ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003164

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
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2006


In Today's Papers


Turkey Sends Support Messages to Iraqi Government
Sabah, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others:
Turkey's Special Representative to Iraq Oguz Celikkol met in
Baghdad with the Iraqi Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
to convey messages of support from Prime Minister Erdogan
and Foreign Minister Gul. Celikkol told the Iraqi leaders
that since a new government has been formed, Iraq is
expected to take steps to combat the PKK. He also said
Turkey would not remain indifferent to developments in
Kirkuk, and the three-party mechanism must be revived
against the PKK. He also requested the banning of Iraqi
political parties close to the PKK. Yeni Safak says
Celikkol has invited Foreign Minister Jabari to Turkey, but
Ankara believes it is too early to issue an official
invitation for President Talabani to visit Turkey. Turkish
sources told the press Celikkol used an American military
plane to travel to Baghdad for security reasons.

Commenting in the conservative-nationalist daily Turkiye,
Nuri Elibol suggests that the PKK will be a tool for the US
against Iran and other regimes in the region: "For many
years Turkey has been trying to get a green light from the
US to eradicate the PKK in Iraq. But because the US plans
to use the PKK against Iran, Syria and possibility even
Turkey, the US doesn't want to take any action against them.
Before the US launches an operation against Syria or Iran,
all kind of advance actions, including acts of sabotage,
will be launched by the PKK. Then the US will launch the
main operation while these countries are in a state of
shock. Therefore, the US considers the PKK to be an
important subcontractor in a possible operation against
Iran."

Turkish-Armenian "Secret" Talks
Cumhuriyet says that secret meetings between Turkey and
Armenia took place during a visit of Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul to Vienna in March for the EU Troika meeting.
Turkey proposed forming two committees to handle
disagreements, and wants the genocide claims to be discussed
by historians. Yerevan rejected the proposal, but is
positive about launching political discussions with Ankara.

Lawsuit against Baydemir for Transporting Dead Terrorist
All papers report the Chief Prosecutor's Office has filed a
lawsuit against Mayor Osman Baydemir of Diyarbakir for
sending a municipal ambulance to transport the body of a PKK
terrorist killed in a clash with Turkish security forces
during the social unrest in the mainly Kurdish southeastern
city in late March. The prosecutor demanded a jail term up
to one year for Baydemir and three other municipal personnel
for "improper use of public vehicles under Turkey's
transportation laws." Baydemir said his municipality
considered such requests a humanitarian duty, and that they
do not investigate the identity of the deceased at such
occasions.

Annan Pessimistic on Current Conditions in Cyprus
All papers: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a
letter to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat that the
existing conditions in Cyprus do not allow the reactivation
of the UN goodwill mission in the divided island. The
Turkish Cypriot "President" said despite the fact that Annan
said that conditions prevented the resuming of the UN-backed
efforts, the UNSYG ordered his assistant for political
matters, Ibrahim Gambari, to visit the island soon to see
the situation.

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Greek, Turkish Ships Avoid Row near Aegean Islet
All papers report a Turkish navy ship left a disputed area
in the Aegean Sea following the arrival of the Greek Coast
Guard to help a Greek fishing boat that had been ordered by
the Turkish ship to leave the area near an uninhabited
islet, Kardak (known to Greeks as Imia,) in the eastern
Aegean. The two countries almost clashed in 1996 over that
same islet. The incident off Kardak came days after fighter
jets from the two nations collided over the Aegean Sea.

CODEL Blunt Discusses Iran with Prime Minister Erdogan
Sabah, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others report US members of the
Congressional Delegation headed by Congressman Roy Blunt
urged Prime Minister Erdogan to take both a personal and
official interest with regard to Iran's nuclear capabilities
during a meeting in Ankara on Tuesday. Erdogan told the
delegation the US should not ignore Iran's call for
negotiations, stressing Turkey favored a fair solution to
the crisis. Erdogan and the US delegation also discussed
Cyprus, relations between Israel and Palestine, Iraq and the
so-called Armenian genocide.

Commentary on Iran
Sami Uslu writing in the Islamist-oriented daily Zaman warns
Iran that that it shouldn't rely on others for help:
"Evaluating Iranian President Ahmedinejad's remarks, one can
see clearly that he is relying on some people or something.
But, Saddam Hussein used to rely on some people too. Once
upon a time, Libyan leader Kaddafi trusted the Soviet Union
and threatened the US. But, when the US planes were bombing
Libya, Russian technicians in Libya to use antiaircraft
weapons, couldn't even stick their heads out of their tents.
Another example is Vietnam: with support from Russia,
Vietnam once threatened China but China retaliated severely
with tanks and rockets. The Ottoman Empire also lost most of
its land during World War 1 because it stood together with
the Germans. It is obvious that Ahmedinejad is relying on
Russia, China and Europe and that he believes that they will
balance the US. I am afraid the result of this calculation
will be disappointment. Any steps taken in the
international arena without relying solely on your own power
create irreparable results."


TV Highlights
NTV (7 a.m.)

Domestic News

- Prime Minister Erdogan told his party group Turkey's
credibility had increased globally with exports rising from
36 billion USD to 73.4 billion as of end-2005, thanks to his
government's efforts to promote Turkish interests around the
world. Erdogan said he would visit Croatia on June 12,
Macedonia on June 13-14, and Strasbourg on June 28.

- King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, in Turkey as the official
guest of President Sezer, visited the Turkish parliament on
Tuesday. Swedish businessmen accompany their King to
Turkey, looking for new investment opportunities in the
country.

- Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Seer said Turkey will
give Turkish Cyprus a loan of 135 million USD.

- The leader of Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP, Ahmet Turk,
called for a sweeping amnesty for members of the PKK,
including their imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, at a
meeting in the northern Iraqi city of Suleymaniye.

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- Two Turkish soldiers and two PKK terrorists were killed in
a clash in Cudi mountain in the southeastern Sirnak province
on Turkey's borders with Iraq and Syria.

- Turkey's parliament is set to approve a controversial
social security reform bill a second time this week,
overriding President Sezer's veto of the IMF-backed reform
earlier this month, saying it cut already-low pensions and
set the retirement age at 65 in a country where the life
expectancy is 66. The main opposition CHP left the
parliamentary discussions on the bill. Hundreds of retired
people and public servants clashed with riot police in
Ankara during protests against the bill yesterday.

International News

- The EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said if Tehran
rejects a prospective package of incentives in exchange of
halting uranium enrichment, it would be a clear indication
that Iran was working to produce nuclear weapons.

- A bomb targeting Greek Culture Minister George Voulgarakis
went off near his home in Athens, causing material damage in
the neighborhood but no injuries.

- The EU's highest court ruled that it was unlawful to order
European airlines to pass on to the US government
information about transatlantic AIR travelers.

- The European Union has put the Sri Lankan Tamil rebels on
its list of terrorist organizations.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON