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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005453 
 
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, 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Turkey's critical appointment with the EU - Aksam 
Erdogan's day of persuasion in Brussels - Hurriyet 
Turkey locked on to Erdogan's Brussels meetings - Sabah 
HRW: Torture continues in Turkey - Aksam 
`Dr. Microbe' to be released - Hurriyet 
Zarkawi's right hand man, al-Shami, killed - Milliyet 
Iraqi insurgents attack Abu-Ghraib - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Erdogan to try to persuade EU leaders - Yeni Safak 
US treats Yusuf Islam like a terrorist - Zaman 
Blood bath in Baghdad: 27 killed - Zaman 
Iraqi government set to release two Iraqi weapons experts - 
Radikal 
NATO to expand role in Iraq - Zaman 
Iraq's new Turkey envoy presents credentials to Sezer - Yeni 
Safak 
HRW: Torture widespread in Turkey - Cumhuriyet 
Sharon threatens Arafat with assassination - Cumhuriyet 
American women favor Bush over Kerry - Radikal 
Moscow arrests the head of `Black Widows' - Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
PM Erdogan in Brussels to ease EU concerns over adultery: 
PM Erdogan will try to persuade EU officials today in 
Brussels that there are no problems with Turkey's penal code 
reform, which has stalled in the Parliament, in a bid to 
ease EU concerns ahead of the October 6 EU Commission report 
on Turkey's candidacy.  Erdogan said before departing for 
Brussels that he was going to `ensure that the EU agrees to 
open talks with Turkey without delay at the EU December 
summit.'  Justice Minister Cemil Cicek and State Minister 
for Religious Affairs Mehmet Aydin accompanied Erdogan to 
Brussels.  Papers believe that the report will offer a 
conditional recommendation, making it less likely that the 
25 EU leaders will agree to open talks at the December 
summit.  The papers say the AKP is split over criminalizing 
adultery, with Erdogan taking the side of the hardliners. 
`Erdogan's insistence on outlawing adultery has damaged 
Turkey's image in the EU,' mainstream dailies report. 
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a strong supporter of 
Turkish EU entry, said on Wednesday he believed Turkey would 
continue its reforms and was unlikely to introduce a ban on 
adultery.  The European Commission has said it cannot 
recommend the start of entry talks with Ankara before the 
revised penal code is approved.  Schroeder said Germany 
would back starting talks with Turkey if the Commission 
produced a positive report.  `The negotiations will last a 
very long time, and may take around 10 to 15 years,' he 
said.  European Commission President-designate Jose Manuel 
Barroso said on Wednesday that Turkey `does not yet meet the 
criteria' to join the European bloc.  In Brussels, Erdogan 
will meet with EU expansion chief Verheugen at noon today, 
and will then talk with European Parliament Chairman 
Borrell.  Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Bulent Aric is 
expected to wait to see the outcome of Erdogan's meetings in 
Brussels before deciding whether to call the parliament back 
into session before its scheduled opening on October 1. 
 
FM Gul in New York:  On Wenesday, FM Abdullah Gul attended 
the opening of the 59th UN General Assembly in New York. 
Gul is lobbying in New York to get a temporary seat for 
Turkey on the UN Security Council.  He is also seeking 
support for ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. 
The Turkish FM met yesterday with his Israeli counterpart, 
Silvan Shalom.  Shalom conveyed to Gul Israeli PM Sharon's 
invitation for PM Erdogan to visit Israel at the earliest 
opportunity.  Shalom also told Gul that Tel Aviv would send 
a delegation to Turkey to brief Ankara regarding recent 
developments in the Middle East peace process. 
 
Turkish truckers killed in Iraq:  Two Turkish truck drivers, 
Cuma Yilmaz and Mehmet Atatan, were shot dead around Mosul 
on Tuesday while en route to Turkey.  Atatan, a trucker from 
the southeast Turkish province Gaziantep, was reportedly 
carrying potable water for US troops at Mosul Airport. 
Turkish dailies say that the Turkish government has not yet 
taken a clear position in the face of the killings and 
abductions in Iraq.  On Wednesday, State Minister Kursad 
Tuzmen said it was `significant' that attacks against Turks 
and Turkish companies in Iraq have recently intensified. 
Tuzmen implied that the attacks and abductions may have been 
incited by other countries that are uneasy with Turkey's 
presence in the Iraqi market, "Radikal" reports.  `Iraq has 
become a new Beirut, a new Lebanon,' Tuzmen said. 
 
Human rights group criticizes Turkey:  Human Rights Watch 
(HRW) said in an evaluation of Turkey that despite sweeping 
reforms, torture and mistreatment of detainees continues in 
the country.  HRW Europe and Central Asia Director Holly 
Cartner said in Brussels Wednesday that the Turkish 
government's official declaration of `zero tolerance' for 
torture had been a significant step, but complained that 
implementation was `weak.'  Only effective controls will 
prevent torture,' Cartner said.  The HRW report also noted 
that Turkish detainees are frequently denied their right to 
legal counsel while in custody. 
 
Yusuf Islam denied entry to the US:  Turkish papers carry 
detailed coverage of Yusuf Islam, the pop singer formerly 
known as Cat Stevens, being denied entry into the US on a 
flight from London to Dulles International Airport in 
Washington.  "Hurriyet" reports that the Council on American- 
Islamic Relations (CAIR) criticized the decision, saying it 
sent a disturbing message that moderate Muslims would be 
treated like terrorists.  `America is afraid of Yusuf 
Islam,' says a headline in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni 
Safak." 
 
Greek Patriarchate awaits a response from Ankara:  The Greek 
Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul said that Ankara has not 
responded to its several applications for the reopening of 
Halki Seminary, which has been kept closed since 1971.  The 
Patriarchate press office on Wednesday complained about a 
lack of dialogue with Ankara on the issue, and called for an 
official response to their inquiries. 
 
 
EDITORIALS 
 
"Puzzling Attacks on Turkish Drivers in Iraq" 
Cengiz Candar wrote in the conservative-sensational "DB 
Tercuman" (9/23):  "A Turkish taxi driver who drives between 
Diyarbakir and Zakho called me the other day to say that 
around 30 Turkish truck drivers have been killed in Mosul. 
Many other Turkish drivers entering Iraq through Habur 
border gate are complaining about the killings and demanding 
security measures for their safety.  I asked the taxi driver 
who he is expecting would take such measures - the Turkish 
Government, the US, or Barzani?  His answer was that the 
first responsibility lay with Barzani.  He added that Arabs 
and some Turkmen were carrying out these attacks.  Turkish 
Foreign Ministry recently drew attention to the systematic 
killing of Turkish drivers, implying the presence of 
powers that don't want Turkish interference in Iraq.  The 
Foreign Ministry implied that the deterioration in the 
Turkish-American relationship has led to these problems.  It 
is still an open question who is behind the violence and 
terror in Iraq and what is motivating it.  It is not 
satisfactory to say that it is the Iraqi resistance fighting 
against the American occupation.  Why should the resistance 
attack Turks?  Besides, the resistance in Tal Afar were 
Shiite-Turkmen who claimed to belong to Ansar-Al Islam.  As 
a branch of Al-Qaeda, what is Ansar-Al Islam doing among the 
Shiite-Turkmen population in Tal Afar?  Yesterday's 
"Financial Times" reported that Turkey has not been able to 
determine a policy for Iraq, and was unable to control 
developments there.  Therefore, Turkey is being dragged 
along by events to which it can only react.  According to 
Turkish MFA evaluations, Iran is a suspect.  If that is the 
case, why is Foreign Minister Gul giving priority to 
cooperation with Iran and Syria each time Iraq becomes an 
issue?  If one motivation behind the attacks against Turkish 
targets is to create a rift between Turkey and the US, why 
did the Turkish FM imply that Turkey may stop cooperating 
with the US in Iraq?  Iraqi PM Allavi had been scheduled to 
come to Turkey two weeks ago.  Why didn't he come?  When 
will he come?  Iraq is still a huge puzzle.  But it is no 
mystery that Turkey has become very ineffective in Iraq." 
 
"Last Tango in Brussels" 
Derya Sazak commented in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (9/23): 
"PM Erdogan is going to Brussels for the last tango. 
Adultery or the EU?  If it hadn't been for the AKP's efforts 
to add adultery as a crime to the Turkish Penal Code, PM 
Erdogan's Brussels visit would have been more like a holiday 
than an official visit.  Because the EU Commission had 
already prepared its report and, on October 6, would have 
recommended that Turkey begin accession negotiations in 
¶2005.  AKP's insistence on the adultery provision destroyed 
this plan.  After two and a half years of determined 
efforts, PM Erdogan, by his own hand, has pushed the EU 
project to the brink.  Some columnists warned the PM that if 
he insists on the adultery issue during his discussions in 
Brussels, it will be a big mistake.  If the Turkish Penal 
Code is not passed by the parliament before October 6 
without the adultery issue, there will likely be some new 
conditions for starting negotiations.  During the last tango 
in Brussels, the Prime Minister shouldn't play with Turkey's 
destiny".  EDELMAN