ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 000069 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 THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2006 THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- -- HEADLINES MASS APPEAL Gul to Sign Free Trade Zone Agreement in Jerusalem - Sabah Europe Alarmed on Iran - Milliyet Iran Collects Nuclear Parts from European Countries - Hurriyet The Guardian: Iran Very Close to Producing Nuclear Bomb - Vatan Ahmadinejad: We Will Not Step Back - Milliyet Sharon Suffers Cerebral Hemorrhage, in Deathbed - Sabah Sharon Charged with Taking 3 Million USD of Bribe in Election Campaign - Vatan Abramoff Pleads Guilty, US Congress under Suspicion - Milliyet CNN-Gallup: Half of Americans Believe Most Congressmen Corrupt - Aksam OPINION MAKERS CIA: Al-Qaida Plans Nuclear Attack in Turkey - Zaman Gul: Erez Project Will Create Jobs for Thousands of Palestinians - Cumhuriyet Gul to Urge Israel to Allow Voting in East Jerusalem - Yeni Safak Sharon Gravely Ill - Radikal Damascus: UN May Interrogate FM al-Shara - Radikal Attack on Shiite Funeral Kills 36 in Iraq - Cumhuriyet Insurgents Set to Fire 20 Oil Tankers in Baghdad - Yeni Safak President Karzai Pays Historic Visit to Turkey - Zaman The Guardian: Tehran Seeks Nuclear Weapons - Cumhuriyet Ahmadinejad's Latest Remarks Increase Suspicions on Iran's Nuclear Program - Zaman Abramoff, the Lobbyist Who `Buys Off' Washington - Radikal Film Says Cuba Paid Oswald to Kill Kennedy - Zaman BRIEFING Ambassador Wilson Interview with "Hurriyet": The following is a summary of an interview with Ambassador Wilson carried today in Turkey's leading daily "Hurriyet." 'The policy of President Bush is that we are going forward in cooperation with Turkey. We are going forward especially with respect to Iraq. We appreciate the help Turkey has provided to Iraq, to the democratically elected authorities there, to the coalition that is trying to help Iraq over the course of the last two years. Turkey has made an enormous contribution, and we deeply appreciate it.' 'I find it odd that the stories on the Suleymaniye incident still appear on the papers. This is history. Our two countries dealt with what happened, and we have moved on in �00A;our bilateral cooperation. The Turkish General Staff put out a statement at the time, saying that it investigated the report, finding that it is not true. We are moving forward, and that is the United States' policy.' 'Our policy is Iraq should remain as a single and unified country. All of the mainstream groups in Iraq talk about Iraq as a unified, single country. The challenge is to get ANKARA 00000069 002 OF 005 them work together on a cross-sectarian government.' 'We are deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear aspirations, and we are working on, through diplomacy, with our allies around the world to get the Iranians to abandon that goal. And I hope that we will succeed.' 'The primary topic of conversation in both of the visits by the FBI and CIA directors was international terrorism.' 'What we are doing with Turkey is to increase and deepen our information sharing on what the PKK is doing. We are working with Turkey to get some of the governments in Europe to take the PKK threat more seriously. We are working together with Turkey in helping stand up a strong government in Iraq will lead to a situation in which Iraq and Turkey can work effectively together to control the border.' 'We are monitoring as closely as we can what goes on in northern Iraq. It's an extremely difficult terrain, it's an extremely difficult problem. It needs to be dealt with in several ways. We need to put an end to it. That means cutting off the sources of funding that come from Europe, ensuring that legitimate authorities of Iraq control what goes on within their borders, and a lot of intensive information sharing. It's not the matter of just going and banging somebody in the head. It's a matter of chopping off the branches, digging off the root and draining the swamp. That's what we want to try to do -- it's hard, and it will take a long time.' `We operate out of the Turkish base in Incirlik. What we have elsewhere is, generally speaking, some sort of a NATO establishment. I don't anticipate that there is going to be some other significant margin of operations from Turkey with respect to Iraq.' `Iraq's success is in Turkey's interest -- whether it's economic and commercial interest or a political interest, having a strong and stable country on its border. It's that kind of forward-looking attitude that has dominated most of my conversations, whether it's with people in the government or people outside the government.' Gul in Palestine for Free Trade Zone Agreement: Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul began a two-day trip to the region on Wednesday with an agreement to donate USD 5 million to the Palestinians to rehabilitate the Erez industrial zone in the Gaza Strip. The donation, announced during a meeting in Ramallah between Gul and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei, was intended to help revive Gaza's shriveled economy. Turkish and other companies that are expected to invest in the Erez industrial zone will create 10,000 jobs, Palestinian officials said. 'Turkish businessmen, who paid for the reopening of the zone through their Chamber of Commerce (TOBB) hope the zone will attract investors not only from Turkey but also Israel, Japan and other countries. The deal will help the Palestinian state stay on its own feet,' Gul said at the signing ceremony. During his meetings with Israeli officials Thursday, Gul is expected to sign an agreement ensuring the free flow of goods to and from the zone. A UN report released last month showed unemployment in Gaza standing at 35 percent. About a third of Gazans subsist on less than USD 2.20 a day -- the sum set as the poverty line, according to the report. Turkey extends economic support to Middle East peace, Turkish papers comment. Erdogan Believes Iran Must be Given More Time: 'Cumhuriyet' ANKARA 00000069 003 OF 005 speculates that the recent visits of CIA and FBI directors to Turkey were linked to Iran despite the insistent denials of the AKP government. The paper claims that Prime Minister Erdogan told CIA Director Porter Goss that Turkey shared US views about Iran, but was in favor of giving Iran more time to abide by the demands of the international community. CIA: Al-Qaida Plans Nuclear Attacks in Turkey: In an encrypted message following the visit to Turkey by Porter Goss in December, the CIA warned the Turkish intelligence agency MIT that al-Qaida has been planning to send radioactive material to targets in Turkey via international cargo companies such as USP and FedEx, "Zaman" reports. Police enhanced security at major Turkish airports, says the report. Bush Invites Former US Secretaries to Discuss Iraq: "Yeni Safak" reports the US Administration has invited all former US secretaries of state and defense to the White House to discuss Iraq policies. At the gathering in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the former secretaries will also discuss North Korea, Iran and Sudan with President Bush, says the report. Top Turkish Officials Discuss Terrorism at Security Meeting: On Wednesday, Prime Minister Erdogan, Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok, force commanders, and interior and defense ministers discussed terrorism and the fundamentalist threat in Turkey during an unscheduled security meeting in Ankara, papers report. At the meeting called by the Turkish General Staff (TGS) military officials, calling for a step-up in security measures, warned that the PKK's terror activities are likely to surge in March and April. Turkish military will maintain the fight against the PKK, commanders said, calling on other state institutions to contribute to the fight by curbing the financial support of terrorism. The military officials proposed changes to the provisions that restrict security forces' conduct in anti-terror law. The military wants 'jandarma' (national guard) to be authorized to carry out searches and road controls without court authorization, and asked the government to scrap a regulation necessitating the permission of local governors for security operations in rural areas. Sources said that the meeting also analyzed the possible political and economic effects on Turkey of a possible US military operation against Iran, and how it could affect the activities of the PKK. The issue of Turkey's role after a possible US pullout of Iraq was also discussed, say papers. Annan Appoints New Cyprus Envoy: UNSYG Kofi Annan appointed Michael Moller of Denmark as his new Special Representative for Cyprus as well as the head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP,) international wires report. Moller, 52, has been serving as Acting Deputy Chief of Cabinet to Annan since March 2005, and concurrently as the Director for Political, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, said a statement issued by the UN Peacekeeping Operations Office. Moller began his term of office as of Wednesday. Weston on Cyprus: Turkey's semi-official "Anatolian News Agency" (AA) reports former US special coordinator for Cyprus, Tom Weston, as saying on Thursday that the Greek Cypriot administration should modify its policy if it wants progress on the Cyprus issue. `The Greek Cypriots should understand that they should change their policy, accept the proposal of UN Secretary General, and clearly express their priorities regarding the Annan plan,' Weston said. Weston also said that he didn't expect an immediate solution to the problem, but that he was optimistic for a settlement in the ANKARA 00000069 004 OF 005 future. New Kurdish TV in Sweden Supported by US: Turkey's all-news channel NTV reported Thursday morning that Iranian Kurds living in Sweden have launched "Rojhelat TV" owned by `Komala' (Komala Party-Iranian Kurdistan),the second largest Kurdish group in Iran. The pro-Marxist Komala has close contacts with Iraqi President Talabani. The group has an office is Suleymaniye, Northern Iraq, and is also active in the United States, Canada, and European countries. Kurdish sources in Sweden said that the US is providing financial assistance to "Rojhelat TV," said NTV. Bird Flu Kills Two in Turkey: Bird flu has been diagnosed in three people in Turkey's eastern city of Van, officials announced late Wednesday. Health Minister, Dr. Recep Akdag, said that the disease had been diagnosed in a 14-year old teenager, who died Sunday, contradicting earlier reports that denied a connection. The teenager's sister also died from bird flu this morning. EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq, Turkey-US Relationship "Critical Milestone in Iraq" Taha Akyol commented in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" (1/5): "With every passing day, the conflict among the three ethnic groups in Iraq grows bigger. The elections put a huge distance between the Shiites, Sunnis and the Kurds. Turkey is trying to eliminate this distance and no other party can be as effective on this issue. The main goal of the assassination attempt against the Turkish Ambassador in Iraq was to sabotage Turkey's efforts. The world's expectation for peace in Iraq after the elections has, unfortunately, failed to materialize. The Shiites and the Kurds occupied many seats in important ministries and Sunnis were left with only a few, not very powerful, positions. This is the main problem in Iraq. It is a must for the Sunnis, Shiites and the Kurds to reach an agreement for a united Iraq and to prevent a bloody civil war. Of course, Turkey will intervene again to convince the parties. A civil war in Iraq will affect many other countries. The reason for the increasing number of official visitors from the US is mainly such concerns. Will the Kurds, Shiites and the Sunnis be able to survive this critical period with common sense? History shows that there is a heavy price to pay for such problems if they are not resolved with common sense." "Everyone Comes to Ankara" Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative-nationalist "Turkiye" (1/5): "The most interesting state leaders are coming to Ankara one after another. Afghanistan's president Karzai started this traffic in 2006 and many other country leader visits are expected in the near future. Of course, the most interesting visitors we are going to have are definitely the US Secretary of State Rice and the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Pace. They are expected to come to Ankara sometime in February. What will Turkey discuss with them? As usual we will complain about the US not fulfilling its promises on the PKK, Kirkuk and Turkmen problems. However, Secretary Rice and General Pace are not coming to Ankara to hear about these complaints. They want to talk about Iran and Syria in detail if they receive a warm welcome from Turkish side. They will ask `are you on our side or not; if you are, to what extent?' If Turkey doesn't allow the US to use its bases to stage operations against Iran and Syria, many countries -- from Bulgaria and Romania to Armenia and ANKARA 00000069 005 OF 005 Kurdistan -- are ready to open their bases for the US. And I didn't even mention the United Kingdom and Israel. Besides, the US Navy is capable of carrying out air operations from the Persian Gulf and from the east Mediterranean, and the US Navy is positioned there is case there is a need for such operations. That is why, during the visits of Rice and Pace, Turkey will be promised certain things and will be asked for more than the use of the bases. Right at this point, Russia started the second cold war and PM Erdogan's promise to Putin that `Turkey will not allow the US to use its bases for an operation against Iran' was leaked to the press. The US has divided Iraq into three. The US's determination for similar operations against Iran and Syria has clashed with Russia's Eurasia policy. For us the most important issue is `in which direction are Turkey's national policies moving'? WILSON