ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002381 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 MONDAY, MAY 1, 2006 In Today's Papers Claims of Action Against the PKK in Northern Iraq All papers report Iraq charges that Iran went five km inside the Iraqi border and bombed the PKK camps near Erbil in the north of the country. The Turkish military has completed its troop buildup of the last two months on Turkey's borders with Iran and Iraq in an effort to prevent the PKK terrorists from crossing the border, and to maintain the security of its border area if the United States intervenes in Iran. Papers claim Turkish special forces will attack Mount Kandil, known to be the headquarters of the PKK. Papers also report that Newsweek quotes an unidentified US official telling the northern Iraqi Kurds to do something against the PKK before Turkey takes action. Turkey, Russia Believe US is "Not Needed" in Black Sea Sabah, Vatan, Yeni Safak and others: Turkey and Russia have again expressed opposition to the expansion of the mandate of the NATO Operation Active Endeavor fleet as a way to cover the Black Sea. The Russian Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Masorin said Russia strongly opposed large-scale exercises and the permanent presence of third country fleets in the Black Sea. "Russian and Turkish navies are to kick off joint missions in the Black Sea after an exchange of letters between the two governments," Masorin said. German Marshall Fund's Brussels Summit Hurriyet and Milliyet report that Senator John McCain, Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried, and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke were among the participants in the German Marshall Fund-sponsored Brussels Summit meeting, "Transatlantic Challenges in the Era of Globalization," over the weekend. The three Americans noted the significance of Turkey for the West, calling on the EU to admit Turkey as a full member. A/S Fried objected to Holbrooke's classification of Turkey as being among the five global crises regions, saying that Turkey has "deepened" its democracy over the last 25 years, and that the ruling AK Party has become a part of this process. Fried reportedly said the visit of Secretary Rice to Ankara last month was "the best meeting in the recent years." "We share similar views with Turkey with regard to the issues of energy and the Middle East. As with our ties with several European countries, we had disagreements with �0A;Turkey over Iraq. However, we are now pursuing the same goal as Turkey on Iraq," Fried said. Commenting in mainstream Sabah on the meeting, Erdal Safak noted that NATO is going through a "process of redefining its mission concept," renewing its operational plans and areas of operation and that in essence, the US is "reshaping NATO according to its own strategic vision." Safak explains that along with the war on terror, the US strategic vision includes "other asymmetrical threats in new potential conflict areas," claiming that it is not "very difficult to name the potential nominees for an enemy list: Russia, India and, more importantly, China." Also commenting on the meeting Hasan Cemal concludes in mainstream Milliyet that "Turkey's stock is rising significantly again." Cemal notes that "the constantly growing Iran crisis is causing Washington to treat Turkey in a special manner" and that American panelists John McCain and Richard Holbrooke were not only making remarks valuing Turkey but they were also "giving a clear message to the Europeans: Turkey should not be lost." Erdogan to Meet Ahmadinejad; Larijani Vatan, Aksam, Zaman and others: The Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) has confirmed that on May 5, Prime Minister ANKARA 00002381 002 OF 002 Erdogan is to meet with the Iranian President Ahmadinejad at the annual Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit talks in Baku. Erdogan is expected to remind Ahmadinejad that Iran, a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) must be more transparent in meeting the expectations of the international community with regard to Tehran's nuclear program. Prior to the talks in Baku, Erdogan will attend the Southeastern Europe Cooperation Summit of the heads of state and government in Thessalonica, Greece, on May 4, when Greece will hand over the presidency to Croatia. In addition, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani is expected to visit Turkey in the third week of May. Gul Rejects a Report in Dubai Daily Vatan reports on its front page Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul rejected the statements attributed to him in the Dubai- based al-Bayan daily, saying that the report was fabricated, and that he had not spoken to any Arab newspaper in the last eight months. Al-Bayan claimed that Gul said in an exclusive interview that in November, the Republicans would lose the midterm elections in the US, making Washington less likely to attack Iran, and that Secretary Rice had offered to build nuclear power plants in Turkey in exchange for access to Incirlik Airbase during military operations against Iran. When that access was refused, Rice supposedly asked for a new air base in Van. Turkish Cyprus Holds Census Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others: Turkish Cyprus held a census on Sunday to which representatives of the foreign missions in Cyprus as well as UN Security Council, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe observers were invited. Unofficial results of the census will be announced in three days. The latest census was held in Turkish Cyprus on December 1996 in which the population of "TRNC" was announced as 200,587. TV News (NTV, 8.00 a.m.) Domestic News - Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP co-chairperson Aysel Tugluk said Turkey's new anti-terror bill discussed in the parliament had been turned into an anti-Kurdish bill. International News - Iraqi President Talabani said his office and the US officials held meetings with seven Iraqi insurgent groups in an effort to work out a settlement in the war-ravaged country. - The Arab League has sent an emergency donation of USD 150,000 to the Palestinian Authority to help medical care efforts. The Syrian government has launched a public fundraising campaign for the Palestinians. - The Lebanon-based Shiite Hizbullah organization said in a statement President Bush and his staff should be put on the global terror list. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON