ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006642 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, DECEMBER 12, 2006 In Today's Papers EU States Agree to Partially Freeze Turkey Talks All papers report the European Union put the brakes on Turkey's accession drive after the foreign ministers of the EU decided Monday to put 8 of 35 negotiation chapters on hold, in line with the November 29 recommendation of the EU Commission, for failing to respect its trade obligations to Cyprus. Discussions on the frozen chapters will continue but will not be concluded until Ankara complies with its customs union obligations. Key to the deal was a revision proposal from the EU term president Finland under which the European Commission would constantly monitor Turkey's progress on normalizing trade ties with Cyprus. Radikal reports that the Finnish EU term presidency released a declaration, calling for a Cyprus settlement under the UN umbrella. The call was not added to the statement of EU foreign ministers as a result of the fierce opposition of Greece and south Cyprus, Radikal notes. At the meeting EU officials merely agreed to discuss ending the isolation of Turkish Cyprus in January. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the decision "sends a signal to Turkey that failure to meet legal obligations cannot remain without consequences but it enables progress in talks." The EU needs a democratic and stable Turkey, Rehn emphasized, calling Turkey "an anchor of stability in the most unstable region of the world and a benchmark of democracy in the Middle East and the Muslim world." Milliyet and Cumhuriyet say Ankara was disappointed with yesterday's EU decision. Turkish officials have been disturbed by the fact that Turkey's harbor offer was not discussed at all by EU foreign ministers, Cumhuriyet notes. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned that a derailing of Turkey's EU drive would harm the interests of EU countries. "I cannot help wonder whether Europe is really aware of the consequences of not sustaining the accession process at a time when a modern and prosperous Turkey is becoming increasingly relevant to the well-being of the European Union and beyond," Gul wrote in the International Herald Tribune. Despite the partial suspension, Sabah and Zaman are optimistic that Turkey's EU accession drive continues. Radikal believes that EU officials have shrugged off Ankara's offer for opening Turkish ports to Greek Cyprus, whereas the pro-government Yeni Safak writes the EU foreign ministers have agreed to end the isolation of Turkish Cyprus and rejected proposals for freezing 17 negotiating chapters as well as fixing a deadline for Turkey. Milliyet and Cumhuriyet disagree, saying the decision adopted by EU foreign ministers contained dates and that 2009 was seen as a "covert timetable" since the European Commission has decided to monitor Ankara's progress on opening ports to Cyprus in 2007, 2008 and 2009 "as appropriate." Editorial Commentary on EU's Partial Freeze of Turkey Talks Mainstream Milliyet carries this front-page op-ed: "The Greater Europe project has achieved its goals in many ways, including the successful creation of a European "super-identity" which paved the way to ending the conflicts in the continent. The circumstances calling for European integration in the aftermath of the World War II are pretty much still valid only in a different context. In today's world, the conflict potential lays between the West and the Islamic world. There is a bridge needed between the worlds in order to soften the conflict. Thus, the final EU decision on Turkey's full membership will shape the nature of the relationship and contact between the West and the Islamic worlds. The EU has to decide on whether it will be living in a glass menagerie or will be a global player in the 21st century. When World War II ended, there were political leaders with vision, such as Adenauer and de Gaulle. The upcoming Brussels summit will be an important test to indicate whether the EU has leadership with vision or not." ANKARA 00006642 002 OF 003 Commenting in the liberal-intellectual Radikal, Gunduz Aktan comments: "The Western Bloc defeated the Soviet system without a war. And in the course of that struggle the Communist ideology lost its validity (for the time being),making way for democracies. This time too the West is preaching the democratization of the Muslim countries to win the fight against 'terrorism in the name of Islam.' In this context, from the strategic angle, the Anglo-Saxons greatly value Turkey's potential to be a role model. Before he became pope, Cardinal Ratzinger said that Turkey was Europe's historical rival and that Turkey's place was not in Europe. Before Sarkozy and Merkel, many other politicians (such as Delors, D'Estaing and Kohl) expressed similar views, clearly articulating the religious/cultural differences. This is due partly to the fact that Turkey has not yet completed its modernization process. The West describes the Turkish AKP government as 'moderate Islam' but still fears that it could slide towards radical Islam. The West knows that the Turkish army would effectively defend Turkey's secularism but still it thinks that this situation is not democratic. So, the West believes that in its present state, Turkey neither constitutes a perfect model for other Muslim countries nor seems ready for EU membership. This dilemma could have been avoided if the EU had displayed real political will in favor of Turkish membership in order to help Turkey achieve socioeconomic development and further democratization. Yet, on "petty" pretexts (by citing the Cyprus issue, for example),the EU avoids doing so. However we are aware that it is because of 'prejudices' that continental Europe is not admitting Turkey into its ranks. In reality, 'prejudice' is a euphemism for anti-Semitism or other forms of racism. The problem is that keeping Turkey outside the EU will not help eliminate racism in Europe. As history shows, getting bogged down ever more deeply in the quicksand of its own prejudices, Europe will, in order to justify its stance, make claims to the effect that the Muslims (whom it is demonizing as it once did the Jews) are not compatible with its high level of civilization, that they are uncivilized, undemocratic even a-historical, thus making them its dangerous 'other.' This process will simply transform today's manageable problem into something catastrophic." Defense Industry Committee Gathers for Last Word on Helicopter Tender Yeni Safak reports that the Defense Industry Executive Committee is expected to give its final word today on a controversial military tender. The Committee which is made up of Prime Minister Erdogan, Chief of General Staff General Buyukanit and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, is expected to give its final decision on the tactical and reconnaissance Attack Helicopter Project (ATAK). The tender process actually commenced 10 years ago to enhance the capability of the Land Forces Command in the fight against terrorism, but was cancelled two years ago as American firm Bell Textron, which was later excluded from the process, declined to give information on production technologies, especially on computers reserved for specific use. Today, the committee will either cancel the tender for good or will give it to either South African firm Denel or Italian firm Agusta. Timetable for Countering PKK Milliyet reports that Turkish and US envoys for countering the PKK, retired General Edip Baser and his American counterpart retired general Joseph Ralston met in Germany yesterday and agreed on a timetable for countering the PKK terrorist organization. Within this framework, the US is expected to prepare a special timetable to call on PKK militants to surrender, to freeze PKK activities in Iraq and other countries, to cut the financial sources of PKK and to capture top level PKK terrorists and hand them over to Turkey. Survey: Izmir Most Transparent in Responding to Inquiries Radikal, Milliyet and Zaman report that a TESEV, Turkey's economic and social studies foundation, field survey regarding the 2004-adopted Law on Citizens' Access to Official Information shows ANKARA 00006642 003 OF 003 that Izmir province leads with 91.7 percent of "full and timely" responses to inquiries coming from citizens, with Adana being the least reposnsive with 38.9 percent. Ankara ranks sixth with 52.1 percent and Istanbul the eight with 43.1. For the survey, the TESEV pollsters looked at education, health, environment, social services, and police directorates in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Malatya, Samsun, Konya, Adana, Sanliurfa, and Van. The results show neither citizens, not public servants have sufficient information concerning the law and its enforcement. TV Highlights NTV, 6.00 A.M. Domestic News - In the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, a military housing facility collapsed after an explosion said to have been caused by a malfunctioning boiler, killing seven people including four children, injuring another eight. The deputy chief of Turkish General Staff (TGS) General Ilker Basbug went to the city. The Diyarbakir prosecutor has launched an investigation into the incident to see whether the blast was an accident or act of sabotage. - Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc paid a courtesy call on General Yasar Buyukanit after the Chief of the Turkish General Staff assumed post in late August. - Prime Minister Erdogan, the Turkish General Staff Chief Buyukanit, and Defense Minister Gonul will participate Tuesday in the Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting to discuss defense and military supply projects. - Energy Minister Hilmi Guler will travel to Israel on December 13 to discuss a pipeline project for the transportation of oil, natural gas, electricity and water to Israel. - Thirty-two suspects have been detained in Istanbul in security operations against the outlawed DHKP-C terrorist organization. - Turkey reports a USD 2.5 billion current deficit in October, raising the deficit for the first ten months of the year to USD 28 billion. International News - The Turkish Foreign Ministry, followed by the EU, said it will not recognize the outcome of a constitutional referendum backing independence held in the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani region of Nagorno Karabakh. - A group of Iranian students protested against Ahmadinejad, shouting "Down with the dictator," as the Iranian president delivered a speech at a Tehran university. - Syria and Iraq have reestablished diplomaticties as the sides reopened embassies in each other's capitals after 26 years. - Some 20 masked gunmen stopped an armored bank vehicle in Baghdad yesterday, taking away USD 1 million and abducting four guards in the car. - Leaders of six Gulf Arab states said they will jointly develop peaceful nuclear technology, drawing up a plan to that end. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON