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 006829 
 
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, DECEMBER 8, 2004 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Ankara confused by heavy conditions in EU draft - Milliyet 
US advises Nicosia not to veto EU-Turkey talks - Hurriyet 
Netherlands puts PKK on list of terrorist organizations - 
Sabah 
CIA: Situation worsening in Iraq - Star 
Reserves flee US army - Aksam 
US Dollar hits bottom - Aksam 
Erdogan celebrates Turkish Jews' Hanukkah - Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Turkey, Russia take a new look at the Caucasus - Cumhuriyet 
Moscow worries about Chechens, Ankara about PKK - Cumhuriyet 
Turkish leadership to EU: No concessions - Yeni Safak 
German, French conservatives want `privileged partnership' 
for Turkey - Cumhuriyet 
Athens, Nicosia say second EU draft for Turkey talks 
`insufficient' - Radikal 
US warns Nicosia against vetoing Turkey - Zaman 
US conscripts `reluctant' to go to Iraq - Radikal 
Afghanistan's first president-elect Karzai takes office - 
Zaman 
US, China have aided Pinochet - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Turkey uneasy over new EU draft:  Ankara said on Tuesday 
that the European Union should open accession talks without 
setting any fresh conditions.  A statement from the 
presidency following a meeting of PM Erdogan, President 
Sezer, FM Gul and Chief of Staff General Ozkok noted that 
Turkey had already fulfilled the political conditions set by 
the European bloc.  The statement said that the EU must keep 
the commitment it made in 1999 to open full membership talks 
if Turkey met EU criteria on democracy, human rights and the 
rule of law.  The EU set out a series of tough conditions 
for Turkey, and warned that the process will take at least a 
decade and is not guaranteed to result in full EU 
membership.  A new draft warns that the EU must be sure it 
has the capacity to `absorb' Turkey before it can decide on 
admission. The latest version also underlines the need for 
the European Commission to monitor reforms by Turkey if it 
is granted a date for entry talks.  It also singles out 
torture as a key point of concern that should be closely 
monitored.  On Tuesday, FM Gul and Dutch European affairs 
minister Atzo Nikolai, whose country currently chairs the 
rotating EU presidency, discussed the draft in Ankara. 
Papers expect negotiations between Turkey and the EU on the 
final wording of the decision to continue until the very 
last moment at the December 17 summit in Brussels. 
 
Ankara discusses PKK, Chechens with Russians:  Russian 
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in Ankara on Tuesday 
that Russia is examining Turkish demands to put the 
separatist Kurdish group PKK on its list of terrorist 
organizations.  Ivanov also said he expects Ankara to back 
efforts to curb foreign support for Chechen separatists. 
Moscow has accused Ankara of failing to prevent Turkish 
nationals from joining and assisting Chechen rebel groups. 
During a landmark visit to Turkey on Monday, Russian 
President Vladimir Putin thanked Ankara for supporting 
Moscow's struggle against terrorism.  Ivanov said that 
Moscow expected further efforts from Turkey in capturing 
people suspected of backing Chechen separatists.  On the 
other hand, "Yeni Safak" claims on its front page that the 
two sides have agreed to take Russian oil to the 
Mediterranean via a pipeline to be built between Turkey's 
Black Sea province Samsun and Ceyhan, a coastal town in the 
south. 
No freedom for religious minorities in Turkey:  "Cumhuriyet" 
reports from Frankfurt, Germany about restrictions on 
religious freedom for Christians and Alevis in Turkey. 
Father Felix Korner, who preaches at the Jesuit St. Therese 
Church in Ankara, said police used to take photographs 
inside the church at prayer times in their search for 
`extraordinary' activities.  Churches have no legal status 
in Turkey, Korner said, and added that constitutional 
religious freedom was practically ineffective.  The head of 
the German Evangelical Church Council, Wolfgang Huber, 
pointed to the difficulties encountered by devout people of 
all religions in Turkey:  `Muslims in EU countries enjoy 
religious freedom, but Christians in Turkey do not,' Huber 
said, adding that Europe's biggest mosque had been built in 
Rotterdam, while not a single church has been built in 
Turkey for decades.  "Cumhuriyet" also cites Amnesty 
International (AI) as blaming the Turkish government for 
providing financial support exclusively to Turkey's Sunni 
Muslims.  `Other religions cannot speak their own languages, 
and are not allowed to build or repair their churches,' AI 
emphasized. 
 
Demonstrators protest prison conditions:  Turkish protesters 
demonstrating against prison conditions Tuesday clashed with 
police in Ankara.  Demonstrators threw stones at police, who 
used tear gas to disperse them.  Police detained 30 
protesters.  Under the so-called F-Type prison system 
approved in 2000, prison cells for one or three inmates 
replaced large dormitories where revolts and hostage-takings 
used to occur frequently. 
 
Russians complain about `Gulen schools':  At talks with 
Turkish officials during President Putin's visit to Ankara 
earlier this week, Russian officials complained to their 
Turkish counterparts about the schools established by 
Fettullah Gulen (Fettullah Hoca) in the Russian Federation 
and some Central Asian countries, "Cumhuriyet" reports.  The 
Russians claimed that the Gulen schools are carrying out 
Islamist, anti-Russian and Pan-Turkic propaganda, causing 
significant problems in the region, diplomatic sources told 
"Cumhuriyet."  Moscow has been trying various ways to 
restrict the activities of those schools, the paper claims. 
 
Minister Aksu denies claims of US help for PKK:  In response 
to a motion submitted by the opposition CHP, Interior 
Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said at the parliament on Tuesday 
that there is no evidence to verify claims that the US is 
helpin the outlawed PKK in northern Iraq.  Aksu added that 
he would not expect the US to act against Turkey's 
interests. 
 
US to deport PKK member:  The US is preparing to deport 
former PKK member Ibrahim Parlak, papers report.  Parlak had 
earlier served a prison term in Turkey on charges of killing 
two soldiers along Turkey's border with Syria in 1988.  When 
released, Parlak went to the US and applied for permanent 
residency status based on false statements.  A US court 
ordered Parlak arrested last July following a Turkish court 
decision to authorize a retrial. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Putin Visit, Criticizing the US 
"Close Relations With Russia, Cold Shoulder For the West" 
Sami Kohen observed in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (12/8): 
"Putin's visit to Turkey coincided with a period when Turkey- 
West relations are rather tense.  Turkey's warm stance 
toward Russia and distant position with regard to Europe and 
the US seems rather contradictory.  The anti-American 
atmosphere in Turkey, in particular, has come to the level 
that it could affect Turkish-American relations negatively. 
The most relevant factors here are the reactions to US 
policies in Iraq, especially Northern Iraq and the PKK. 
These reactions have spread from the streets to the AKP and 
other politicians.  Moreover, the latest `crisis' over the 
ecumenical nature of the Patriarchate has further increased 
negative feelings toward the US.  As December 17 approaches, 
there are also certain difficulties in turkey's relationship 
with Europe.  Although Putin's visit at this problematic 
time may comfort some in Turkey, one should never consider 
this as an alternative to existing relations with the West. 
Giving considering to `running away' from the west and 
moving in the direction of Russia' will not serve Turkey's 
interest.  Turkey's relations with Russia will be a plus 
only if they take place within the framework of Turkey's 
multi-dimensional foreign policy.  It was rather interesting 
that Putin implied in his remarks that Turkey's EU 
membership would not please Russia." 
 
"The Outcome of Putin's Visit" 
Yilmaz Oztuna observed in the conservative-mass appeal 
"Turkiye" (12/8):  "I would like to touch on a few political 
results of the Putin visit to Ankara.  The visit was truly 
historic, both in terms of its timing and its agenda.  Putin 
clearly signaled that Russia seeks an alliance with Turkey, 
especially against the US.  Turkey's requests in the 
economic field were expressed to Putin, and he promised to 
look into Turkey's concerns.  We consider even this promise 
as a positive step.  Turkey supports peace between 
Azerbaijan and Armenia.  Russia agreed to warn Armenia to 
withdraw from Azeri territory.  Turkey wants to become an EU 
member, but one that will have the best possible relations 
with Russia and the US.  A country need not break off good 
relations that already exist in order to build new strategic 
relationships." 
 
"As if the Truth Were not Enough" 
Kursad Bumin wrote in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak" 
(12/8):  "Yesterday I wrote about Ambassador Eric Edelman's 
comments to Murat Yetkin at "Radikal," in which the 
Ambassador complained about certain stores near the Ankara 
castle barring the entry of American customers.  In essence, 
I agree with the Ambassador.  This is not an appropriate way 
to protest US policies.  Not selling US goods in your store 
is one thing, but preventing customers of a particular 
nationality from entering smacks of discrimination.  Today I 
wanted to address another of the Ambassador's concerns - 
recent statements critical of the US operation in Fallujah, 
some of which included the word `genocide.'  Foreign 
Minister Gul has said that the Government does not share the 
view that there is genocide in Iraq.  The Minister's 
statement was on the mark.  Do we have to use the word 
`genocide' to explain and understand the evils of war? 
Isn't the reality of what is happening in Iraq enough for 
us?  Everyone knows that using the word `genocide' mixes 
things up.  Remember how we Turks can never use the phrase 
`Armenian genocide' without the qualifier `so-called.' 
Think of the amount of ink we have used to explain why a 
`forced deportation' that cost hundreds of thousands of 
Armenian lives should not be characterized as a `genocide.' 
What I want to say is this: regardless of what is motivating 
our actions or what goal we are trying to achieve, in the 
long run it doesn't do any good to move beyond the truth to 
try to create a new reality." 
 
EDELMAN