Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

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SIPDIS

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, NOVEMBER 3, 2006

In Today's Papers

Buyukanit Visits Greece
All papers comment that the warm reception given to visiting Turkish
General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit in Greece was an
extension of the positive ties established between the Turkish and
Greek politicians. General Buyukanit, in Athens as the official
guest of his Greek counterpart Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis, said
yesterday after meeting with the Greek Defense Minister Evangelos
Meymarakis that his talks had been "very positive." "The problems
between the two countries should be discussed. This is not a sign
of weakness but self-confidence. The peoples of the two countries
keep a close eye on us. We need friendship, not enmity," Buyukanit
emphasized. He said the struggle against illegal migration was also
discussed, adding that he proposed closer cooperation to Greek
officials on this "human tragedy" posing a significant threat to
Europe. Responding to a question, Buyukanit said debates based on
race and ethnicity were a "disgrace" for Turkey in the 21st century.
Papers also report that the Turkish and Greek delegations agreed at
talks yesterday on "a regulation of confidence-building measures" to
be submitted to the foreign ministries in both countries, in an
effort to reduce the strains in the Aegean.

Finnish Attempt to Hold a Cyprus Summit Fails
Hurriyet, MIlliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others
report the EU term president Finland announced it had given up plans
for holding a summit meeting with Turkey and the Greek and Turkish
Cypriots on November 5-6 in Helsinki, just ahead of a crucial EU
progress report on Turkey to be released November 8. Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul said on his return from Moscow yesterday that
he believed the parties did not want to participate in the talks.
"Turkey has supported the Finnish efforts from the very beginning.
We will be glad if the EU assists the efforts for a solution, but
the problem should be dealt with through the UN," Gul maintained.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan told his Finnish counterpart Matti
Vanhanen that Gul would not take part in a meeting not attended by
Greece. "So far there have only been rumors about the Finnish
plan," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey needed to see a blueprint
before announcing its views about the proposal. Meanwhile, papers
quote Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis as saying, "The paradoxical
politics of the non-recognition of one EU member state by another
candidate state cannot continue forever."

Greek Cypriots Want 'Education Blockade' on Turkish Cyprus
Radikal reports the Greek Cypriots have launched lobbying efforts
against San Diego State University for sending its 26 students and
four fellows to the East Mediterranean University in Turkish Cyprus
for a six-week program. Lashing out at San Diego State University
for cooperating with an "illegal" school, the Greek Cypriots are
expected to apply to international courts in an effort to put an
"education blockade" to prevent Turkish Cyprus universities carrying
out exchange programs with other universities. The Rector of the
East Mediterranean University, Professor Halil Guven said the Greek
Cypriot campaign was "disgraceful".

Paper: Iraqi PM to Visit Turkey November 12
Cumhuriyet speculates that the actual reaon behind the cancellation
of a visit by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to Turkey
earlier in October was not the excuse offered at the time -- a
"sandstorm at the Baghdad Airport" - but that the Kurds and
Americans believed that al-Maliki would make pledges during his
talks with the Turks. Concerned that Turkey might demand the right
of hot pursuit of the PKK terrorists, US Ambassador Khalilzad asked
al-Maliki to put off his visit to Turkey. After giving guarantees
that he would make no commitments for cross-border incursions
without the consent of the Kurdish groups and the US, the Iraqi PM,
accompanied by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zabari and the Iraqi
anti-PKK envoy Shirvan al-Wailily, is expected to visit Turkey on
November 12-13.

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Editorial Commentary on US Midterm Elections and Iraq
Haluk Ulman, commenting in the economic-political daily Dunya, notes
that the situation in Iraq is at the center of the US mid-term
election campaigns: "The upcoming US Congressional election has
become the most debated topic in America, with Iraq at the center of
the discussion. The fate of Iraq and whether or not the US will be
able to make up for its Iraq failure is going to be the major thing
shaping the decision of the voters. Unlike the 2004 presidential
elections, when nobody questioned Bush's policy for Iraq and
supported the war against terrorism, Washington's Iraq policy and
the growing terrorist incidents there have become the main concern
of the voters. It is also interesting that the Bush administration
managed to hide the facts about Iraq from the very beginning by
manipulating the media and through the war-mongering lobbies. There
was always a rosy picture presented to the American public about
Iraq. In the end, the failure in Iraq reached such a colossal level
it was impossible to hide anything anymore."

YIMPAS Irregularities
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal and others: Today's papers report that
PM Erdogan, FM Gul, Deputy PM Abdullatif Sener and Mehmet Ali Sahin
have all come out to criticize parties trying to link Yimpas -- an
Islamic-oriented company whose funds allegedly ended up in the bank
accounts of private individuals -- with the AKP government. Radikal
and other papers quoted FM Gul as saying, "Just because we were at
the same funeral with the Yimpas chairman Dursun Uyar does not mean
we are linked to them. There are judges and prosecutors in Turkey
and they need to do what's necessary. I don't have the power to
declare a person innocent or guilty. Yet, some people are implying
that we are protecting these individuals." Milliyet reports that
Dogan Cansizlar, head of the Capital Markets Board (SPK), said that
in December 2003, SPK had prepared a draft, holding officials of
Islamic companies personally responsible for the funds collected
from shareholders. The government however has declined to undertake
any moves to put the draft into effect. Cansizlar added that SPK
had filed 17 cases against Yimpas Holding and its president Dursun
Uyar. Six of the complaints have dropped from agenda in line with
an amnesty passed by the government and others have been dismissed
under a statue of limitations.

Poll: One-Third of Youngsters Want Reforms in Religion
Sabah carries a survey which shows that even seven percent of
youngsters who describe themselves as "very pious" regularly drink
alcoholic beverages whereas 79.3 percent of the same group said they
drink occasionally. More than half of the youngsters, 54.2 percent,
want religious classes in schools to be compulsory whereas 41.4
percent disagree. One third, 31 percent, of the youngsters think
religions could be reformed according to the requirements of modern
times, with 42.1 percent saying religions should not undergo changes
at all. The survey was commissioned by Sabah and TNS-Piar polling
company.

TV Highlights
NTV (8 a.m.)

Domestic News

- Eleven people were killed in the southeastern province of Batman
following the torrential floods on Wednesday evening after 17 were
killed in floods in the neighboring Diyarbakir province in the last
two days. The death toll rose to 34 with another person missing in
the Mediterranean city of Mersin.

- On Thursday, a man fired a gun in front of the Italian Consulate
in Istanbul to protest against Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey later
this month. The 26-year-old Ibrahim Ak said after he was detained,
"I did what every Muslim has do to. The Pope will not come to
Turkey, but if he does he will see what will happen to him."

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- Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the "honor
killing" of a pregnant girl by her brother in the eastern city of
Van.

- The Ankara Prosecutor's Office has rejected a request for the
closure of the gay association "Pink Life," saying such a move would
amount to a violation of human rights.

International News

- Ten Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed
yesterday in the heaviest fighting in Gaza since Israel pulled back
last year.

- Hamas demands that Israel release some 400 Palestinian women and
minors if it wanted the release of the abducted Israeli Corporal
Gilad Shalit.

- The US military said American forces killed an al-Qaeda chieftain
in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi by destroying his car with a
laser guided bomb.

- President Bush said he wants Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President
Cheney to remain in his administration until the end of his term in
the White House.

- Iran has awarded a Moroccan artist the top prize in an exhibition
of cartoons on the Holocaust, meant to be a response to the Danish
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked rage among Muslims
around the world.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON

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