ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000644

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, FEBRUARY 3, 2005


THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION


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HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL

Washington: "Turkey Doesn't Own Iraq" -Hurriyet
Feith: "Iraqi Integrity Should Be Preserved" -Hurriyet
A Key Test for Rice - Sabah
Bomb Panic in Incirlik - Sabah
British Ambassador Westmacott to Turkey: "We are Aware of
Your Worries" - Milliyet
Ankara Visit Is A Key Test for Rice - Milliyet
US Press: "Rice Has A Difficult Mission in Turkey" - Turkiye
Ankara Summit for Rice and Lavrov - Turkiye
FM Gul: "The US Should Do More to Eliminate Terrorists in
Northern Iraq" - Turkiye
TGS Intelligence Report: "Kurdish Armed Forces To Be
Established in Iraq" - Aksam

OPINION MAKERS

Kurds in Iraq Happy about the Election Results - Radikal
US-Russian Summit in Ankara - Radikal
Election Fiasco Confession from Iraqi Interim Government -
Cumhuriyet
Iraq Warning from Gul to US - Yeni Safak
From Gul to US: "Take Action for Kirkuk" - Zaman

BRIEFING

Pentagon Undersecretary Feith Comments: In an interview
with "Hurriyet," Pentagon Undersecretary Douglas Feith said
`Turkish views about Iraq are considered important by the US
and always taken into account in US policies'. In response
to a question about Turkish concerns for the Iraqi
elections, Feith said that the Kirkuk problem ought to be
solved by the Iraqi people and that the US supports the
preservation of Iraqi integrity.

SecState Rice's Upcoming Visit: All papers report about the
upcoming visit of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
to Turkey. "Vatan", "Posta" and "Milliyet" cite `The
International Herald Tribune' as source to say that `in a
way this visit will be a key test for the Secretary in her
efforts to ease the tension in Turkish-US relations'.
"Radikal" and "Turkiye" report about the meeting that will
take place in Ankara on Saturday night with Rice and the
Russian FM Lavrov. Rice and Lavrov will discuss
preparations for a summit between US President Bush and
Russian President Putin in Slovakia on February 24.

Turkey Seeks British Support for the Problems in Iraq:
"Milliyet" reports that Turkey
seeks British support to convey its concerns about Iraq to
the US Administration. Within this framework, Turkish envoy
to Iraq Osman Koruturk recently held high-level meetings in
London. British Ambassador to Ankara Peter Westmacott told
"Milliyet" that his country understands the concerns Turkey
has over Iraq and has already issued the necessary warnings
to the Kurds.

Turkish General Staff (TGS) Intelligence Report about Iraq:
"Aksam" reports that according to a TGS intelligence report,
Barzani and Talabani are planning to join their Peshmerge
forces in order to establish Kurdish Armed Forces in Iraq.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq; The Middle East

"US-Turkey and Iraq"
Ali Sirmen commented in the leftist-opinion maker
"Cumhuriyet" (2/3): "Not only Turks, but also American
strategists admit the fact that Washington does not care
about Turkey's concerns about northern Iraq. The US
declared the PKK as a terrorist organization, but took no
action and assumed no responsibility even though the area is
under American control. The US continues to commit itself
to the territorial integrity of Iraq, but it only stands by
and watches statements from Talabani and Barzani that tell a
very different story. . The Kurdish card is no longer just a
US policy option for the Middle East and Iraq - it now must
be taken as a given. The US will not give up the Kurdish
issue as its `trump card' in both the Iraqi political
process and the Broader Middle East Initiative. Given these
facts, it would be very wrong for Turkey to be reluctant to
pursue a firm policy on Iraq out of fear that it may clash
with Washington. Turkey should not underestimate its
influence as a regional power, because any implementation of
American policy that does not take Turkey into account will
eventually harm the interests of both Ankara and
Washington."

"Finally, Diplomacy is at Work in Middle East"
Sami Kohen observed in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (2/3):
"Egypt has conducted a kind of silent diplomacy that
successfully paved the way for the upcoming Israel-Palestine
summit next Tuesday. The fact that this summit is taking
place is historically important, because for the first time
in four years the leaders of Israel and Palestine will have
a face-to-face meeting. There won't be an agreement like
the one at Camp David, but if the summit can at least
provide a consensus on a ceasefire and joint security
measures and open the door for a peace process, it should be
considered a big success. Both leaders will certainly be
under attack from militants, so reaching agreement on
security and a ceasefire will not be an easy task. Even if
the two leaders agree, implementation could present
problems. On this matter, both leaders will need strong
foreign and domestic support. Obviously, there will be a
lot of opportunities for Turkish diplomacy to have an impact
in the post-summit process."
EDELMAN