Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA6621
2006-12-08 14:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
how-toVZCZCXRO0399 OO RUEHDA DE RUEHAK #6621/01 3421449 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 081449Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0244 RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7642 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1762 RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1410 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5609 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5329 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1990 RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU RHMFIUU/USDOCO 6ATAF IZMIR TU RHMFIUU/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006621
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, DECEMBER 8, 2006
In Today's Papers
Turkey Makes Surprise Cyprus Proposal
All papers report Ankara told the Finnish EU presidency it would
open one port and one airport provisionally for a year to traffic
from Cyprus in exchange of the opening of Gazimagusa (Famagusta)
port and the Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus. Papers regard the
Turkish offer as a "surprise" move to avert a partial suspension of
its EU membership talks. Sabah regards the Turkish offer as a
"golden goal" scored one week prior to the summit of EU leaders.
Dailies also note that the proposal was welcomed by Turkish markets,
making the Turkish lira grow stronger against the dollar, and the
stock exchange index rise.
Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas downplayed the
proposal, saying "It's a premeditated attempt to impress, and it's a
mockery of the EU. It is devoid of any serious content." The Greek
Cypriot government said it would never consent to opening Ercan
airport to flights other than to Turkey. On Friday, international
wires report Lillikas told state radio "Nicosia will revert to a
harder line if some in the EU attempt to use the Turkish offer to
restrict the sanctions which should be imposed on Turkey for
non-compliance."
The European Commission, however, said the last-minute Turkish offer
appeared to be an "important move" and that the commission was
seeking further clarification and information on the issue. EU
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Finnish television, "If
Turkey's suggestion of opening one port has been made
unconditionally, it is a very important step toward Turkey
implementing the Ankara Protocol to the customs union," adding it
should be discussed at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on December
11. Britain applauded Ankara's initiative as "really significant,"
with a British official stressing "It is essential that the EU
responds." Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik renewed her
call for a freeze of accession negotiations with Ankara until 2008.
The main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said this was a "wrong
step" since it would amount to recognition of the Greek Cypriot
administration. Baykal said the government was trying to make
concessions before the forthcoming EU meetings. "We are not
informed about the bargaining because this decision was not
discussed at the parliament," Baykal said. Hurriyet reports the
Turkish General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit alluded to
the fact that the government had not asked the military's opinion
about the offer. "If we had been asked, we would have said the plan
was a deviation from the official state policy. This sudden move
has not been right," Buyukanit said, adding the problem should be
resolved on the UN platform.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard
Bot in his one-day working visit to the Netherlands, Turkish Cyprus
leader Mehmet Ali Talat qualified the Turkish proposal as a "new and
positive step."
Iraq Study Group Report Describes Turkey as 'Sunni Muslim Country'
Hurriyet and Cumhuriyet report that 'The Iraq Study Group "(ISG)
report, defining Turkey as a 'major Sunni Muslim country", implies
that the US Administration is leaning towards a Sunni block in the
Middle East against the Shiite block. Although, it was stressed in
the report that the violence in Iraq could not be stopped only by
the military measures, the US Administration was not asked to end
its policies in Iraq which supported religious and ethnic
separatism. Kirkuk is listed as a major trouble spot in the report,
which highlights that a referendum to determine Kirkuk's future
before the end of 2007 is a risk factor for the spread of violence
in the region.
Haluk Sahin commented in the liberal-intellectual Radikal: "While
ANKARA 00006621 002 OF 003
the ISG report is being debated, the Iraq issue seems like the bad
ending to a cowboy movie. Americans are not used to facing defeat,
but this time the defeat is very obvious. After all the human loses
and trillions of dollars spent, the US faces a lost war and
internationally weakened prestige. As for the ISG report, it
repeats the facts about Iraq which anyone sensible can see. The
situation in Iraq is critical and moves toward colossal chaos.
There is no magic formula for the Iraq problem and the best thing is
to pull out gradually and train the Iraqi forces at the same time.
Dialogue with Iran and Syria is the most debated issue in this
report but prominent figures of realpolitik, such as Henry Kissinger
say, why not. The situation for President Bush is exactly as an
American idiom goes, to be caught between a rock (Iraq) and a hard
place. He is trapped right there, and has no idea how to find a
way out."
Sami Kohen noted in the mainstream Milliyet: "The 142-page report
used strong words to depict the situation in Iraq - words like
'grave,' 'terrible' and 'horrifying.' The report is a statement of
defeat in Iraq for the US but also provides recommendations under 79
titles even though it admits the difficulty in adopting them. In
fact the main difficulty is President Bush himself. The report
makes the right analysis and provides the right approach, but the
question is whether or not President Bush will be able to accept
reality and act accordingly. The Baker-Hamilton report is the right
thing to consider. If the administration sets this report aside and
does not take it into account, the situation will be even more
'grave,' more 'terrible' and much more 'horrifying.'"
PM Erdogan's Middle East Diplomacy
Radikal reports that Turkey's efforts to mediate between Damascus
and Beirut, started giving fruitful results. Yesterday, PM Erdogan
briefed Lebanese PM Fuad Siniora over the phone, about his trip to
Damascus and his meeting with Syria's Assad. Siniora, after being
briefed by Erdogan, decided to send a representative of his country
to Turkey within 48 hours. Meanwhile, Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak,
NTV and others quote Department Spokesman Sean McCormack as saying
in response to a question on PM Erdogan's visits to Iran and Syria
that the visits are "normal for neighboring countries" and that the
"US appreciates Turkey's efforts for peace and stability in the
region."
US House Blocks Eximbank Funds for Railroad Project
Yeni Safak reports US House of Representatives blocked the US
Eximbank from providing funds for a railroad project which would
connect Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. New York Rep. Joseph
Crowley (D) a supporter of the Armenian lobby in the US, stressed
that the 258km-long railroad will not be supported because it
by-passed Armenia. Yeni Safak says it was no surprise that
pro-Armenian resolutions were seen following the Democratic takeover
of US Congress.
Sezer Vetoes "Cargill Bill"
Vatan and Cumhuriyet report President Sezer has vetoed a bill on
land protection which was criticized as "covert amnesty" for the US
food giant Cargill facilities operating in the Bursa province.
Sezer justified his veto by saying the bill would be a violation of
the equity principle by aiming at resolving problems of one or
several foreign companies' industrial facilities established on
farming land.
TV Highlights
NTV (6 a.m.)
Domestic News
- On Thursday night, skirmishes broke out between Turkish riot
police and a group of supporters of the leftist terrorist DHKP-C,
most of whom were wearing masks, in various districts in Istanbul.
Around 100 supporters of the organization set fire to two cars, set
ANKARA 00006621 003 OF 003
a fire in Gazi neighborhood, closed the street to traffic, and
chanted slogans.
- Istanbul prosecutor demands up to three-year prison sentences for
25 demonstrators who prayed in Hagia Sophia museum to protest the
visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey late last month.
- President Sezer has vetoed the appointment of Prime Ministry
Deputy Undersecretary Ruhi Ozbilgic as general director of the
state-owned TRT television.
- A Turkish military Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the eastern
province of Bingol when a remote controlled bomb was set off while
it was landing, killing one military technician on board and five
other soldiers.
International News
- White House Spokesman Tony Snow said the US will have no talks
with Iran unless Tehran suspends enrichment activities.
- The US Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Robert Gates as the 22nd
Secretary of Defense.
SIPDIS
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON
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, DECEMBER 8, 2006
In Today's Papers
Turkey Makes Surprise Cyprus Proposal
All papers report Ankara told the Finnish EU presidency it would
open one port and one airport provisionally for a year to traffic
from Cyprus in exchange of the opening of Gazimagusa (Famagusta)
port and the Ercan Airport in northern Cyprus. Papers regard the
Turkish offer as a "surprise" move to avert a partial suspension of
its EU membership talks. Sabah regards the Turkish offer as a
"golden goal" scored one week prior to the summit of EU leaders.
Dailies also note that the proposal was welcomed by Turkish markets,
making the Turkish lira grow stronger against the dollar, and the
stock exchange index rise.
Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas downplayed the
proposal, saying "It's a premeditated attempt to impress, and it's a
mockery of the EU. It is devoid of any serious content." The Greek
Cypriot government said it would never consent to opening Ercan
airport to flights other than to Turkey. On Friday, international
wires report Lillikas told state radio "Nicosia will revert to a
harder line if some in the EU attempt to use the Turkish offer to
restrict the sanctions which should be imposed on Turkey for
non-compliance."
The European Commission, however, said the last-minute Turkish offer
appeared to be an "important move" and that the commission was
seeking further clarification and information on the issue. EU
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Finnish television, "If
Turkey's suggestion of opening one port has been made
unconditionally, it is a very important step toward Turkey
implementing the Ankara Protocol to the customs union," adding it
should be discussed at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on December
11. Britain applauded Ankara's initiative as "really significant,"
with a British official stressing "It is essential that the EU
responds." Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik renewed her
call for a freeze of accession negotiations with Ankara until 2008.
The main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said this was a "wrong
step" since it would amount to recognition of the Greek Cypriot
administration. Baykal said the government was trying to make
concessions before the forthcoming EU meetings. "We are not
informed about the bargaining because this decision was not
discussed at the parliament," Baykal said. Hurriyet reports the
Turkish General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit alluded to
the fact that the government had not asked the military's opinion
about the offer. "If we had been asked, we would have said the plan
was a deviation from the official state policy. This sudden move
has not been right," Buyukanit said, adding the problem should be
resolved on the UN platform.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard
Bot in his one-day working visit to the Netherlands, Turkish Cyprus
leader Mehmet Ali Talat qualified the Turkish proposal as a "new and
positive step."
Iraq Study Group Report Describes Turkey as 'Sunni Muslim Country'
Hurriyet and Cumhuriyet report that 'The Iraq Study Group "(ISG)
report, defining Turkey as a 'major Sunni Muslim country", implies
that the US Administration is leaning towards a Sunni block in the
Middle East against the Shiite block. Although, it was stressed in
the report that the violence in Iraq could not be stopped only by
the military measures, the US Administration was not asked to end
its policies in Iraq which supported religious and ethnic
separatism. Kirkuk is listed as a major trouble spot in the report,
which highlights that a referendum to determine Kirkuk's future
before the end of 2007 is a risk factor for the spread of violence
in the region.
Haluk Sahin commented in the liberal-intellectual Radikal: "While
ANKARA 00006621 002 OF 003
the ISG report is being debated, the Iraq issue seems like the bad
ending to a cowboy movie. Americans are not used to facing defeat,
but this time the defeat is very obvious. After all the human loses
and trillions of dollars spent, the US faces a lost war and
internationally weakened prestige. As for the ISG report, it
repeats the facts about Iraq which anyone sensible can see. The
situation in Iraq is critical and moves toward colossal chaos.
There is no magic formula for the Iraq problem and the best thing is
to pull out gradually and train the Iraqi forces at the same time.
Dialogue with Iran and Syria is the most debated issue in this
report but prominent figures of realpolitik, such as Henry Kissinger
say, why not. The situation for President Bush is exactly as an
American idiom goes, to be caught between a rock (Iraq) and a hard
place. He is trapped right there, and has no idea how to find a
way out."
Sami Kohen noted in the mainstream Milliyet: "The 142-page report
used strong words to depict the situation in Iraq - words like
'grave,' 'terrible' and 'horrifying.' The report is a statement of
defeat in Iraq for the US but also provides recommendations under 79
titles even though it admits the difficulty in adopting them. In
fact the main difficulty is President Bush himself. The report
makes the right analysis and provides the right approach, but the
question is whether or not President Bush will be able to accept
reality and act accordingly. The Baker-Hamilton report is the right
thing to consider. If the administration sets this report aside and
does not take it into account, the situation will be even more
'grave,' more 'terrible' and much more 'horrifying.'"
PM Erdogan's Middle East Diplomacy
Radikal reports that Turkey's efforts to mediate between Damascus
and Beirut, started giving fruitful results. Yesterday, PM Erdogan
briefed Lebanese PM Fuad Siniora over the phone, about his trip to
Damascus and his meeting with Syria's Assad. Siniora, after being
briefed by Erdogan, decided to send a representative of his country
to Turkey within 48 hours. Meanwhile, Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak,
NTV and others quote Department Spokesman Sean McCormack as saying
in response to a question on PM Erdogan's visits to Iran and Syria
that the visits are "normal for neighboring countries" and that the
"US appreciates Turkey's efforts for peace and stability in the
region."
US House Blocks Eximbank Funds for Railroad Project
Yeni Safak reports US House of Representatives blocked the US
Eximbank from providing funds for a railroad project which would
connect Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. New York Rep. Joseph
Crowley (D) a supporter of the Armenian lobby in the US, stressed
that the 258km-long railroad will not be supported because it
by-passed Armenia. Yeni Safak says it was no surprise that
pro-Armenian resolutions were seen following the Democratic takeover
of US Congress.
Sezer Vetoes "Cargill Bill"
Vatan and Cumhuriyet report President Sezer has vetoed a bill on
land protection which was criticized as "covert amnesty" for the US
food giant Cargill facilities operating in the Bursa province.
Sezer justified his veto by saying the bill would be a violation of
the equity principle by aiming at resolving problems of one or
several foreign companies' industrial facilities established on
farming land.
TV Highlights
NTV (6 a.m.)
Domestic News
- On Thursday night, skirmishes broke out between Turkish riot
police and a group of supporters of the leftist terrorist DHKP-C,
most of whom were wearing masks, in various districts in Istanbul.
Around 100 supporters of the organization set fire to two cars, set
ANKARA 00006621 003 OF 003
a fire in Gazi neighborhood, closed the street to traffic, and
chanted slogans.
- Istanbul prosecutor demands up to three-year prison sentences for
25 demonstrators who prayed in Hagia Sophia museum to protest the
visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey late last month.
- President Sezer has vetoed the appointment of Prime Ministry
Deputy Undersecretary Ruhi Ozbilgic as general director of the
state-owned TRT television.
- A Turkish military Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the eastern
province of Bingol when a remote controlled bomb was set off while
it was landing, killing one military technician on board and five
other soldiers.
International News
- White House Spokesman Tony Snow said the US will have no talks
with Iran unless Tehran suspends enrichment activities.
- The US Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Robert Gates as the 22nd
Secretary of Defense.
SIPDIS
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON