine question and Iraq -- the three
issues Turkey hopes to see stabilized,' the official
stressed, emphasizing that US-Turkey relations are so
important that they cannot be conducted on `auto-pilot.'
`Our relationship needs constant care,' the American said,
`Therefore we think that mutual visits and dialogue should
be increased.' On Tal Afar, the official made assurances
that US military operations against the northern Iraqi city
had nothing to do with the Turkmen in the region. The
official said that Turkish authorities had known about the
operation since its beginning, and that press reports
claiming the use of chemical weapons by US forces were
false. `Anti-American propaganda in the language of Zarkawi
should not be allowed in the Turkish press,' the official
stressed. Yetkin says that he had the impression that
Washington believed that news and commentaries which
appeared in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak" daily echoed
the inclinations of the ruling AK Party government.

Biden: Turkey May Fall into Iraq Swamp: "Cumhuriyet" quotes
US Senator Joseph Biden (D) as saying in an op-ed in the
"Washington Post" that sectarian violence might escalate
into a civil war, drawing in Syria, Iran and Turkey and
turning Iraq into a `new Lebanon.' `Even worse, Iraqi
Sunnis could forge stronger alliances with foreign
jihadists, turning a swath of Iraq into a pre-September 11
Afghanistan for a new generation of terrorists,' Biden said.
He advised the US Administration to develop a regional
strategy that `either forces or induces' Iraq's neighbors to
act responsibly. In some instances, that would require the
administration to engage regimes that the US would rather
not work with, according to Biden. Biden also noted that it
is no longer acceptable to say that US troops will stay in
Iraq `as long as necessary.'

Gul Signs UN Protocol against Torture: Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul signed the `Optional Protocol to the UN
Convention against Torture' during the 2005 World Summit in
New York, papers report. Turkey has been a party to the
Convention since 1988. The `Optional Protocol' has been
signed by 11 countries so far after it was released on
February 4, 2003. It will go into effect after being
approved by 20 countries. Turkey had earlier declared that
it will follow a zero-tolerance policy against torture and
maltreatment.

EU to Monitor Court Case against Pamuk: "Zaman" reports
that the EU is preparing to monitor the court case against
renowned Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk for accusing Turks of
killing one million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds. The
European Parliament will set up a five-member committee to
follow the developments related to the Pamuk case set to
begin December 16, says the report.


EDITORIAL OPINION: United Nations

"Tremor at the UN Organization"
Zafer Atay commented in the economic-politic "Dunya" (9/15):
"Unlike the glamorous celebrations of the 50th anniversary
of the UN, this time the 60th anniversary was
insignificant. One could not see the traditional attendees
of such anniversary celebrations, such as President of the
United States (sic). . The United Nations is going through
very difficult times due to corruption claims regarding the
oil-for-food program for Iraq and the scandals related to UN
peacekeepers in several countries. Corruption claims are
being investigated within the UN, as well as by France and
the United States. Washington is also angry with the
current UN administration because of its opposition to the
Iraq war. Washington wants UN Secretary General Annan to
resign. There will be a monetary sanction as well because
the US administration plans to cut off its financial support
for the UN unless satisfactory reforms within the
organization are undertaken. On the other hand, in the name
of fairness, we should not forget the positive achievements
of the UN. The United Nations has made some very important
contributions to peace, health, and education worldwide.
The world owes its gratitude to the UN for eliminating
diseases through vaccination programs and for providing food
and shelter to refugees."

"The Summit of Divided Nations"
Deniz Ulke Aribogan opined in the mass appeal-sensational
"Aksam" (9/15): "The United Nations served a very important
purpose by bringing together nations to heal the wounds of
two world wars. However, the structure of the organization
was formed by the winners of the war, providing privileged
veto status in the UN Security Council. Since the
establishment of the UN up until the present, the privileged
members did not see any harm in using the UN to legitimize
their own policy priorities. The UN thus turned into an
arena for power struggles among those members. The
formation of the UN after the world war was meant to create
a peaceful world, but unfortunately 60 million people have
died because of political conflicts and wars in the 60 years
of the post-war period. . Today the UN presents a picture of
divided nations. Problems will continue in the world
regardless of the number of international summits that are
held as long as these divisions continue.."

MCELDOWNEY