ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001652

SIPDIS

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, MARCH 28, 2006

In Today's Papers

ATC Conference in Washington
All papers: Brent Scowcroft, Chairman of the American-
Turkish Council (ATC,) said at the 25th annual ATC
conference in Washington that both Turkey and the United
States must work hard to maintain their important
relationship. Ambassador Ross Wilson noted that Turkey is
the fastest growing economy in Europe, adding that the US is
among the countries that made the most foreign investment in
Turkey in 2005. Wilson praised the Turkish government's
implementation of its IMF program. He also said that Iraq
would move toward stability and prosperity with the
establishment of a new government, which would also help in
efforts to eliminate the PKK presence in the country.
Wilson noted that "Turkey's support will be key in ensuring
an international consensus" on Iran's nuclear program.
"Turkey called on Iran to cooperate with the International
Atomic Energy Agency, and that is important," he added.
Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy said that Turkey and the
United States have mutual interests in the spread of
democracy across the world. Turkish Union of Chambers
(TOBB) President Rifat Hisarciklioglu said the Erez
industrial zone formed by Israel, Palestine and Turkey would
contribute to the Israel-Palestinian peace process. EU
Parliamentarian Joost Langedijk (Holland) pointed to
potential problems in Turkey's relationship with the EU.
Lagendijk said that a mini-crisis over the Cyprus is likely
before this autumn, and noted that the pace of reforms in
Turkey has slowed in recent months.

Pace: High Level Talks Important in Reducing
Misunderstandings between Friends
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman, Yeni
Safak and others quote General Peter Pace, Chairman of the
US Joint Chiefs of Staff, as telling journalists en route to
the US from Turkey over the weekend that he tried "to
solidify the superb relationship" between Turkey and the US.
Pace pointed to the importance of high-level meetings "to
reduce misunderstandings between friends." "I looked them
in the eye and told them the truth," Pace said, adding that
ups and downs might be seen at times in relations with all
countries.

Erdogan in Sudan to Attend Arab League Summit
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan, Sabah, Cumhuriyet,Radikal, Yeni
Safak: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Sudan to
participate in the Arab League Summit meeting, told the
gathering yesterday that laws adopted in EU countries and
the US against Muslims had caused "fault lines" that
threaten social peace. Erdogan said that nations around the
world should cooperate against terrorism, and warned against
traps set by those who seek a clash of civilizations. He
encouraged intelligence sharing among countries in the
struggle against terrorism. Erdogan noted that cartoons of
the Prophet Muhammad had prompted a crisis, and that freedom
of speech should have limits. "Jesus and Moses are also our
prophets. We expect the same attitude toward Islam from the
followers of other faiths," Erdogan said. Erdogan also
criticized the 'trillions of dollars' spent for military
armament around the world. Vatan says that Erdogan's
planned visit to Darfur might be cancelled due to security
reasons.

Unity among Arab nations at the summit is a remote
possibility, writes a columnist from the conservative daily
Turkiye. In his column, Yilmaz Oztuna reminded about Arab
League summits held in the past and concluded: "History
tells us that unity among Arab countries is possible only on

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paper. Those nations do not have a sense of unity and
solidarity. As the Arab League Summit convenes in Sudan, we
shall see how much unity emerges. Turkey has been the only
country making efforts on Iraq. None of the Arab countries
has done anything significant on the Iraq issue. Iraq is
the main problem for discussion at the Arab League summit,
but frankly speaking, a productive reslt will be as elusive
today as it has been atthe League's first 17 summits."

Tensions betwen US-Shiites on Rise in Iraq
All papers: Tensions in Iraq increased after an American
raid on a mosque in Baghdad's Sadr district, which killed at
least 22. Following the raid, the Shiites asked the US to
hand over the security of Baghdad, and Governor al-Tahan
suspended cooperation with the Americans until an
independent investigation is completed. The Iraqi
government, al-Sadr's militia, and Prime Minister Jafari
accused US forces of 'massacring' people praying in the
mosque. A statement by the US military said the attack was
perpetrated by Iraqi security forces. Meanwhile, a suicide
attack against a US-Iraq military base in Mosul reportedly
killed 40, most of whom were Iraqis waiting at the base
entrance to be recruited.

President Bush Praises Turkey in a Letter to Ambassador
Sensoy
Hurriyet reports that President Bush, in a letter to
Turkey's new Ambassador in Washington, Nabi Sensoy,
expressed gratitude for Turkish efforts to convince Sunni
groups to join the democratic process in Iraq. Bush
expressed support for Turkey's EU membership bid, and
welcomed Turkish efforts to prevent a clash of
civilizations. Bush said that recent visits of the FBI and
CIA directors to Turkey show the importance attributed by
the US to cooperation with Turkey in the struggle against
terrorism. President Bush also thanked the Turkish people
for their assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.


"Democracy a La Carte is not an Option"
Sami Kohen observed in the mainstream Milliyet (3/28):
"Expanding democracy throughout the world has become a major
goal for the US and the western community. But what they
really want is to establish Western-style democracies with
pro-Western leaders. When those expectations are not
realized, democracy advocates find themselves in a quandary.
There are various examples of this, such as Afghanistan and
Palestine. Everyone is aware of the fact that once other
Arab nations like Egypt, Jordan and Syria transform to a
democratic system and go to free elections, all of them will
end up with religious fundamentalists as the winners.
Westerners should take a lesson from these developments and
understand better about these different socio-cultural
dynamics. They must also accept that their own democratic
models may not necessarily produce the same results
elsewhere. Working for the expansion of human rights and
freeoms in other countries also requires the willinness to
bear the consequences of democratic results. The fact is
that there is no such thing as democracy a la carte."


TV Highlights
NTV (8 a.m)

Domestic News
- The main opposition CHP hosted 30 spouses of ambassadors
in Ankara, including the US and Japan, for a discussion of
women's issues.


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- Secretary Rice sent a get-well message to Foreign Minister
Gul following his ear surgery. Rice also said she was
looking forward to meeting with FM Gul.

International News
- Polls show Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's Kadima Party
far ahead of its competitors. Observers expect Kadima to
win one-third of the seats in the Knesset today.

- A suicide bomb attack against a US-Iraq base in Mosul
killed over 30 people, mostly Iraqis.

- Prime Minister Blair has pledged to keep British troops in
Iraq and Afghanistan until the two countries are stabilized.

- Preliminary results indicate that Ukrainian President
Viktor Yushchenko has lost to rival Yulia Tymoshenko and the
pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych in Ukrainian
parliamentary elections held on Sunday.

- Greek Cypriot President Papadopoulos said he is ready to
meet Turkish Cypriot 'President' Talat to discuss the fate
of people who went missing following Turkey's occupation of
the northern part of the island in 1974.

Economy News
- The State Statistics Institute reported that Turkey's
jobless rate rose to 11.2 percent (21,332 million) in the
November-January period, compared with 10.6 percent reported
for the last three months of 2005. Despite sound economic
growth, targeted at 5 percent for this year, unemployment --
at 10.3 percent for the whole of 2005 -- has remained a weak
spot as large numbers of young people enter the labor
market.

- The Fitch Credit Rating Agency said that IMF warnings and
ambiguity over the appointment of a new Central Bank
governor have delayed positive developments on Turkey's
international credit rating.


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MCELDOWNEY