ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005247 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, SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 In Today's Papers 9/11 Anniversary On the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks Sabah reports that over the weekend, President Bush, preparing for the upcoming Congressional elections in November, visited Ground Zero in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania to mark the fifth anniversary of September 11 - while Osama bin Laden remains at large. Milliyet and Yeni Safak report more than 62,000 have died in the war against terrorism, including 50,000 civilians killed in Iraq. Yeni Safak says 9/11 was been the "greatest political earthquake" the US has ever seen, and that who actually perpetrated the attacks was still being debated. Hurriyet reports 70 percent of the 40,000 Americans working among the rubble on Ground Zero have been diagnosed with lung cancer. The paper quotes Senate Intelligence Committee member John Rockefeller as slamming President Bush for "fooling the American people," and that the war with Iraq liquidated the funds that were meant for the struggle against global terrorism. Radikal reports the USD 440 billion cost of the Iraq war could have saved all destitute people around the world. Zaman quotes some European academics and journalists as claiming that President Bush has exploited the 9/11 attacks both at home and abroad, originating extremely dangerous terms such as "Islamofascism." Editorial Commentary: Fifth Anniversary of the September 11 Attacks Ferai Tinc commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet: "When the twin towers attack occurred five years ago, the entire world took the side of the US and declared war on terrorism. While Afghanistan used to be one of the successful fronts in the fight against terrorism, the situation today has not improved because of the Iraq war. Today even supporters of the Iraq war admit that it was a mistake. On the fifth anniversary of 9/11 we see a change in the war on terrorism concept. The war on terrorism has now turned into a right to declare war against people with different values. For instance, Israel bombed Lebanon as kind of a stand-in for its main target Hezbollah, and the Bush administration considered this act legitimate." Commenting in Islamist-opinion maker Yeni Safak, Yasin Aktay writes: "After the attacks on 9/11, President Bush was wondering why there is hate against the US. But in these past five years he has managed to globalize anti-American sentiment. The mistakes as well as irrational measures led to the worst American image throughout the world. The US plans are not working out around the world -- in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in the Middle East. The Broader Middle East project has proven to be a raw dream. And the pre-emptive strike doctrine established by the US administration has opened the door to a more dangerous world." Erdal Safak observes in the mass appeal Sabah: "When the 9/11 attacks occurred the international press had a consensus on the interpretation. There were two main leads: 'we all are Americans' and 'nothing will ever be the same.' Thanks to the Bush administration, 'we are all Americans' -- which used to be a symbol of global solidarity -- is now considered an insult. The Bush administration manipulated the 'war on terrorism' concept to use as a pretext for its global hegemony. The administration promised widespread democracy in the world while the reality has become nothing but chaos. As for the second lead of September 11 five years ago, after five years nothing really is the same. Everything has changed for the worse, and in a very unprecedented way. The norms of security have completely changed and worst of all there is a tendency to ignore everything if it is happening in the name of the fight against terrorism." Erdogan Reiterates Turkish Participation in UNIFIL All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan said over the weekend that Turkey would not turn down a hand seeking help, referring to the call from Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora for Turkish participation in UNIFIL. "Turkey has an important mission to fulfill, helping the ANKARA 00005247 002 OF 003 people in the Middle East, Balkans, and Africa," said Erdogan, underlining that Turkey cannot remain indifferent to regional and global developments. Controversial Sect Allegedly Enjoys State Protection Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others continue criticism of the ruling AK Party after no one was detained in connection with the killing of a religious sect figure by a man who was subsequently lynched, asking if the "Ismailaga" sect has some form of immunity from investigation. The community has reportedly extorted money even from the Mafia in the middle of Turkey's largest city Istanbul. Mainstream papers believe the leader of the sect, Mahmut Ustaosmanoglu, known as Mahmut Hodja, had formed "an armed gang," and that his sect had strong connections in the police, bureaucracy and government. Turkish Security Panel in Washington Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and others: Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) director-general for security affairs, Hayati Guven, told a counterterrorism panel held by the Turkish Institute for Police Studies in Washington that 91 members of Turkish security forces had been killed in fighting with the PKK in the first seven months of the year. Guven said some 3,000 PKK fighters were based in northern Iraq and about 2,000 of them operated in Turkey. Guven criticized the EU's failure to take on the PKK, calling on European countries to cooperate with Ankara against the terrorist organization. TV News: (NTV, 7.00 A.M.) Domestic News - State Minister for economy, Kursad Tuzmen, leads a 100-member delegation of Turkish businessmen to the US from September 10-16. Tuzmen said Turkey wanted to increase trade with the US from the existing USD 5 billion to 15 billion over the course of the next three years. - Turkish police detained two PKK as well as four al-Qaeda members preparing for bomb attacks in Istanbul. - The Turkish cabinet is to convene on Monday to discuss the latest on the deployment of Turkish peacekeepers in south Lebanon. - The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Political Affairs Committee is to hold a meeting in the southeastern city of Gaziantep with participation of 60 lawmakers from 46 countries on September 11-12. - On September 12, Turkish Airlines (THY) will resume flights to Beirut's Rafiq Hariri International Airport which was closed to international air traffic on July 14. - The main opposition party CHP holds celebrations to mark its 83rd anniversary. International News - Palestinian President Abbas said he was ready to meet Israeli Prime Minister Olmert as soon as possible to resume peace negotiations. - President Bush said he believes dividing Iraq into Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni regions with a central government in Baghdad would be a mistake. - NATO said it killed almost 100 Taliban fighters in its largest offensive against terrorists in Afghanistan. ANKARA 00005247 003 OF 003 - Iran's nuclear negotiator Larijani and EU's Solana said progress had been made during talks on Iran's nuclear program and they would meet again next week. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON