ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006523 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, NOVEMBER 28, 2006 In Today's Papers Pope Benedict Pays Landmark Visit to Turkey All papers report Pope Benedict XVI, on his first visit to a Muslim country since becoming pontiff last year, will travel to Ankara on Tuesday amid tight security. Protests are expected by small groups of Islamists and hardline nationalists. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will hold a brief talk with the Pope at Ankara airport before leaving for a NATO summit in Riga. After his talks with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the religious affairs directorate Diyanet, the Pope will visit Ephesus near the Aegean port of Izmir where the Virgin Mary is believed to have lived. Benedict XVI will then move on to Istanbul for talks on Christian unity with Patriarch Bartholomew I. "The Pope is the head of the Catholic world and maintaining good ties between the Islamic and Catholic worlds is in everybody's interest. Disagreeing with somebody does not mean we are not hospitable to that person," said Professor Ali Bardakoglu, who heads Diyanet. Government spokesman Cemil Cicek said "We believe that this visit is an important opportunity to show to the entire world that Turkey is a country of tolerance and hospitality." "Benvenuto!" says Sabah, defining the pontiff's visit as "historic" at a time of rising strains between the West and the Islamic world. Sabah says in a positive tone the Pope will visit a mosque for the first time in Istanbul, will issue messages of religious brotherhood and will support Turkey's EU bid. Diplomatic sources said Benedict would tell Erdogan that he had dropped his former opposition to Turkey joining the EU, says Sabah. Cumhuriyet comments the visit will turn into a "rapprochement summit" with the Pope holding his most important talks with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew ¶I. Several papers report Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) officials intervened in a press filing center in Istanbul where Greek Orthodox Patriarchate members were handing out press registration cards reading "Papal Voyage to the Ecumenical Patriarchate," claiming the Patriarchate was not authorized to hand out press accreditations. A crisis was averted after talks with the MFA, and the Directorate General Press and Information Office at the Turkish Prime Ministry started registering the press members to follow the pontiff during the visit. Pope Benedict XVI will leave Turkey on Friday. Finland's Cyprus Plan Collapses, All papers report the EU term president Finland said on Monday that its Cyprus plan collapsed and there is no progress on the Turkish Penal Code's Article 301, which restricts free speech. EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn said accession talks with Turkey will not be stopped, but will mov more slowly after Ankara's failure to open its ports and airports to ships and planes from Cyprus. Prime Minister Erdogan said the failure of the Finnish initiative on Cyprus did not mean that efforts would slow down, stressing that Turkey fulfilled all its duties. Foreign Minister Gul said he does not think that the EU leaders will decide to freeze talks with Turkey. Gul noted that Turkey can open its ports to Greek Cypriot use, but the EU should implement its earlier decision to end the international isolation of Turkish Cyprus. A spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) told the press yesterday, "The failure of the Finnish proposals, despite our constructive attitude, should not affect our negotiations negatively." Erdogan May Meet Bush at NATO Riga Summit Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others report Prime Minister Erdogan is to participate on ANKARA 00006523 002 OF 003 Tuesday in a summit meeting of NATO in Riga. Afghanistan will be raised as the top issue at the summit which will also discuss developments in Iraq as well as the Alliance's operations in Kosovo, Darfur and the Mediterranean. Unidentified US officials told Zaman there was no planned talk between President Bush and Prime Minister Erdogan, but that the two leaders may meet at lunch or on the sidelines of the summit. Commenting on the NATO Summit, Ilter Turkmen warns in the mainstream Hurriyet that Turkey, as a non-EU member, stands to lose out if NATO is weakened: "NATO is not the only security actor in Europe. EU as well, developed a security and defense policy. The two organizations coordinate in their missions, but, from time to time, problems occur in this coordination. Some of the issues to be discussed at the Riga Summit relate closely to Turkey, for example missile defense. It is a potential threat for Turkey that Iran will not end its nuclear weapon project and continues to produce long range missiles. Therefore, I am sure, Turkey will support NATO's 'joint missile defense system' proposal wholeheartedly. The second issue that interests Turkey is energy. Establishment of a defense system for the energy infrastructure will be discussed at the summit as well. NATO is very important for Turkey from many angles. If NATO is unsuccessful in some of its missions, Turkey will be affected negatively more than any other European country as it is not an EU member. In order to help NATO maintain its strength, Turkey should not avoid some serious responsibilities, such as in Afghanistan." Writing in the Islamist-intellectual Zaman, Fikret Ertan observes that Afghanistan will be at the top of the NATO Summit agenda: "Two issues will determine the NATO Summit's agenda in Riga today. The first and most important issue is Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a very important country for global security, but one beyond NATO's mission limits and, yet, NATO officially took over the responsibilities in this country and got involved in fighting. The increasing death toll of the NATO Forces in Afghanistan forced some of the NATO members to bring some restrictions to their military forces and decide not to send them to war zones. As an example, Germany is refusing to move its troops from relatively safer North Afghanistan to the South. These caveats (limitations) and the shortage of forces and equipment, affects NATO's fighting force and ability negatively. This is why Afghanistan is going to be on the top of the agenda in Riga. One other important issue to be discussed at the summit is NATO's 'global mission.' Defenders of this mission stress that NATO is not a regional alliance any longer and it should be responsible for global military and security missions." Newsweek on Coup Chances in Turkey Zaman and Yeni Safak report on the Newsweek International op-ed by Zeyno Baran of the Hudson Institute in which Baran wrote, "The chances of a military coup in Turkey occurring in 2007 are roughly 50-50." Derya Sazak of Milliyet said this was not a realistic assessment and that Turkey today was not the Turkey of the 1980s. Asli Aydintasbas of Sabah said the Newsweek column reflected views of some individuals in Washington, and asked Prime Minister Erdogan to pay attention to the "changing winds" in Washington. Sabah editor-in-chief and columnist Fatih Altayli alleges that Baran is connected with a senior State Department Official, implying that Baran's views should be viewed in that context. Kursat Bumin of Yeni Safak criticized both Baran and Newsweek, saying, "Would a serious expert write such a thing?" Both papers quote Baran as claiming some important details had been lost after her article was abridged by Newsweek. "None of my military sources said they would try a takeover," Baran said, adding they were talking about a "postmodern military intervention." TV Highlights NTV, 6.00 A.M. ANKARA 00006523 003 OF 003 Domestic News - Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said the EU needs to suspend accession talks with Turkey. - Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called on the EU to be impartial while dealing with the Cyprus problem. Government spokesman Cemil Cicek said Cyprus is not a precondition for EU membership. - The Turkish government sent to IMF a letter of intent for approval. International News - Prime Minister Olmert offered peace concessions to Palestinians if they turn away from violence, saying they will be able to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in real peace talks with Israel. - President Jalal Talabani visits Iran to discuss Iraqi security. - The British Defense Secretary Des Browne said the number of British troops in Iraq may be reduced by thousands next year. - Jordan's King Abdullah warned that three civil wars might break out in the Middle East next year if the international community fails to intervene. - An Iranian military plane crashed at an airport in Tehran, killing at least 37 people. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON