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 002969 
 
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, MAY 25, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Speaker Arinc in US for `Constructive' Ties - Milliyet 
Orthodox Church Sacks Jerusalem Patriarch - Milliyet 
Jerusalem Patriarch Irineos `Strung Up' in Istanbul - Aksam 
Huntington: Turkey Stands No Chance of Joining EU - Hurriyet 
Huntington: `Turkey Will Not Become EU Member' - Milliyet 
European Leaders Campaign for EU Constitution - Sabah 
French Communists, Fascists Join Forces Against EU 
Constitution - Milliyet 
Michael Rubin: Turkey is a Secular Nation - Sabah 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Orthodox Summit Sacks Jerusalem Patriarch Irineos I - 
Cumhuriyet 
Syria Cuts All Ties With CIA, Pentagon - Yeni Safak 
Al-Qaeda Says Zarkawi Wounded, Calls on Supporters to Pray - 
Zaman 
54 Percent of French Oppose EU Constitution - Zaman 
Amnesty International: US Tramples Human Rights - Cumhuriyet 
35 Killed in Suicide Bomb Attack in Tal Afar - Yeni Safak 
US Plans New Sanctions, Military Measures Against Damascus - 
Radikal 
Tehran Approves Reformist Presidential Candidates - Yeni 
Safak 
Karzai Returns to Kabul Empty-Handed - Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
White House Announces Bush-Erdogan Meeting:  The White House 
has announced the meeting between President Bush and Prime 
Minister Erdogan, "Milliyet" reports from Washington. 
`President Bush will welcome Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan 
to the White House on June 8, 2005.   This meeting will 
provide an opportunity to invigorate US-Turkish cooperation 
with respect to Turkey's European Union aspirations, and to 
strengthen our work together to advance freedom in Iraq and 
the Broader Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus,' 
the White House statement said.  "Milliyet" speculates that 
the two leaders will not hold a joint press event following 
the meeting. 
 
Turkish Parliament Speaker in US:  Turkish Parliament 
Speaker Bulent Arinc said Tuesday in New York that Turkey 
pays `great attention' to constructive relations between the 
`friendly and allied' parliaments of Turkey and the United 
States, papers report.  Arinc said that in Washington, he 
will meet US House of Representatives Speaker Dennis 
Hastert, members of the Turkey Congressional Study Group, 
Turkish-American Association representatives, and Jewish- 
American groups.  Arinc's call on the US Congress will be 
the first by a Turkish parliament speaker, reports note. 
Arinc is later to meet Turkish and American businessmen in 
Chicago. 
 
Whitfield to Lead US Delegation to Turkey, North Cyprus: 
Representative Ed Whitfield will lead a delegation to 
northern Cyprus next week in an effort to show support for 
the Turkish Cypriots and improve US ties with Turkey, the 
Associated Press (AP) reported.  Whitfield, co-chairman of 
the Congressional Turkey Caucus, will fly directly to 
northern Cyprus with two other congressmen from Turkey, 
where the delegation is scheduled to meet with government 
and military officials.  The trip is a step toward ending 
the isolation of the Turkish Cyprus, and marks the first 
time US congressmen have flown directly into northern Cyprus 
since the 1980s, said Thomas Weston, former US special 
coordinator for Cyprus. 
 
Sezer in Baku to Attend Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline 
Inauguration:  President Ahmet Necdet Sezer traveled to 
Baku, Azerbaijan Tuesday to attend the inauguration ceremony 
for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which will carry 
Caspian oil to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.  The 
BTC pipeline will take Caspian oil to world markets 
bypassing Russia, Turkish papers comment.  In Baku, Sezer 
met with Georgian President Saakashvili and Azerbaijani 
leader Aliyev.  Sezer said at the meeting with Saakashvili 
that an announcement will be made on Thursday concerning the 
Kars (Turkey)-Akhaltsikhe (Georgia)-Baku railway project. 
Another agreement will be signed on Wednesday for the 
transportation of Kazakh oil through BTC.  Turkish Energy 
Minister Hilmi Guler, who accompanied Sezer to Baku, said 
that the first oil pumped from Baku will reach Turkey's 
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in September 2005.  Turkey will 
earn some 250 million USD annually once the BTC starts 
functioning at full capacity, Guler said.  Guler is expected 
to meet US Secretary of Energy Samuel Boldman while in Baku. 
 
Babacan Appointed Chief Turkish Negotiator for EU Talks: 
Prime Minister Erdogan has appointed Economy Minister Ali 
Babacan as Turkey's chief negotiator for its European Union 
entry talks.  Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the 
membership talks would mostly cover economic matters, and he 
expressed confidence that Babacan would serve successfully. 
Hansjoerg Kretschmer, head of the European Commission 
Delegation to Turkey, said Babacan had been successful in 
relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and 
predicted he will be successful in the EU talks as well. 
Kretschmer noted that Babacan will need the support of 
Erdogan and the cooperation of all Turkish ministers. 
Turkey's elite business grouping TUSIAD also voiced 
satisfaction with the appointment of Babacan as chief 
negotiator. 
 
Armenian Conference Called Off Following Criticism From 
Government:  Bogazici University in Istanbul called off a 
conference organized by a group of academics and journalists 
who dispute aspects of Turkey's `official view' concerning 
claims of the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 
from 1915-17.  Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish Justice Minister 
and Government Spokesman Cemil Cicek had earlier accused the 
conference organizers of `stabbing Turkey in the back.' 
`Universities are free and autonomous,' Cicek said, `but 
they also must be responsible.' Opposition CHP deputy Sukru 
Elekdag called the conference a `treacherous' project aimed 
at disseminating Armenian propaganda.  The conference 
organizers had said in a press statement that it was time 
for Turkey's academics and intellectuals to raise voices to 
dispute the official position on the Armenian killings. 
`The expression of critical and alternative opinions will 
show how rich in pluralist thinking the Turkish nation is,' 
the statement said.  Professor Murat Belge, an academic and 
liberal commentator for the Turkish daily "Radikal," 
strongly criticized Minister Cicek, saying that the Turks 
must choose between a Turkey where dissenting voices are 
silenced by force, and a Turkey that seeks to take part in 
the civilized and democratic world.  `It is worrying that 
someone like Cemil Cicek walks around as the Minister of 
Justice in this country,' Belge said. 
 
Orthodox Church Synod Sacks Jerusalem Patriarch:  At a 
meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday, Orthodox Church leaders 
dismissed Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Patriarch, Irineos I, 
from office over charges that he was involved in a 
multimillion-dollar sale of church land in the Palestinian 
area of east Jerusalem to Jewish businessmen.  `The 
Jerusalem Patriarch has been dismissed by all Orthodox 
Churches,' the Metropolitan of Jerusalem, Kesarios Asilios 
told the press after the meeting.  Some 50 far-right Turkish 
nationalists protested at against the Istanbul Orthodox 
Church meeting, condemning Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew 
I for setting up an `independent court' on Turkish soil. 
The protesters claimed the meeting was part of an effort by 
the Patriarchate to establish `a second Vatican' in Turkey. 
 
`Special Operation Teams' Against the PKK:  "Sabah" reports 
from Diyarbakir that 
village guards have been summoned to duty once again. 
Formed in 1985 to support teh security forces' fight against 
the outlawed PKK, the civilian paramilitary units were to be 
dissolved after the terrorist activities in southeastern 
Turkey diminished.  Following a rise of terror in the 
Uludere and Beytussabap rural areas of Turkey's mainly 
Kurdish Hakkari and Sirnak provinces, the village guards 
have been once again called on to join `Special Operation 
Teams,' which will help Turkish military units in operations 
against the PKK, "Sabah" reports. 
 
Constitutional Court Objects to DEHAP Closure: 
Constitutional Court Rapporteur Osman Can argued against a 
demand filed by the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of 
Cassation (Yargitay) for the closure of pro-Kurdish DEHAP 
for alleged involvement in fraud and separatist activities, 
"Milliyet" reports.  Can argued that the closure of DEHAP 
would be a violation of Turkish laws allowing the right of 
association. 
 
PKK Kills Turkish Troops, Village Guards:  A sergeant, a 
private, and two village guards were killed by PKK militants 
on Wednesday morning when their military vehicle was 
ambushed in Gercus, Batman.  An operation has been launched 
in the area to catch the terrorists, the semi-official 
Anatolian News Agency (AA) reported. 
 
Huntington Advises Turkey to Draw Closer to Muslim World: 
Professor Samuel Huntington told CNN Turk on Tuesday that 
Turkey should turn its back on Europe and forge closer ties 
with its Muslim neighbors.  `Turkey will not enter the EU, 
because the Europeans don't want Turkey.  Therefore, the 
Europeans will do everything they can in order to keep 
Turkey out of the EU,' Huntington said.  Huntington advised 
Turkey to return to its Muslim identity and leave fanatical 
secularism behind. 
 
Official Study Shows 19.5 Million Turks Under Poverty Line: 
Turkish papers cite `Poverty Study Report 2003' issued by 
the State Statistics Institute (DIE) showing 28 percent of 
Turkey's population (i.e., 19.5 million Turks) living below 
the poverty line.  37.13 percent of Turks living in rural 
areas are poor, and 36.70 percent of the population is 
economically inactive, according to the survey.  22.3 
percent of Turks living in cities, and 37.13 percent living 
in rural areas are below the poverty level, according to the 
report.  "Cumhuriyet" emphasizes that the DIE study shows 
that IMF programs for Turkey lacked a social dimension. 
 
Two Turkish Drivers Killed in Iraq:  Two Turkish drivers 
were killed in their fuel tanker when they came under attack 
in Bayji, north of Baghdad, on Tuesday.  The identities of 
the drivers were not immediately available. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq; US-Turkey 
 
"The Latest Situation in Iraq" 
Mete Cubukcu wrote in the leftist "Birgun" (5/25):  "Reports 
of violence in Iraq have now become routine news.  Many 
people have no idea about the situation there, and it is not 
possible to get a clear understanding of the impact of the 
US occupation, the insurgency, and the stability of the 
country.  The problem stems from the censorship imposed by 
US forces, closed media offices, punished journalists, and 
in some cases even killed them.  Iraq is now a country 
without a real media, so no healthy news flow is available. 
Moreover, the insurgents indirectly work in collaboration 
with the occupation forces by kidnapping or killing 
journalists.  . From the economic perspective, the US still 
couldn't get what it is after, as it can still not operate 
many of the oil refineries in Iraq.  Attacks on the 
pipelines since March 2003 have caused losses of 8 billion 
dollars.  Because the US has failed to establish security in 
Iraq, the protection of construction sites is also 
impossible.  This has increased the cost of reconstruction 
by 16 percent.  Almost 1,700 US soldiers have lost their 
lives in Iraq, but by military standards this number is not 
too high.  The US public seems remarkably undisturbed by 
these numbers.  Almost 500 civilians lost their lives during 
the past month.  Although attacks by the insurgents, led by 
Zarkavi, are not something to defend, many people still 
believe that the brutality of the occupation is the reason 
for the Zarkavi-style resistance.  One can say that, for the 
time being, the US is not sinking in a swamp on the scale of 
Vietnam, but certainly the US is not sailing in smooth 
waters either.  The occupation forces are unable to see the 
future, and they don't seem to have a plan.  The inhuman 
cost of the occupation increases with every passing day." 
 
"Why the US Mistrusts Turkey" 
Kamuran Ozbir wrote in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (5/25): 
"During the Bush administration's campaign to gain 
international support for the immediate implementation of 
UNSC resolution 1559, it received positive responses from 
the international community, including the EU and the Arab 
world.  Yet Ankara failed to give a timely response or to 
shape a clear stance on the issue.  Statements praising the 
Damascus regime and a state visit by president Sezer took 
place in the midst of the US campaign to isolate the Syrian 
regime.  This undoubtedly has created a negative impression 
of Turkey in Washington.  American officials, at least 
privately, characterize the Turkish government's position on 
number of important issues as `stumbling.'  There are 
conflicting priorities between the two countries.  The 
Americans admit that the Iraq issue has accelerated the 
spread of anti-Americanism in Turkey, but they can only 
offer more dialogue as a solution.  Turkey's concerns about 
the PKK have not been properly addressed.  In response to 
Ankara's concerns about the PKK, the US continually explains 
its problems and limitations.  Washington's message on this 
issue is to be patient.  On the other hand, Turkey and the 
US seem to share similar ideas about the status of Kirkuk. 
Both countries stand against any change to the status of 
Kirkuk by force. . In general, the bilateral relationship is 
going through a period of turbulence.  The deterioration in 
bilateral ties requires some positive steps for improvement. 
Otherwise, relations will enter into a more critical and 
even an irreparable phase.  Improvement is only possible 
with a strong will and desire on both sides.  Currently, 
there seem to be some positive signs that this is happening, 
at least on the government-to-government level." 
 
EDELMAN