This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 007242
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
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2003
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
HEADLINES
MASS APPEALS
Powell: Synagogue attacks indicate rising anti-Semitism -
Hurriyet
PM Erdogan: Synagogue attacks target all of humanity -
Hurriyet
Jewish lobby vows to continue supporting Turkey - Sabah
Bush urges Europe to isolate Arafat - Hurriyet
Turkey, US, UN and Iraq agree on Mahmur camp - Milliyet
Zebari: Turkey should overcome its Kurdish state phobia -
Sabah
US to test `mother of all bombs' - Milliyet
Athens believes Turkey still a threat for Greece - Sabah
OPINION MAKERS
`Bush hysteria' seizes Britain - Radikal
Bush: Attacks in Najaf, Bali, Istanbul were no dream - Zaman
Talabani: Turkish troops must leave Iraq - Cumhuriyet
Mahmur refugees to return to Turkey - Zaman
Erdogan warns Talabani on PKK - Yeni Safak
Turkey purchased $3 billion of weapons from Israel since
1996 - Radikal
First air raids on Baghdad since last May - Cumhuriyet
US launches Nazi-style attacks on Baghdad suburbs - Yeni
Safak
BRIEFING
American Jewish reaction to synagogue bombings in Istanbul:
Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference
for Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has
stressed the significance of the organizations' ties with
Turkey. Keith Weissman from the American Israeli Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC) stressed the strategic cooperation
between Turkey, the US, and Israel, and said that the
strategic partnership should be extended to cover new
issues. Abraham Foxman, national Director of the Anti-
Defamation League, has underlined the messages given by
Turkish officials, who said they view the Istanbul Jewish
community as part of the Turkish nation.
Synagogue bombers identified: DNA tests have revealed the
identities of the two assailants who detonated car bombs at
two synagogues in Istanbul last Saturday. The suicide
bombers were Gokhan Elaltuntas (22) and Mesut Cabuk (29),
two Hizbullah militants from Bingol province in southeast
Turkey. Police are investigating possible links between
Hizbullah and Al-Qaida.
Talabani visits Ankara: The temporary chairman of Iraq's
Interim Governing Council (IGC), Jalal Talabani, told the
press after meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan Wednesday
that his government would not allow terrorist activities
against Turkey from Iraqi territory. Erdogan said the new
Iraqi government should embrace the whole Iraqi nation.
Talabani also invited possible Turkish investors to explore
opportunities in Iraq. Erdogan said that Turkey wanted to
expand bilateral trade with Iraq. Erdogan also urged the
elimination of the PKK threat and the protection of Iraq's
territorial integrity. Talabani assured Erdogan that Kurds
are not seeking independence from Iraq. The temporary head
of the IGC urged Turkey to withdraw its troops from Northern
Iraq. "Aksam" claims that Erdogan and Talabani have agreed
in principle to open a new border crossing from Turkey into
Iraq.
Assistant Secretary Arthur Dewey in Ankara: Assistant
Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration
SIPDIS
Arthur Dewey said after meeting with UNHCR, Turkish, and
Iraqi officials at the MFA on Wednesday that an agreement
had been worked out regarding the return of 9,000 Turkish
Kurds from the Mahmur refugee camp in Northern Iraq. The
return of 13,000 Kurds from the region will be completed
within the next year, papers report. Dewey said that the
refugees must decide for themselves whether or not to return
to Turkey. The US and UN will provide financial support to
Turkey in an effort to assist in the return, reports note.
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq
"The Alternate in Iraq is Chaos"
Hasan Cemal observed in the mass appeal Milliyet (11/20):
"After the revision of the roadmap for the new Iraq,
priority is being given to handing over authority to Iraqis.
According to the new calendar, a new elected government is
to be in charge in Baghdad by the end of 2005. . The US
changed its policy in Iraq, yet the challenges remain.
There are many questions waiting for answers, such as the
essential principles of the constitution, the type of
federation to be established, and the relation between state
and religion. . Even if the challenges are overcome, what
could one expect from the ballot box? What happens if the
Islamists win the elections? What can the US do if Iraq
turns into another Algeria? . There are some things that
the US should not expect to see coming out of Iraqi
elections: a secular government, a pro-American
administration, and a government close to Israel. The
question is whether or not the US is prepared for such a
possibility? Many more questions can be listed. Iraq is a
very complex place. Every aspect of this complexity has its
own challenges, and failure to overcome these challenges
will lead to chaos. A greater role for the UN in this
process would have a positive impact on the outcome."
EDELMAN