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.

281551Z Sep 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005677

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, SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:

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

HEADLINES

MASS APPEAL
Bush's `Image Consultant' Hughes in Turkey - Sabah
Hughes on Turkey Leg of Tour to Win Hearts of Muslims -
Milliyet
Hughes to Meet with Religious Leaders in Istanbul - Milliyet
McEldowney: Turkey Has Done Its Part, Now its EU's Turn -
Tercuman
Erdogan: Things are Not Going as Desired in Iraq - Hurriyet
Schroeder: Turkey Must Speed Up Reforms - Milliyet
Schroeder: Turkey Will Bring Security, Stability to Europe -
Star
England Found Guilty in Abu-Graib Abuse - Aksam

OPINION MAKERS
Hughes Arrives in Ankara - Radikal
Hughes Gives Palestine, Democracy Messages in Cairo, Riyadh
- Radikal
Zarkawi's Aide Killed in Baghdad - Zaman
NATO Headquarters Inaugurated in Iraq - Cumhuriyet
ICG: Draft Constitution Will Lead Iraq to Civil War - Yeni
Safak
Sharon Wins First Round at Likud Congress - Cumhuriyet
Second Israeli Attempt to Occupy Jerusalem - Radikal
UN: Israel Expands Settlements - Yeni Safak
US Underestimates Gitmo Hunger Strikes - Yeni Safak

BRIEFING

Hughes in Ankara: US Undersecretary of State for Public
Diplomacy, Karen Hughes, arrived in Ankara Tuesday night,
papers report. Hughes will meet with Turkish Foreign
Ministry (MFA) Undersecretary Ali Tuygan and representatives
of nongovernmental organizations in Ankara today. "Zaman"
reports that KA-DER, a Turkish NGO involved in women's
issues and problems, responded to an invitation by the US
Embassy to meet with Undersecretary Hughes, saying they
would also like to raise at the meeting issues such as Iraq
and President Bush's policies toward women. A KA-DER
representative told the paper that they do not want the
meeting to be seen as one in which the US and the Turkish
NGO are `hugging' one other. `We are not the nice girls of
the neighborhood. We are political women,' the KA-DER
member said. Turkey's prestigious all-news channel NTV
reported Wednesday that Undersecretary Hughes called on the
MFA Undersecretary Tuygan this morning. Tuygan expressed to
Hughes the `disappointment' of the Turkish nation with
regard to `expectations' from the US and about developments
related to Turkey's EU membership bid. Speaking to
reporters after the meeting, Hughes condemned the terrorist
activities of the PKK, stressing that the US is determined
to do more on the issue. Hughes added that the US strongly
supports Turkey's EU aspirations. `The US and Turkey need
each other,' Hughes noted. Following her talks in Ankara,
Hughes will move on to Istanbul to meet with representatives
of the various religious communities, NTV reported.

McEldowney on EU/Turkey, Cyprus, New US Ambassador: US
Charge d'Affaires Nancy McEldowney said at a reception on
Tuesday that Turkey has done its part with regard to EU
membership, and that now it is the EU's turn to do its job,
"Tercuman" reports. `We have supported Turkey's EU
membership in the best way we could. Europe has its own
problems. Who could have guessed that the EU constitution
would be rejected in the referenda? Some European countries
such as France, Germany and the Netherlands project their
own problems on to Turkey, and try to resolve issues in that
way,' McEldowney said. She noted that Turkey should not
have immediate expectations regarding the PKK and Cyprus:
`Everything should be done step by step. The US is the
country that has taken the most interest in the Cyprus
issue. We have made a 30 million USD investment in Cyprus,
and have organized trips to northern Cyprus directly from
Turkey. No country other than the United States has been
interested in Cyprus to that extent.' McEldowney also
underlined the significance of the visit of Undersecretary
of State for Public Diplomacy, Karen Hughes, to Ankara.
`Hughes meets with President Bush every morning and every
evening. She briefs the President. Her visit to Turkey is
extremely important,' McEldowney stressed. Asked about the
delay in appointing a US Ambassador to Ankara, McEldowney
said: `I can tell you honestly that there is no problem. It
is not intentional. I have said before that such
assignments can take as long as a year. A US ambassador
will certainly be appointed to Turkey.'

EU Asks Turkey to Recognize Cyprus, Armenian Genocide: On
Wednesday, the European Parliament backed the opening of EU
accession talks with Turkey on October 3, but insisted that
Ankara recognize Cyprus and a `genocide' of Armenians in
Ottoman Turkey during the negotiations. The motion on
Turkey's EU drive received the backing of 356 European MPs,
while 181 voted against and 125 abstained. Some MPs also
asked that Turkey's acknowledgment of the Armenian
`genocide' be a precondition for full EU membership. On
Wednesday, Turkey reaffirmed that full membership in the
European bloc is the only outcome it will accept. `Any
deviation from full membership is totally unacceptable,'
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a weekly news
briefing. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that
he will not travel to Luxembourg next Monday for the opening
of entry talks if the negotiating framework now under
discussion contains `unacceptable elements' for Turkey.

Erdogan on Iraq: Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, in Oman on
a state visit, said in Muscat that things `are not going as
desired' in Iraq. `Iraq needs a constitution which includes
not just the Kurds and the Shiites but also the Sunnis,
Turkmen, and Arabs. It should clarify that all the
resources of Iraq belong to all groups in the country,'
Erdogan said.

Anti-Terror Meeting in Ankara: Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul chaired on Tuesday the Anti-Terror High Board meeting in
Ankara. The Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) will carry out
campaigns to block international support for terror groups,
and the Finance Ministry will work to cut the financial flow
to the PKK, particularly funds coming from Europe. Ankara
will also seek cooperation with the US in the fight against
terrorism. The government will implement measures to curb
unemployment in east and southeast Turkey and to boost
economic development in the region. A Turkish intelligence
report discussed at the meeting claimed that the PKK, taking
advantage of the unrest in Iraq, had managed to smuggle
1,200 kg of C-4 explosives into Turkey in the last two
years. According to the report, fundamentalist
organizations like the Hizbullah and IBDA-C in Turkey were
only working to recruit militants rather than carrying out
attacks.

US Forces Detain a Turk in Mosul: "Radikal" reports that US
forces in Mosul detained Gunay Soyer, a Turk working at a
gas station in Mosul, for spying after he was caught at the
top of a US radar tower. "Serka," Soyer's employing company
in Incirlik, Adana confirmed the detention. Soyer's brother
told "Radikal" that `a person from the Turkish Foreign
Ministry (MFA)' called the family in Adana to confirm the
detention, but he did not elaborate on what will happen
next. Soyer has been sent to a prison in Baghdad where
insurgents are held, according to the report.
CHP Lawmaker Resigns from Party: Sevket Gursoy, a lawmaker
from the southeastern province of Adiyaman, resigned from
the main opposition CHP on Wednesday, reducing the number of
CHP seats in parliament to 157. The distribution of seats
in the parliament is as follows: AKP 355, CHP 157, ANAP 17,
DYP 4, SHP 4, HYP 1, Independent 8, and Vacant 1.

EDITORIAL OPINION: U/S Hughes

"Bush Advisor Trying to Win our Hearts"
Yasemin Congar wrote in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" from
Washington (9/28): "Despite her experience in domestic
politics, Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes is not very
experienced in diplomacy. She is in Turkey on the last stop
of her tour to win the hearts of Muslims. She has been
tasked to improve President Bush's image around the world,
especially in the Muslim world. Karen Hughes has worked as
Bush's advisor since his days as the Governor of Texas.
Hughes coordinated Bush's press relations, especially during
his election campaigns. After three years away from the
White House, Hughes started her first trip abroad in Egypt
and Saudi Arabia. Hughes' visit to Ankara and Istanbul is
mainly for the purpose of `listening and learning.' Karen
Hughes is a former TV correspondent and, with her powerful
voice, she is an expert in addressing the people. She is
very new, however, in the field of foreign policy and
diplomacy. Press members traveling with her didn't hesitate
to mention her inexperience. According to news given by the
traveling press, Hughes was given official notes to remind
her that `Turkey is a democratic state,' and `Egypt has the
biggest population in the region.' It was reflected in the
American press that, due to her lack of knowledge, she
couldn't answer the question of whether she was going to
meet with the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo. The Washington
Post wrote that Hughes was left speechless by the question,
then turned to her aid for help. Only after one of her
aides whispered in her ear was she able to respond that `we
will respect Egyptian law.' Hughes will reportedly meet
Religious Affairs Director Ali Bardakoglu and Patriarch
Bartholomew in Istanbul.
MCELDOWNEY

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