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 05 ANKARA 004840

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, AUGUST 17, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Kurds Seek Independence, Imams Status in Iraq - Milliyet
DEHAP to Join Zana's Party - Hurriyet
Greece Mourns Plane Crash Victims - Aksam
PKK Clashes with Syrian Troops in North Syria - Sabah
Sharon: Palestinians in Desperate Condition - Sabah
Gaza War - Milliyet
38-Year of Occupation to End in Gaza - Hurriyet
Early Elections Possible in Israel - Aksam
Erdogan Sends Support Message to Schroeder before German
Elections - Hurriyet
Iranian Students Rally for Nuclear Energy Rights - Milliyet
Aliyev's Wife to Run for Parliament - Milliyet

OPINION MAKERS
Bush Lauds the Iraqis over Constitution - Radikal
Bush Praises the Iraqi Constitutional `Disagreement' -
Cumhuriyet
Constitutional Deadlock Raises Partition Concerns in Iraq -
Zaman
Signals for a Civil War in Iraq - Yeni Safak
Settlers Resist Israeli Troops, 800 Detained - Radikal
Gaza Evacuation `War' Begins - Zaman
British Muslims React to New Anti-Terror Package - Zaman
Dervis' First Day at UNDP - Yeni Safak
17 Spanish Troops Killed in Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan
- Radikal
Bloody Revolt in Guatemala: 31 Killed - Yeni Safak
Chile Changes Pinochet-Era Constitution - Cumhuriyet

BRIEFING

NSC to Discuss `Kurdish Issue': Turkey's National Security
Council (NSC) is to discuss a report drafted by the Turkish
General Staff (TGS) at its monthly meeting on June 23,
"Hurriyet" reports. The TGS report says that defining the
problems in east and southeast Turkey as the `Kurdish issue'
might negatively affect the security forces fighting against
terrorists and encourage the supporters of terrorist
organizations. The report advises that different units of
the state apparatus should coordinate their statements,
which should be based on a common plan and strategy.
Economic and social hardships form the main cause of the
problems in the southeast, according to the TGS report,
which calls for an increase in employment opportunities and
efforts for economic revitalization. It also says that
`civilian elements' should play a larger role in tackling
these problems. Iraq, Cyprus and the EU are among other
issues to be raised at the NSC meeting.

Britain Welcomes Arrest of Sakra: Britain welcomed Tuesday
the arrest in Turkey of the suspected Syrian al-Qaida member
Louai Sakra as a `significant success' in the fight against
terrorism, papers report. `The arrest underlines the
professionalism and commitment shown by Turkish police and
represents a significant success in the global struggle
against al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations,' the
British embassy in Ankara said in a statement. Sakra has
admitted to plotting attacks against Israeli cruise liners
off Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The British embassy
statement said that Sakra was also accused of involvement in
the November 2003 suicide bombings against British and
Jewish targets in Istanbul and supporting Zarkawi's
activities to destabilize Iraq.

Police Seize USD 7 Million of Uranium in Istanbul: Acting
on a tip off by Turkish intelligence, police arrested two
Turkish `couriers' trying to sell 173 grams of uranium in
Istanbul, "Sabah" reports. The couriers, who wanted USD 7
million for the uranium, said it was smuggled into Turkey by
a Russian Federation national. Officials said that there
was no `uranium market' in Turkey, and that `serious
consequences' would occur if it reached the hands of
terrorist organizations, uranium's most likely buyers.

PKK/Kongra Gel Testing Ground to Lay Down Arms: Former DEP
lawmaker and the leader of PKK/Kongra Gel, Zubeyir Aydar,
told "Milliyet" columnist Derya Sazak in a telephone
interview that they were testing the ground for a cease in
attacks and preparing to turn a new page of `inaction.'
Sazak comments that Kongra Gel started considering the
possibility of laying down arms after Prime Minister
Erdogan's democratic messages in Diyarbakir last Friday.
Aydar asked Sazak whether the Turkish government was
determined to seek a democratic solution to the Kurdish
problem. Aydar is concerned that despite Erdogan's pledges
that security problems will not prompt restriction of
freedoms, Turkey's National Security Council (NSC) may not
resist demands coming from the military for broader
authority. Sazak expects the PKK/Kongra Gel to announce a
decision soon.

DEHAP to be Dissolved: The pro-Kurdish DEHAP chairman
Tuncer Bakirhan said Tuesday that his party completed its
mission, adding that it will be dissolved and that party
members will join the `Democratic Society Movement' (DTH)
formed under the leadership of former Kurdish lawmakers
Leyla Zana and Orhan Dogan. DEHAP members will be
transferred to the Zana and friends' grouping once the DTH
completes transformation into a political party. DEHAP will
not be able to merge with the DTH due to a lawsuit to close
the party that was brought to the Constitutional Court,
papers report.

RTUK to Allow Broadcasts in Kurdish: After receiving orders
from Prime Minister Erdogan to approve applications for
broadcasts in languages other than Turkish, Turkey's radio
and television watchdog RTUK called on nine broadcasters who
had applied to broadcast in Kurdish to provide missing
documents in order to be given a license, dailies report.
RTUK will ask the channels for pledges that they will not
teach Kurdish, will not air programs threatening the
national unity, and that they will subtitle all TV programs
in Turkish. The Turkish General Staff, Turkish Intelligence
Organization MIT, and the interior ministry officials have
warned in meetings with RTUK members against the perils of
broadcasts in languages other than Turkish, papers comment.
"Sabah" regards the efforts in support of Kurdish
broadcasting as the first concrete step forward for
democratization in southeast Turkey.

EU Calls for `Deeds' in Southeast Turkey: European Union
(EU) diplomats welcomed the statements by Prime Minister
Erdogan acknowledging the Kurdish problem in Turkey, but
called on the PM to outline proposals to solve the problem,
"Cumhuriyet" reports. The diplomats said that taking
concrete steps to boost economic and social development in
the southeast was essential for Turkey's EU membership.

Iraqi Women's Sharia Worry: "Cumhuriyet" quotes Huzen
Mahmud from the `Iraq Women Freedom Organization' as telling
the BBC radio that the new constitution will not change the
`dark realities' in Iraq, adding that adopting sharia law
will bring catastrophic consequences for the Iraqi nation,
particularly women in the war-ravaged country. Women are
subjected to violence in Iraq, Mahmud said, and claimed that
the insurgents used the occupation as a pretext to behead,
kill and rape women. She also claimed that the Iraqi nation
went backwards, and that `honor killings' were on the rise
since the beginning of the occupation of Iraq. `Iraq's
occupation has been solely responsible for the ambiguity and
instability in Iraq and around the world,' she said. Mahmud
blamed the coalition forces in Iraq for doing nothing in the
face of women's problems.

Turkish Diplomats in Europe on the Eve of October 3:
Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) U/S Ali Tuygan and Deputy
undersecretaries Ertugrul Apakan, Nabi Sensoy and Volkan
Bozkir are in European capitals to give the message that
Turkey will not recognize Nicosia, but will continue efforts
for a settlement on the divided island. Diplomats are
working to eliminate the possibility that the Cyprus issue
may hamper Turkey's membership negotiations with the
European bloc. Ankara will continue the campaign until
October 3, the date for starting EU accession talks with
Turkey, says the report.

Turkish Cypriots Share Greeks' Grief over Plane Crash
Victims: "Nicosia Cyprus Mail," an independent daily
published in south Cyprus, reported Wednesday that Turkish
Cypriot `prime minister' Ferdi Sabit Soyer ordered that
flags in the north be lowered in memory of the victims of a
Greek Cypriot jetliner that crashed near Athens last
weekend, killing all 121 passengers on board. Soyer sent
messages of condolence to all Greek Cypriot political
parties, stressing that the Turkish Cypriot community shared
the grief of their compatriots in the south. Soyer was not
alone in expressing sympathy for the families and friends of
those who died. Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on
Sunday called President Tassos Papadopoulous to offer
condolences, eliciting thanks from Papadopoulos for his
close interest. Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) leader
Mustafa Akinci also offered his condolences, calling on the
Turkish Cypriot authorities to cancel celebrations planned
in the north to mark the second phase of the Turkish
military operations in 1974. `When your neighbor is in
grief it is not right to hold celebrations. We have to show
that we share the sorrow of our neighbors, and canceling the
celebrations would send a meaningful message to that
effect,' Akinci said. He added that he hoped the shared
grief might improve relations between the Greek and Turkish
Cypriot communities. The Turkish Cypriot press also
expressed its sympathies for those who had lost loved ones
with top-selling daily "Kibris" declaring on its front page
yesterday, `We are in mourning. From our hearts, we share
the pain of our neighbors.' Outspoken daily "Afrika,' a
strong critic of the Talat administration, berated them for
not heeding Akinci's call for invasion celebrations to be
cancelled. `The Greek Cypriot side has announced three days
of mourning. In the north, flags will only be lowered
during office hours and victory celebrations will take
place. This way the Greek Cypriots will mourn twice,' the
paper said.

20,000 Children Live on Streets in Diyarbakir: Turkey's
Family Research Institution warned in a report that 20,000
children living on the streets in Diyarbakir faced serious
education and health risks, "Yeni Safak" reports. Most of
the children are mentally and socially retarded, said the
report, adding that they have been deprived of nutrition,
clothing and education. It also said that Diyarbakir has
lost its `identity and integrity' after scores of displaced
families from rural areas in southeast Turkey settled in the
city in shantytowns. The report noted that the situation
threatened not only Diyarbakir but Turkey as well, and
warned that it will be impossible to solve the children's
problems in the near future if action is not taken now.
Turkish Academic Freed in Armenia: A Yerevan court on
Tuesday suspended a two-year sentence of Yektan Turkyilmaz,
a Turkish researcher, for trying to smuggle ancient books
out of Armenia. Yektan Turkyilmaz, a doctoral student at
the Duke University in the US, was arrested in mid-June at
the Yerevan airport when several 17th-century books were
discovered in his luggage. `I am still a friend of
Armenia,' Turkyilmaz said after a two-month detention,
adding that he would return to the US to continue studies in
anthropology.

EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq; Israel/Gaza Withdrawal

"The Iraq Scenarios"
Cengiz Candar observed in the conservative-sensational
"Dunden Bugune Tercuman" (8/16): "The Iraqi parliament
approved the one-week delay for the finalization of the
constitution. However, recent news from Baghdad clearly
indicates that the differences between Shiites, Kurds and
Sunnis cannot be eliminated within this time frame. Even if
the concerned sides reach an agreement and pass the
constitution, the structure of Iraq will still require
further work. In fact, if the constitution is approved, it
will serve as a transitional document for the next stage.
Iraq's future will not be shaped in the paperwork but in the
field. . The southern oil-rich area in Iraq is under Shiite
control and makes up both 60 percent of oil production and
60 percent of the total population. Moreover this area is
under the full influence of religious parties and is exposed
to Iranian influence as well. There are even efforts in
this area to form an Iraq-Iran alliance. . Shiites want a
federal Iraq with autonomy from the central Baghdad
administration. Sunnis are against the federal structure
because it would give extra power to the Shiites. . As for
the Kurds, they have been ruling themselves since 1991 and
they want an official recognition of the de facto situation.
The only additional issue is about Kirkuk, which Kurds want
to include in their area. . If the Iraqi sides do not agree
on federalism, Kurds are likely to start immediately working
for an independent structure. In fact, some argue that even
if federalism is the formula agreed on, it will not last
long. It will only be the initial stage for the eventual
division of Iraq. Given the current picture, will Turkey
benefit more from an independent Kurdish state? This is a
question worth thinking about."

"Israel's New Equation"
Mete Cubukcu wrote in the leftist "Birgun" (8/17):
"Everyone tries to claim credit for Israel's withdrawal
process. El-Fetih, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are celebrating
the withdrawal separately. Mahmud Abbas claims that the
Palestine Administration forced Israel to withdraw, while
Hamas and Islamic Jihad believe that the insurgency is the
main reason for the withdrawal. In short, everyone
announced their own victory. Hamas, which is getting
stronger in the region, claims rights in certain areas where
Israel withdrew and also wants to be a partner in the Gaza
Administration. However, Hamas also rejects the surrender
of weapons. The Palestine Administration has to convince
the armed groups on that point. The fanatic right wing
groups in Israel are very disturbed by the armed Hamas
presence and claim that withdrawal encouraged the terrorist
groups to act in the region. It is a well-known fact that
during this process, any attack launched by either side
could damage this sensitive process. In sum, it seems that
the plans in the Middle East, as before, will proceed on a
fragile equation."

MCELDOWNEY

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