ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006276 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 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2006 In Today's Papers Buyukanit Visits Greece All papers comment that the warm reception given to visiting Turkish General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit in Greece was an extension of the positive ties established between the Turkish and Greek politicians. General Buyukanit, in Athens as the official guest of his Greek counterpart Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis, said yesterday after meeting with the Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Meymarakis that his talks had been "very positive." "The problems between the two countries should be discussed. This is not a sign of weakness but self-confidence. The peoples of the two countries keep a close eye on us. We need friendship, not enmity," Buyukanit emphasized. He said the struggle against illegal migration was also discussed, adding that he proposed closer cooperation to Greek officials on this "human tragedy" posing a significant threat to Europe. Responding to a question, Buyukanit said debates based on race and ethnicity were a "disgrace" for Turkey in the 21st century. Papers also report that the Turkish and Greek delegations agreed at talks yesterday on "a regulation of confidence-building measures" to be submitted to the foreign ministries in both countries, in an effort to reduce the strains in the Aegean. Finnish Attempt to Hold a Cyprus Summit Fails Hurriyet, MIlliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the EU term president Finland announced it had given up plans for holding a summit meeting with Turkey and the Greek and Turkish Cypriots on November 5-6 in Helsinki, just ahead of a crucial EU progress report on Turkey to be released November 8. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on his return from Moscow yesterday that he believed the parties did not want to participate in the talks. "Turkey has supported the Finnish efforts from the very beginning. We will be glad if the EU assists the efforts for a solution, but the problem should be dealt with through the UN," Gul maintained. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan told his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen that Gul would not take part in a meeting not attended by Greece. "So far there have only been rumors about the Finnish plan," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey needed to see a blueprint before announcing its views about the proposal. Meanwhile, papers quote Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis as saying, "The paradoxical politics of the non-recognition of one EU member state by another candidate state cannot continue forever." Greek Cypriots Want 'Education Blockade' on Turkish Cyprus Radikal reports the Greek Cypriots have launched lobbying efforts against San Diego State University for sending its 26 students and four fellows to the East Mediterranean University in Turkish Cyprus for a six-week program. Lashing out at San Diego State University for cooperating with an "illegal" school, the Greek Cypriots are expected to apply to international courts in an effort to put an "education blockade" to prevent Turkish Cyprus universities carrying out exchange programs with other universities. The Rector of the East Mediterranean University, Professor Halil Guven said the Greek Cypriot campaign was "disgraceful". Paper: Iraqi PM to Visit Turkey November 12 Cumhuriyet speculates that the actual reaon behind the cancellation of a visit by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to Turkey earlier in October was not the excuse offered at the time -- a "sandstorm at the Baghdad Airport" - but that the Kurds and Americans believed that al-Maliki would make pledges during his talks with the Turks. Concerned that Turkey might demand the right of hot pursuit of the PKK terrorists, US Ambassador Khalilzad asked al-Maliki to put off his visit to Turkey. After giving guarantees that he would make no commitments for cross-border incursions without the consent of the Kurdish groups and the US, the Iraqi PM, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zabari and the Iraqi anti-PKK envoy Shirvan al-Wailily, is expected to visit Turkey on November 12-13. ANKARA 00006276 002 OF 003 Editorial Commentary on US Midterm Elections and Iraq Haluk Ulman, commenting in the economic-political daily Dunya, notes that the situation in Iraq is at the center of the US mid-term election campaigns: "The upcoming US Congressional election has become the most debated topic in America, with Iraq at the center of the discussion. The fate of Iraq and whether or not the US will be able to make up for its Iraq failure is going to be the major thing shaping the decision of the voters. Unlike the 2004 presidential elections, when nobody questioned Bush's policy for Iraq and supported the war against terrorism, Washington's Iraq policy and the growing terrorist incidents there have become the main concern of the voters. It is also interesting that the Bush administration managed to hide the facts about Iraq from the very beginning by manipulating the media and through the war-mongering lobbies. There was always a rosy picture presented to the American public about Iraq. In the end, the failure in Iraq reached such a colossal level it was impossible to hide anything anymore." YIMPAS Irregularities Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal and others: Today's papers report that PM Erdogan, FM Gul, Deputy PM Abdullatif Sener and Mehmet Ali Sahin have all come out to criticize parties trying to link Yimpas -- an Islamic-oriented company whose funds allegedly ended up in the bank accounts of private individuals -- with the AKP government. Radikal and other papers quoted FM Gul as saying, "Just because we were at the same funeral with the Yimpas chairman Dursun Uyar does not mean we are linked to them. There are judges and prosecutors in Turkey and they need to do what's necessary. I don't have the power to declare a person innocent or guilty. Yet, some people are implying that we are protecting these individuals." Milliyet reports that Dogan Cansizlar, head of the Capital Markets Board (SPK),said that in December 2003, SPK had prepared a draft, holding officials of Islamic companies personally responsible for the funds collected from shareholders. The government however has declined to undertake any moves to put the draft into effect. Cansizlar added that SPK had filed 17 cases against Yimpas Holding and its president Dursun Uyar. Six of the complaints have dropped from agenda in line with an amnesty passed by the government and others have been dismissed under a statue of limitations. Poll: One-Third of Youngsters Want Reforms in Religion Sabah carries a survey which shows that even seven percent of youngsters who describe themselves as "very pious" regularly drink alcoholic beverages whereas 79.3 percent of the same group said they drink occasionally. More than half of the youngsters, 54.2 percent, want religious classes in schools to be compulsory whereas 41.4 percent disagree. One third, 31 percent, of the youngsters think religions could be reformed according to the requirements of modern times, with 42.1 percent saying religions should not undergo changes at all. The survey was commissioned by Sabah and TNS-Piar polling company. TV Highlights NTV (8 a.m.) Domestic News - Eleven people were killed in the southeastern province of Batman following the torrential floods on Wednesday evening after 17 were killed in floods in the neighboring Diyarbakir province in the last two days. The death toll rose to 34 with another person missing in the Mediterranean city of Mersin. - On Thursday, a man fired a gun in front of the Italian Consulate in Istanbul to protest against Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey later this month. The 26-year-old Ibrahim Ak said after he was detained, "I did what every Muslim has do to. The Pope will not come to Turkey, but if he does he will see what will happen to him." ANKARA 00006276 003 OF 003 - Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the "honor killing" of a pregnant girl by her brother in the eastern city of Van. - The Ankara Prosecutor's Office has rejected a request for the closure of the gay association "Pink Life," saying such a move would amount to a violation of human rights. International News - Ten Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed yesterday in the heaviest fighting in Gaza since Israel pulled back last year. - Hamas demands that Israel release some 400 Palestinian women and minors if it wanted the release of the abducted Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit. - The US military said American forces killed an al-Qaeda chieftain in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi by destroying his car with a laser guided bomb. - President Bush said he wants Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney to remain in his administration until the end of his term in the White House. - Iran has awarded a Moroccan artist the top prize in an exhibition of cartoons on the Holocaust, meant to be a response to the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked rage among Muslims around the world. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON