MEDIA REACTION; ANKARA-WASHINGTON TIES; PRESS FREEDOM IN

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 002045 SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; ANKARA-WASHINGTON TIES; PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTH AMERICA; 10/12/07 ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Major international stories today are related to the US-Turkish relationship in view of a possible attack from Turkey against Kurdish rebels in Northern Iraq, thereby destabilizing even further the situation in the country; Ankara's denial of the Armenian genocide being equated to Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust; and increasing concerns over the press freedom situation in South America. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "A friend that could become a threat" Hugo Alconada Mon, Washington-based correspondent for daily-of-record "La Nacisn," comments (10/12) "Turkey is a member of the White House 'special friends club.' Some of its few members are Israel, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, among others. They have a special bilateral regime, in which much is forgiven, little is questioned and almost everything is subject to negotiation. "Membership is granted based on several reasons... Given the interests involved, the White House overlooks 'pending issues' within the club, such as the Pakistani authorities' relationship with Islamic fundamentalists and the oppression to which Saudis have been subjected for decades. Using the same approach, the Bush administration believes that what the Ottoman Empire did to Armenians between 1915 and 1923 is something unimportant and belongs to the past. "In contrast, it is a hot current issue for both Turks and Armenians. Therefore, the US Congress's decision... could well alter the status quo on the border between the West and the East. "The situation is even more complicated for the White House because Turks also have a pending issue with Kurds..., who dream of their own country... In Ankara's view, more than 3,000 PKK rebels have attacked Turkey and then obtain refuge in Northern Iraq. "In this way, the US should mediate between Kurds and Turks, who want to enter the EU, endure the Kurds' 'provocations' although they do not hide their willingness to enter Iraq and take revenge. "In this context, Democrats have promoted a seemingly harmless statement, which in practice could complicate the US Pentagon's military plans in Iraq even further than any other draft legislation aimed at twisting Bush's arm for him to withdraw his 160,000 troops. "Why? Because if the Ankara government, which is today led by an Islamic, although moderate party, breaks ties with Washington and enters Iraq, it could unleash a regional chaos of unpredictable consequences... If one day the US decides to leave Iraq, it will have to face up that land ways out are not abundant..." - "Denial" Marcelo Cantelmi, international editor of leading "Clarn," writes (10/12) "Although the removal of the Turkish Ambassador to the US may seem exaggerated, there is no room for exaggeration. "What happens is that the seriousness of Turkey's wound is as big as the unpredictable complication of this historic conflict. "One example is eloquent. Ankara has proposed to create a committee of experts to investigate whether the Armenian genocide really happened. Who in the West couldn't compare this proposal with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's irritating idea that the Jewish Holocaust did not occur? "Ankara's posture is the worst among its allies (Israel is not the least important one). Denial is a bad political ally (Latin America knows a lot about it) and it is a cost that very few would want to pay." - "A hard press freedom situation (in Latin America)" Daily-of-record "La Nacisn" editorializes (10/12) "Two documents that have been published these days reflect the increasing concern over the evolution of press freedom in the hemisphere. One was made public at the end of the annual assembly of the Argentine Journalistic Association (ADEPA),and the other one was the joint work from ADEPA and journalistic associations from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. "The wave of extreme populism in Venezuela threatens to spread to other countries as though South America was doomed to approach the brutal Cuban dictatorship... "... In addition to Cuba, no other case is as serious as that of the Venezuela of Chvez. Following the censorship imposed on the main TV station, the government has seized its technical infrastructure while chasing and attacking journalists and media corporations... "... The ADEPA report also acknowledges that press freedom prevails in Argentina, although it is being conditioned by the Government, which refuses to admit to its institutional role... "... We should underscore that ADEPA closed its declaration with a hopeful statement that dialogue could lead to strengthen the institutions of the country. Now that Argentina is on the eve of presidential elections.., we should highlight the permanent search for tolerance rather than confrontation, in which no one wins. History has left a lot of lessons in this regard." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE