Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ANKARA577
2005-02-01 15:23:00
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 000577

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
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Feith: Saddam's gone, world is a better place - Aksam
Feith asks for Turkey's support against Iran - Aksam
FM Gul warns US to carry out `clear' policy in Iraq -
Hurriyet
US Kirkuk position disturbs Ankara - Milliyet
Ankara toughens stance on Kirkuk - Sabah
Iraq prepares cabinet with three ethnicities - Sabah
Talabani, Allawi, Pachachi to top Iraqi posts - Milliyet
Iraqi voters beat Zarkawi - Hurriyet
EU suspends sanctions on Cuba - Aksam

OPINION MAKERS
Feith in Ankara, Incirlik may become logistics hub -
Cumhuriyet
FM Gul issues tough warnings on Kirkuk - Cumhuriyet
PM Erdogan: US turns a blind eye to the PKK - Zaman
EU warns against excluding Sunnis from Iraqi politics - Yeni
Safak
US money for rebuilding Iraq goes missing - Cumhuriyet
Abbas gets support of Putin for peace, arrives in Ankara -
Zaman
Hamas, Hizbullah agree to support resistance against Israel
- Cumhuriyet
Israel to `import' Jews from Ethiopia - Zaman


BRIEFING

Undersecretary Feith visits Ankara: Visiting US Defense U/S
Douglas Feith met with FM Abdullah Gul and Deputy Chief of
TGS General Ilker Basbug in Ankara yesterday. Feith said
the problem of Kirkuk will be solved within the territorial
integrity of Iraq, taking into account the sensitivities of
Turkey. An `architect' of the Iraq war, as described by
several Turkish papers, Feith promised that the United
States would not allow actions in Iraq that would harm
Turkish interests. FM Gul complained to Feith about the
Americans' reluctance to carry out a military operation to
remove the PKK presence in northern Iraq. Feith stressed
that there has been no change in the US determination to
fight terrorism, adding that the PKK issue will be taken up
at the appropriate time. Gul said that US policies in Iraq
should be shaped in order to satisfy all groups in the
country, and to treat all of them equally. Feith made an
indirect reference to Iran by commenting on the growing
threat posed by nuclear proliferation in the region.
Reports quote an unidentified official from the MFA as
stressing that Feith did not raise with FM Gul the issue of

using Incirlik Airbase as a hub for providing logistical
support to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ankara welcomes Iraq vote, warns on Kirkuk: The Iraqi
elections `reconfirmed the will of the Iraqi people to
maintain the country's course in a united way towards peace
and security,' the Turkish foreign ministry said in a
statement on Monday. However, `attempts to alter the
demographic structure in northern Iraq will be taken into
consideration,' the statement said. FM Gul has said over
the weekend that if the Turkmen are subjected to oppression,
Turkey will not remain a spectator to such a development.

PM Erdogan on Kirkuk, Iraq: PM Tayyip Erdogan told the
"Wall Street Journal" in Davos that Ankara is considering
its own measures on Iraq because the United States has
ignored the problems of Kirkuk and the PKK presence in
northern Iraq. Erdogan complained about US reluctance to
remove the terrorist presence in northern Iraq and the mass
migration of Kurds to Kirkuk which, he said, will create
major problems in the future. In a separate interview with
"Newsweek," Erdogan also complained about `insufficient'
security measures by US forces for Turkish truck drivers
ferrying goods to Iraq. Terrorist attacks against Turkish
truckers have claimed about 100 lives thus far. The Turkish
PM also advised the US to set a timetable for withdrawal
from Iraq after local police and military forces are fully
established.

Congressman Dodd on Turkey: US Congressman Christopher Dodd
said that Turkey made the right decision in not allowing the
deployment of US troops before the war with Iraq.
Responding to questions posed by the "Zaman" at World
Economic Forum meetings in Davos, Switzerland, Dodd said he
would not have voted for occupation of Iraq if he had known
that prewar intelligence regarding Iraqi weapons was false.
Turkey, a model country, will make a significant
contribution to the resolution of problems between the
Islamic world and the West, Congressman Dodd stressed.

Palestine's Abbas in Turkey: Palestinian head of state
Mahmoud Abbas will arrive in Ankara from Moscow today on his
first regional tour after winning the elections in
Palestine. Abbas will be accompanied by FM Nebil Shaat and
Transportation Minister Hikmet Zaid on his two-day visit,
during which the Palestinians will be meeting with President
Sezer, PM Erdogan and parliament speaker Arinc.

Israeli top commander due in Ankara: The Israeli Chief of
Staff, General Moshe Yaalon, is due in Turkey today on a two-
day visit to discuss the modernization of the Turkish
military and the sale of Israeli made "Harpy" unmanned
reconnaissance planes. Papers cite the Israeli daily
"Haaretz" as claiming that General Yaalon will bargain with
Ankara over $1.5 billion in arms sales.

FM Gul to China: FM Abdullah Gul is to travel to China on
Tuesday as the official guest of his Chinese counterpart, Li
Zhaoxing, to discuss cooperation on economic and trade
issues. The first Turkish foreign minister to visit China
in eight years, Gul will also seek the support of Beijing, a
permanent member of the UN Security Council, to end the
international isolation of Turkish Cypriots. Gul is not
expected to visit East Turkistan, where there have been
widespread claims of human rights violations against the
Turkik minority .

Turkish `Hizbullah' may be resurrected: The Turkish
fundamentalist terror organization Hizbullah has started
reorganizing by establishing companies and bookstores in
Turkey and Europe, "Zaman" writes, citing Turkish police
reports. Hizbullah, led by Mehmet Besir Varol, hides its
members among non-terrorist Islamic groups and seeks
cooperation with the `Kurdistan Islamic Movement,' a group
affiliated with the PKK/Kongra Gel, according to "Zaman."
The Kurdistan Islamic Movement has control over 25 mosques
in Europe, from where it carries out organizational
activities. Although the US Administration has put
Hizbullah on its list of terrorist organizations, the
organization is still able to carry out its activities in
Europe freely.


EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq Elections-The Feith Visit

"An American in Ankara"
Taha Akyol wrote in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (2/1): "US
Defense Department Undersecretary Feith, with his militarist
and neo-conservative character, represents a typical figure
in the Bush administration. He is one of the key men at the
Pentagon who shapes the military policies of the Bush
administration. There were two messages from Douglas Feith
to Turkey: First, Kirkuk is the business of Iraqis, and
Turkey has nothing to do with it. Second, Turkey should
side with the US against Iran. . I value the friendship
between Turkey and the United States. The strategic
relationship between the two is a good thing for both the
region and for world peace. The American economy, its
politics, and the freedom embodied in its culture represent
what should be global values. However, America is currently
being ruled by a group of neo-conservatives, meaning a
collaboration between Evangelical Protestants and militant
Zionists. This is why Doug Feith is the `number three' at
the Pentagon. The fact of the matter is that the current
rulers of the US are harming both American interests and the
interests of the world. The election in Iraq is a positive
development. Iran should not be allowed to have nuclear
weapons. But these facts do not justify the aggressive,
militarist, imperialist policies of the US. . The entire
world, including Americans, is urgently in need of common
sense in Washington."

"The Iraq Dilemma"
Turgut Tarhanli commented in the liberal-intellectual
"Radikal" (2/1): "It is certainly an important development
that the people of Iraq are trying to define their future.
Yet this fact is doomed by another reality -- all of this
began with a military occupation. The occupation will
always cast a shadow over any positive developments.
Looking at the statements by the Iraqi president right after
the elections, there seems little hope that the Bush
administration is going to take steps toward eliminating
that shadow by withdrawing its forces. Despite its
significant success in many international conflicts, the
United Nations has not had any role in Iraq other than a
symbolic representation. Given the current circumstances,
there is still questions about the credibility of the
argument that the Iraqi people can define their own future,
especially when it is taking place under the supervision of
a big power."

"Waiting for Rice"
Gungor Mengi commented in the mass appeal "Vatan" (2/1):
"What are Barzani's intentions? Is he trying to deepen
mistrust in the US-Turkish relationship through these
provocative statements? Barzani might have been inspired by
Prime Minister Erdogan's recently increased anti-American
statements. It would definitely be to Turkey's benefit not
to increase the tension, not to continuously issue harsh
warnings, and most of all, not to damage the `indispensable
status' of Turkey in the eyes of the US. The new Secretary
of State of the second Bush Administration, Condoleezza
Rice, will be coming to Turkey on February 5. If the words
being told to her behind closed doors by government
officials should somehow leak into the newspaper headlines,
Turkey will be wasting its chance to resolve these issues to
its own benefit. It is not fitting for the state of Turkey
to allow itself to be deceived into making mistakes by
Barzani."

"When Will the US Withdraw from Iraq"
Fikret Ertan observed in the Islamist-intellectual "Zaman"
(2/1): "The length of the stay of US forces in Iraq depends
on the ability of the Iraqi security forces to establish
internal security and to protect their borders. Whenever
the Iraqi security forces have the power to fulfill its
duties, then the US can withdraw from Iraq under certain
conditions and guarantees. In my opinion, this will take a
minimum of two years."

EDELMAN