Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003990

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
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- -----
HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Erdogan: London Bombings an Attack Against Civilization,
Humanity - Milliyet
Al-Qaeda Strikes in London - Milliyet
It's Al-Qaeda Again - Sabah
Al-Qaeda Related Group Claims London Bombings - Hurriyet
Terror Strikes London: Which City Next? - Aksam
Britain's September 11: 37 Killed, 700 Wounded - Vatan
G-8 Stands Unified Against Terror - Hurriyet
Blair: Terrorists Will Not Succeed - Milliyet
Bush: US is on Alert - Sabah
Londoners Showed no Panic - Vatan
Terrorists Kill Egypt's Envoy to Iraq - Hurriyet

OPINION MAKERS
Gul: We Share the Pain of Friends and Allies, the British
People - Radikal
Qaida Strikes London - Radikal
Terror Shows Its Ugly Face in London - Zaman
Horror in London: 37 Killed - Yeni Safak
G-8 Denounces `Barbaric' Attacks in London - Radikal
Europe United in Support of Britain - Zaman
British Police Begin Hunt for Terrorists - Cumhuriyet
British Police: Matching Islam with Terrorism Would be Wrong
- Zaman
Europe, US Go on Terror Alert - Cumhuriyet
Egyptian Ambassador Killed in Baghdad - Yeni Safak

BRIEFING

Turkish Leaders on London Bombings: Prime Minister Erdogan
told the press after participating in the Sun Valley
conferences in Idaho yesterday that there should be a joint
struggle against terrorism, and that Turkey stood ready to
take part in such a joint initiative. Erdogan denounced
yesterday's terrorist bomb attacks in London as an `assault
against civilization and humanity,' and cautioned
politicians against becoming a `tool' for terrorists'
propaganda efforts. `It would be wrong to say that this or
that terrorist organization did this attack before getting
clear evidence. This is the terrorists' aim: to be able to
spread propaganda all the time,' he said. He said that
terrorism did not have a religion, nation, or race, and that
it may hit anyone anywhere, at any time. `It is necessary
to display solidarity on this issue. We must not forget
that there is a cause-effect relation and that we must
eliminate the causes of terrorism.' Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul denounced as terrorist acts a series of blasts
that hit London, and pledged Turkey's cooperation in the
fight against terrorism. `We hope that the death toll will
not be high,' Gul said. He noted that, having seen since
the September 11 attacks how dangerous terrorism is, the
world is now cooperating to counter this threat. Interior
Minister Abdulkadir Aksu expressed condolences and condemned
the London attacks in a message to British Home Secretary
Charles Clarke. State Minister Nimet Cubukcu sent a message
to British Ambassador to Turkey Peter Westmacott, strongly
condemning the attacks in London, underlining the need for
an effective cooperation against terrorism. Opposition
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal sent
British Prime Minister Tony Blair a message wishing `quick
recovery,' which said that countries could succeed in the
fight against terrorism only by international solidarity and
cooperation. The Istanbul Bar and far-rightist Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) also strongly condemned the London
attacks and called for international cooperation to counter
terrorism.

Mainstream Turkish papers agree that bomb attacks in London
yesterday marked a `September 11 for Britain.' A commentary
in the liberal/intellectual "Radikal" said: `Only a few days
ago, thousands gathered in London to support efforts to
`make poverty history.' But today, neither poverty, nor
starvation in Africa, nor global warming are on the agenda
any more. All those efforts have fallen victim to a
cowardly bomb attack by a handful of barbarians.'
Conservative/opinion maker "Zaman" is concerned that the
London bombings may adversely affect Turkey's EU drive,
saying that Turkey will be negatively affected if the
British nation begins to assume an anti-Islamic position.
Another commentary in the pro-Islamic "Yeni Safak" says that
9/11 had been a big blow to the image of Islam around the
world. `Muslims, particularly those living in western
countries, have been injured in such attacks. Those
striking in London yesterday probably did not directly aim
to hurt Muslims, but their attack will leave us sleepless,
despite our strong condemnation of such atrocities,' says a
commentary.

US, EU Denounce Terrorist Attacks in Turkey: Turkish papers
report US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack as
condemning the bomb attacks against a Turkish train which
killed six in the mainly Kurdish eastern province Bingol
last weekend. `We condemn all acts of terrorisms and our
thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims
and those who were injured in these attacks,' McCormack
said. Meanwhile, EU Commission Representative Hansjorg
Kretschmer told the EU-Turkey consultation meetings in
Istanbul on Thursday that terrorist activities in southeast
Turkey were unacceptable. Social and economic progress in
the southeast is of critical importance for Turkey,
Kretschmer said, advising Ankara to develop a strategy to
achieve that goal.

MFA Condemns Killing of Egypt's Iraq Envoy: A Foreign
Ministry statement condemned on Thursday the terrorist
attacks against foreign diplomats in Iraq. The statement
expressed Turkey's condolences to the Egyptian nation over
the killing of Egypt's envoy in Baghdad, and urged the Iraqi
government to find and take to court those responsible as
soon as possible.

OSCE on Shortcomings of New Turkish Penal Code: The OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti,
praised Ankara for introducing important changes to the new
Turkish Penal Code, but added that the amendments do not
sufficiently eliminate threats to freedom of expression and
to a free press. Haraszti told the press in Vienna on
Thursday that he observed three major areas where media
freedom remains endangered in Turkey: the right of
journalists to report on public-interest issues is not
secured; restrictions on access and disclosure of
information have not been lifted; and defamation and insult
provisions remain a criminal rather than a civil offence,
thereby leaving at risk the free discussion of public
affairs. Haraszti expressed hope that modernization of the
Turkish Penal Code would continue improving freedom of
public scrutiny, while removing all provisions that promote
self-censorship.

Security Operations Against PKK Continue: Security forces
killed 2 terrorists and arrested 2 others on Thursday during
operations against PKK militants in the mainly Kurdish
provinces of Mardin and Tunceli, sources told papers. The
Mardin governor's office said 25 kg of C-4 explosives had
been seized during operations. Meanwhile, a woman terrorist
was reportedly killed in the rural areas the Tunceli
province yesterday.

Bomb Attack Against Train in East Turkey: A freight train
traveling between Turkey's eastern cities of Erzincan and
Erzurum was derailed when a remotely controlled mine
exploded on Thursday, papers report. The Erzurum governor's
office said there were no casualties in the explosion, which
overturned six train cars. "Hurriyet" claims that the
attack actually targeted a passenger train from Istanbul;
that train, with 334 passengers aboard, was saved by being
50 minutes late.

EDITORIAL OPINION: The London Bombings

"Damn!"
Erdal Safak observed in the mass appeal "Sabah" (7/8): "The
London incidents contain all the elements of Al-Qaeda
terrorism: a massacre, a psychological shock, and horrific
visuals for the media. It is just like what happened in
Madrid, Istanbul, and New York. . All sensible people must
worry about the London bombings. This event will have
unpredictable consequences in many areas -- from diplomacy
to security. The London attack will also be the start of a
new period for the EU, which has so far failed to produce
joint policies against terrorism."

"The Eclipse of the Mind"
Fehmi Koru argued in the pro-government/Islamist-oriented
"Yeni Safak" (7/8): "The London attacks prove that the
global fight against terrorism has not been effective in
confining terrorist activity. The London terror has also
invalidated the latest argument that Washington has been
using to justify its presence in Iraq. The intervention in
Iraq has not helped to minimize terrorism. On the contrary,
it has made the entire world vulnerable to the terrorist
threat. . Now it is important what kind of measures the US
and the UK will implement in the fight against terrorism.
Tougher measures are expected. We could see people being
asked to make more sacrifices on issues of basic freedom.
In fact, such measures will not bring a solution. An
analysis of events since 9/11 should be done. A proper
examination will provide the grounds for taking measures to
eliminate the social, political, and economic reasons behind
the terror. . Yet what we have been seeing is altogether
different. Rationality and morality are missing in the
midst of the violence. Terror is a result of the mind being
eclipsed by other forces. It is impossible not to feel
pessimistic when we see the direction in which the world is
heading."

"The Never Ending War"
Sami Kohen wrote in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" (7/8):
"It is obvious that the main purpose of the London attack
was to punish Prime Minister Blair for joining in President
Bush's occupation of Iraq. It is well known that Al-Qaeda
and other terrorist organizations connected with it consider
the UK as an enemy similar to the US. These groups have
long threatened that one day they would take revenge against
the UK. The result of the terrorist attack in London is not
going to be any different from those carried out in New
York, Madrid, and other cities. It will only create more
tension and more violence. But it is very doubtful that the
terrorists will take any lessons out of these attacks. Most
likely, their morale has been boosted by their `victory' in
London! This means that terrorism will continue for a long
time to come."

"Terror Hits London"
Yilmaz Oztuna commented in the conservative "Turkiye" (7/8):
"Are Europe and the US going to change their stance after
the terrible terrorist attack in London? Nothing is going
to change. Some countries will continue to provide support
and shelter to the Kurdish PKK and the Armenian Tashnak
organizations. It is a shame of humanity for Belgium not to
extradite, but rather to shelter, the murderer terrorist
Fehriye Erdal. Fighting against terrorism with this kind of
mentality will ensure that the violence goes on for many
years. Al-Qaeda and the other terrorist organizations are
also trying to damage western tourism and the economy, and
they have shown the ability to attack in any country at the
most unexpected time. Given the current mentality that
differentiates terrorism according to its location and
nationality, it will be extremely difficulty to eliminate
terror. The world, which had freed itself from the
communist threat, has entered the third millennium under the
shadow of the evil of terrorism."

MCELDOWNEY

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