ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000904

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, FEBRUARY 23, 2006


In Today's Papers

The Hamas Visit Controversy Continues
Milliyet, Hurriyet, Vatan, Cumhuriyet, Aksam, Yeni Safak,
Zaman and others: On the Hamas visit to Ankara last week,
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that Turkey had carried
out its historical responsibilities. Gul said an Israeli
spokesman's comments on the PKK were not printed by the
Israeli media, while Turkish press covered the statement in
detail. "I see that the Turkish media is open to
manipulation by the intelligence services and diplomats,"
Gul said, prompting the diplomatic correspondents'
association to issue a statement saying his comments are
unfair. Zaman reports that the Israeli envoy to the UN
Danny Gillerman has told the UN Security Council meeting
yesterday that together with Iran and Syria, Hamas formed a
new "terror axis." "Would your countries allow al-Qaida or
the PKK to run in elections?" Gillermann asked. Papers
report Gul as saying that Israel, Russia and the US had been
informed in advance about the Hamas visit.

The Israeli Ambassador in Ankara, Pinhas Avivi told the
press at a reception yesterday that Turkey and Israel should
continue to put the past aside and move forward, stressing
that cooperation between the two countries would continue.

Palestinian Ambassador Nabil Marouf singled out Prime
Minister Erdogan as the "architect" of the Palestinians'
visit to Turkey, adding that Erdogan had consulted President
Mahmoud Abbas regarding the messages to be conveyed to
Hamas, Aksam reports. Isolation of Hamas would bring more
violence, Marouf said. Dailies quote Hamas chief Mashal as
telling the press in Tehran that Hamas can learn from
Turkey's experience on administration and cultural and
economic development, not from its democracy.

Yeni Safak says the State Department said in a statement
that the US had received information from Turkey with regard
to the Hamas visit. State Department Spokesman Ereli said
US and Turkey are in consensus that a strong message must be
given to Hamas to renounce terror.

Hasan Cemal writing in mainstream Milliyet wonders "whether
the Bush administration is going to do a u-turn on the
Democracy for Middle East Project?" Cemal believes after the
"occupation of Iraq and the "continuing scenes of torture,"
it "does not matter when Bush calls for democracy because he
will not be taken seriously."

Secretary Rice in Egypt

SIPDIS
All papers: In Egypt on the first leg of her Middle East
tour aimed at isolating Hamas, Secretary Rice said at a
joint press conference with the Egyptian Foreign Minister
Aboul Gheit that Hamas must renounce terror and recognize
the existence of Israel. Aboul Gheit said Hamas must be
given a chance, stressing that it will be wrong to cut
financial aid to Palestine. Rice also discussed Palestine
and the political reforms process in Egypt with President
Mubarak. Papers quote political observers as warning that
Egyptians are forced to choose between the Mubarak
dictatorship and the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Commenting in the conservative daily Turkiye, Yilmaz Oztuna
says that by asking Arab capitals to cut off financial aid
to Palestine, Secretary Rice made a mistake "which is
totally out of character given her diplomatic skills."
Noting that if aid is cut, "the bill is to be paid by
Palestinian people and they will suffer more than before,"
Oztuna concludes that "it looks like Palestinians are about

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to be punished only because they voted for Hamas even though
the Westerners allowed it as a political party before the
election process began."

Shiite Shrine Bombing in Iraq
All papers cover a bomb attack in Samarra which destroyed
the dome of one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, prompting
reprisal attacks against 27 Sunni mosques in Baghdad that
left three clerics and three worshippers dead. Dailies
comment that the incidents have raised fears of sectarian
civil war in Iraq. They speculate that the Samarra bombing,
carried out by men dressed in police uniforms, was launched
by al-Zarqawi, who has declared war on the country's
Shiites.

Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) "strongly" condemned in a
statement yesterday the deadly sectarian violence in Iraq,
urging Iraqis to refrain from reprisals after the bombing of
the Shiite shrine. "It is obvious that the aim of those who
resort to terrorism is to start sectarian and ethnic
conflict in Iraq. The most efficient way to undo this game
is to remain prudent in the face of those inhumane
provocations, refrain from reprisals and strengthen national
unity," the MFA said.


Television Highlights
(NTV, 7:00 AM)

Domestic News

- Turkey and Iran sign memorandum of understanding at the
end of a three-day security meeting. Interior Ministry
officials in the Turkish delegation in Tehran said the two
countries agreed to combat terrorism.

- Turkish High Court "Danistay" annuls the provisions of a
recent controversial regulation exempting Koran courses from
Education Ministry inspections. Teachers' union Egitim-Sen
had applied for the annulment of the regulation.

International News

- Shiite protesters attack dozens of Sunni mosques across
Iraq in reprisal for the attack on the holy Golden Mosque in
the Shiite city of Samarra. Mobs attacked 60 mosques in
Iraq.

- Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel urged Ankara to
recognize the Republic of Cyprus by the end of 2006.

- UNSYG Annan called on the Turkish and Spanish foreign
ministers to open a second meeting of the Alliance of
Civilizations in Qatar to resolve the row over the Prophet
Muhammad cartoons. Annan, EU foreign policy chief Javier
Solana, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Arab
League officials will also attend the meeting to be held in
Doha on Saturday.

WILSON