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 007498 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2005 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Wednesday, December 21, 2005 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Iraqi Sunnis Reject Election Results - Hurriyet 
Debate Continues on Folklore Costumes - Hurriyet 
Freedom House Report: Turkey is the only `Partly-Free' 
Country in Europe - Sabah 
PKK Crisis in NATO - Milliyet 
Defense Minister Gonul: We Cannot Launch Cross Border 
Operations - Milliyet 
TUSIAD Criticizes the Government - Aksam 
Al-Qaeda Members Istanbul Bombing Trial Begins - Vatan 
Businessmen Do Not Want Early Elections - Turkiye 
The Big Bosses Stand Against Early Elections - Zaman 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
President and TUSIAD Urged Government to Drop Election 
Threshold - Radikal 
Ian Lesser: "Turkey-US Relation's Main Agenda is Iran" - 
Cumhuriyet 
Sezer Issues First Warning about the Economy - Yeni Safak 
Military's Warnings Ignored Regarding the Sale of Land to 
Foreigners - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Turkish Businessmen Say No to Early Election, Yes to Penal 
Code Reform:  All papers extensively covered the remarks 
from Turkish business leaders against holding early 
elections despite the opposition party's desire for them. 
During a meeting of the Turkish Industrialist and 
Businessmen Association (TUSIAD) in Ankara, featuring 
President Sezer as the honored guest, businessmen Koc and 
Sabanci delivered sharp messages about the need to lower the 
election threshold and called for more efforts to eliminate 
parts of the penal code which might be obstacles to freedom 
of expression.  Omer Sabanci, president of TUSIAD, noted the 
lack of determination toward implementing these reforms.  He 
also stressed the need for political responsibility to deal 
with law suits such as those filed against writer Orhan 
Pamuk, journalist Hirant Dink and others.  Papers noted that 
President Sezer was especially supportive of the need to 
lower the election threshold. 
 
Papers also observed that instead of holding talks with the 
TUSIAD board, Prime Minister Erdogan received members of the 
"Independent Industrialist and Businessmen Association" 
(MUSIAD), a group of businessmen with strong Islamist 
leanings. 
 
Danish Ambassadors Call for Rasmussen to be Sensitive on 
Islam:  "Zaman" carried a front-page story highlighting a 
joint declaration from 22 former Danish Ambassadors 
criticizing Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen for supporting 
cartoons insulting the Muslim prophet Mohammad. The 
ambassadors have stressed that freedom cannot be abused to 
fight the beliefs of minorities.  Carrying excerpts from the 
Danish daily "Politiken" which published the declaration, 
"Zaman"  also noted that Ambassador Hans Henrik Bruun, 
Danish Ambassador to Turkey in 1987,  was among the signers. 
 
Back to July 2003 Suleymaniye:  "Hurriyet" daily front-paged 
an interview with British national Michael Todd who was 
taken into custody along with Turkish special forces during 
an operation by US forces in Suleymaniye, northern Iraq, in 
¶2003.  Recounting his memories, Todd gave some details on 
who interrogated them and how they were treated.  He also 
gave a copy of his "Evidence/Property Custody Document" 
report to "Hurriyet".  Furthermore, a "Hurriyet" columnist 
Yalcin Dogan commented that the Suleymaniye incident was a 
vindictive response by the Pentagon and the US to the 
Turkish parliament's March 1, 2003, refusal to allow 
American troops through Turkey in support of the war in 
Iraq. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  US-Turkish Relations; NATO 
 
"The US' New Agenda for Turkey" 
Sami Kohen commented in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" 
(12/21):  "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the 
US-Turkey relationship as `a very important strategic 
partnership' at the swearing-in ceremony for Ambassador 
Wilson.  This characterization indicates the renewed 
importance the Bush Administration is placing on Turkey two- 
and-a-half years after the March 1 crisis.  An experienced 
diplomat, Ambassador Wilson his assumed his duties with this 
new understanding.  As the Ambassador stressed at a lunch 
with business leaders in Istanbul earlier this week, the 
problems of the 21st century necessitate a modernization of 
the US-Turkey relationship.  It is not good enough `just to 
have good relations,' he said.  `The relationship must also 
produce results.'  What is the way to achieve these results? 
First of all, by trying to resolve those problems that have 
had negative affects on the relationship by working 
together.  The new agenda, in summary, is as follows: 
increasing bilateral high-level visits and dialogue; 
establishing cooperation on Iraq's political future and the 
PKK presence there;  continued cooperation and exchanges of 
views on Syria and Iran;  continued support for Turkey's EU 
process; support for efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue; 
helping Turkey to implement economic and political reforms. 
In short, it seems that Ambassador Wilson is determined to 
set the US-Turkey relationship on a more realistic and 
pragmatic footing.  If there is going to be a strategic 
partnership between the US and Turkey, the problems which 
have bedeviled that relationship so far must be turned into 
new areas of cooperation." 
 
"NATO's New Mission" 
Kamuran Ozbir wrote in the nationalist "Ortadogu" (12/21): 
"I would like to highlight NATO Secretary General Scheffer's 
remarks that `NATO is not a police force for the world.  But 
if any of its member countries believe it is necessary, or 
if any foreign country asks for NATO support, then we have 
to act.'  I believe that in the 21st century NATO must 
undertake new roles and missions.  At the moment, NATO is in 
search of a new identity.  NATO's duties have increased when 
compared with the cold war era, because the kinds of threats 
faced by the alliance have changed since then.  Problems are 
no longer only military, but have economic, political, and 
social dimensions as well.  NATO continues its out-of-area 
operations, from the Balkans to Afghanistan, from Sudan to 
Pakistan.  Scheffer stressed during his visit to Turkey that 
the real goal of NATO remains the common security of its 
member states.  But this basic concept can be modified from 
time to time due to new threats, such as terrorism, that may 
arise in countries far away.  Sometimes NATO has intervened 
to address these threats (as in Afghanistan), and other 
times it has not (as in Iraq).  NATO currently has 26 
members, but if we count NATO partner countries this number 
climbs to 53.  Is it necessary and desirable to expand the 
alliance to this extent?  This will be the most hotly 
debated issue at the NATO summit in 2008." WILSON