ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000748

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 8, 2005


THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Barzani says he won't give up Kirkuk - Sabah
Kurds take second in Iraqi vote count - Milliyet
Israel-Palestine summit to agree on cease-fire - Sabah
Israel believes Abbas to be targeted by assassins - Aksam
Rice assigns Gen. William Ward as coordinator for Palestine
- Aksam
US to become `very active' in the Middle East - Milliyet
Greek Cypriots threaten to veto Turkey-EU talks over
recognition issue - Hurriyet
US women troops' `mud-wrestling' scandal in Iraq - Hurriyet

OPINION MAKERS
Barzani openly claims right to Kirkuk - Cumhuriyet
Barzani goes too far, threatens to `unite' Kurdistan -
Cumhuriyet
Sunnis speed up actions after Iraqi elections: 73 killed -
Cumhuriyet
Elections did not change Iraq: 65 killed in Baghdad, Mosul,
Bakuba - Yeni Safak
US melts ice with Palestine - Zaman
Rice pledges $40 million to Palestine, assigns coordinator -
Radikal
Abbas, Sharon to agree on cease-fire - Zaman
Israeli minister Ramon: Abbas will be assassinated -
Cumhuriyet
Rumsfeld acknowledges Iran nuclear bomb could take years -
Yeni Safak
US threatens Iran, develops new nuclear warheads at home -
Radikal
Sunday Times: Bush will strike Syria first, not Iran - Yeni
Safak
CIA delivers terror suspects to `contract' torturers -
Cumhuriyet


BRIEFING

Barzani Says He Will Not Concede Kirkuk: All Turkish papers
cite an interview by Massoud Barzani posted on the "kerkuk-
kurdistan.com" webpage in which the northern Iraqi Kurdish
leader said the Iraqi elections had made clear the Kurdish
identity of Kirkuk. `We are not seeking to break off pieces
of Turkey, Syria and Iran. We just want to unify our
country, Kurdistan,' Barzani emphasized, adding: `It would
be to the benefit of Turkey to extend a friendly hand to the
Kurds.' `No force on earth can make me give Kirkuk away,'
the KDP leader stressed, adding that Kirkuk would remain
within the borders of Kurdistan.

President Sezer Warns Rice on Turkey's Secular Character:
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer told visiting US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice during her weekend visit that Turkey
is a secular country and thus cannot be presented as a model
of `moderate Islam' to other Muslim nations, "Cumhuriyet"
reports. `Turkey is a country with a Muslim majority, but
it is not an Islamic country,' Sezer reportedly said to Rice
during their meeting on Sunday. `Democracy cannot be
imposed on Middle East countries by outside forces,' he
added. Secretary Rice took note of Sezer's remarks,
according to "Cumhuriyet."

US, Turkey Decide to Reinvigorate Strategic Partnership:
The Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak," a paper close to the
Turkish Government, reports that the US and Turkey have
agreed to revitalize their `suspended' strategic partnership
in the face of negative developments in Iraq. Secretary
Rice underlined that the two countries have common strategic
goals and a long history of friendship. The report claims
that the during the Rice visit, US and Turkish officials
agreed to `strategic cooperation' to protect Iraq's
territorial integrity, to accelerate the struggle against
terrorism, and to encourage change in the Islamic world.

`US Congressmen Launch Working Group on Turkey': US
Congressmen led by Robert Wexler and Ed Whitfield will work
with their Turkish counterparts to establish a
`Congressional Working Group on Turkey' in an effort to
promote Turkey more effectively in the US Congress. Ruling
AK Party lawmakers Egemen Bagis and Besir Hamidi, and Zeynep
Damla Gurel from the opposition CHP will go to the US on
Wednesday to meet with the American co-chairmen of the new
grouping.

PM Erdogan on Tour of Tsunami-hit South Asia: Turkish PM
Tayyip Erdogan, on a tour of south Asian countries affected
by the recent tsunami, sought support from Indonesia for
Turkish policy towards the divided island of Cyprus, asking
Jakarta to help lift international sanctions against the
Turkish Cypriot community. Indonesian President Yudhoyoni
pledged support for Cyprus, and for Turkey's membership in
the UN Security Council. The two leaders reportedly
discussed the possibility of joint projects between Muslim
clerics in both countries on issues such as Islam,
democracy, and terrorism. Erdogan subsequently proceeded to
Malaysia.

Time Not Right For Cyprus talks - Papadopoulos: Greek
Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said on Monday that
the time was `not yet right' for negotiations with Turkey on
the reunification of Cyprus. `We are ready for talks at any
time, but conditions do not exist for these talks to lead to
a constructive end,' Papadopoulos told a news conference on
an official visit to Hungary. Papadopoulos added he had
asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to bring the two
communities to the negotiating table.


EDITORIAL OPINION: The Visit of Secretary Rice/Iraq

"The Bells Are Still Ringing"
Haluk Ulman commented in the economic-political "Dunya"
(2/8): "The US President rushed to target Syria and Iran,
even before getting a clear picture of Iraq election's
outcome. Iran is accused of developing nuclear weapons and
supporting international terrorism. Syria is also blamed
for sheltering terrorists. Unfortunately, Bush has no
credibility on Iran and Syria, especially after the
fabrications on the WMD issue in Iraq. . There are so many
issues to sort out in Iraq, even after the questionable
democratic elections. It is too early to say that Iraq is
on the right track after the election process. The alarm
bells are still ringing for a potential internal conflict in
this country. How can the Bush administration can turn a
blind eye to these facts? I think the Bush administration
is aware of these problems. That is why Turkey has been
back in the spotlight, and the US is looking to increase
Turkish-American cooperation. Secretary Rumsfeld's recent
statement should be interpreted as a warning. Apparently,
he wanted to warn Turkey not to repeat the same mistake as
on March 1. . The US is encouraging the Kurds in northern
Iraq and turning a blind-eye to the presence of the PKK in
this area. But at the same time, the US is trying to ease
Turkey's concerns by talking about preserving the
territorial integrity of Iraq. How can we possibly take
such words seriously?"

"The Reasons for the Anti-American Atmosphere"
Sami Kohen observed in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (2/8):
"In Turkey, the number of people considering the US as an
enemy increases with every passing day. There are several
reasons for this. The first and most important reason is the
Turkish public's reaction against President Bush's policies.
The image of George Bush has been turned into a stereotype
that continuously incites anti-Americanism. Second, there
are some US actions that have disappointed the Turks very
much, especially the Suleymaniye incident and the US
unwillingness to deal with the PKK and the Kurds in Northern
Iraq. Such US actions are interpreted by many in the
Turkish public as signs of hostile intent against Turkey.
How can this be corrected? First of all, one has to believe
that good relations between the US and Turkey is in Turkey's
interest, and that these relations can be improved through
mutual understanding and dialogue. Officials of both
countries have a big responsibility to give the right
messages to their people. Having disagreements on certain
issues does not justify spoiling the entire friendship and
thereby limiting the potential for cooperation. It is easy
to spread anti-American feelings; but the more sensible
thing is to act rationally."

EDELMAN