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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 000116 
 
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, JANUARY 6, 2006 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Sharon Fights for Life - Milliyet 
Bulldozer's Last Fight - Hurriyet 
Gul: We Pray for Sharon - Hurriyet 
Gul: I Share Israelis' Grievances - Aksam 
Sharon's Exit from Politics Opens a New Page in Middle East 
- Vatan 
Ahmadinejad: I Hope Sharon Dies - Vatan 
Erakat: Sharon's Death Will Bring More Bloodshed - Sabah 
Stage Left to `Bibi' after Sharon - Hurriyet 
Jack Straw to Visit Turkish Cyprus - Sabah 
Karzai Appreciates Turkey's Fight against Terror, 
Fundamentalism - Milliyet 
Bloodiest Day in Iraq after Elections:150 Killed - Tercuman 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Sharons Last War - Yeni Safak 
Gul: Sharon Took Bold Steps Forward for Peace - Radikal 
US, EU Concerned Over Sharon's Condition - Radikal 
Sharon in Coma, Radical Jews Celebrate - Zaman 
Gul's Israel Visit Overcast by Sharon's Illness - Zaman 
Gul: Middle East Peace Process Must Continue - Yeni Safak 
Heavy Death Toll in Iraq: 181 Killed in Attacks - Cumhuriyet 
Gitmo Inmates Will be Moved to Afghanistan - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Gul Visits Israel for Erez Industrial Zone Agreement: 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and his Israeli counterpart 
Silvan Shalom signed in Jerusalem a memorandum of 
understanding (MOU) regarding the reestablishment of Erez 
Industrial Zone, Turkish papers report.  At the signing 
ceremony, Gul wished Sharon a quick recovery, stressing that 
the Israeli PM took some bold steps on the way to lasting 
peace.  'I share the Israeli people's grievances.  We hope 
that the current term will be quiet for both sides and that 
the process of peace will continue without obstacles,' Gul 
said.  Gul noted that the project on Erez Industrial Zone 
will contribute to security in the region, and added: 'I 
expect investors from all around the world to come to Erez. 
Exports from this zone will enter the European Union and 
United States without customs fees. This is a great 
opportunity.'  The Erez zone will be administered by the 
Turkish Union of Chambers (TOBB.)  Sharon's grave health 
condition required the cancellation of the scheduled meeting 
between Gul and the Israeli acting PM Ehud Olmert.  Papers 
report that Gul had conveyed to Shalom Palestinian demands 
regarding January 25 elections, and the concerns over an 
Israeli archaeological project near the Holy Mosque in 
Jerusalem.  Gul, in response to Shalom's worries that Hamas 
may win the polls in Palestine, said that democracy should 
be given a chance in the efforts to bring an end to violence 
in the region, say reports.  Shalom reportedly said to Gul 
that Iran's nuclear aspirations harmed the stability in the 
region, and warned the Turkish FM that a possible visit by 
Iran's Ahmadinejad to Turkey could harm the ties between 
Turkey and Israel. 
 
 
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Gul on Iraq:  A commentary in "Radikal" says that Foreign 
Minister Gul said Iraq will be the top issue of discussion 
during the prospective visits to Turkey by British Foreign 
Secretary Straw and US Secretary of State Rice.  'Despite 
 
SIPDIS 
the impression, based on our latest efforts, that we have 
ties only with the Sunnis in Iraq, Turkey has maintained 
contact with all groups there.  In the coming days, 
important figures from Iraq will pay visits to Turkey. 
Turkey supports a broad coalition government in Iraq,' Gul 
said. 
 
Turkish Security Meeting Discusses Iraq, Iran, Cyprus:  At a 
meeting on Monday, government leaders and top army officials 
discussed scenarios that might unfold after a possible 
pullout of US troops from Iraq, "Milliyet" reports.  Turkish 
officials agreed that a premature US pullout may open the 
path to the partition of Iraq.  With regard to US pressures 
on Iran, the gathering stressed that Turkey ought to stick 
to its `balanced and impartial' policies in the region.  On 
Greek Cyprus, Prime Minister Erdogan noted that Greek 
Cypriots will not be given access to Turkish ports and 
airports before they agree to end the isolation of northern 
Cyprus.  The military encouraged the government to stick to 
its positions, and make no concessions.  "Aksam" reports 
that at the meeting, the military and the government agreed 
to set up a joint commission to handle the proposed changes 
to Turkey's anti-terror bill.  The military insists on 
broader authority in the fight against terrorism, while 
Erdogan says that Turkey must stick to EU criteria. 
"Milliyet" reports the military as complaining that 
fundamentalist activities continued, and that illegal Koran 
courses continued to operate.  The military also warned the 
government that recent alcohol bans introduced by AKP 
municipalities in several cities harmed the image of Turkey. 
 
Ankara Sets Up New Anti-Terror General Directorate: "Aksam" 
reports that a general directorate for combating terrorism 
is to be set up under the Prime Ministry.  The new general 
directorate will carry out the secretarial tasks of the High 
Board for Combating Terrorism chaired by Foreign Minister 
Gul.  The directorate will establish coordination among 
state institutions in connection with domestic and foreign 
security affairs, carry out research into issues related to 
domestic and foreign security, and coordinate efforts in 
cases of emergency rule o marshal law. 
 
Karzai Visits Ankara:  Visiting Afghan President Hamid 
Karzai met with Prime Minister Erdogan and the Chief of the 
Turkish General Staff (TGS) Hilmi Ozkok in Ankara on 
Thursday.  Karzai earlier met President Sezer, and signed a 
protocol on establishment of the Turkish international 
cooperation and development agency TIKA in Afghanistan. 
Karzai also met with Parliament Speaker Arinc, NATO's senior 
civilian representative in Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin, and 
Defense Minister Gonul at lunch in the parliament.  Karzai 
is the first Afghan president to visit Turkey since 1957. 
 
Turkish Companies Display Wide Interest in Northern Iraq: 
"Neu-Isenburg Kurdish Info,' an electronic newsletter 
supportive of the Kurdish cause, reported that 600 Turkish 
firms have applied to do business in northern Iraq.  The 
businesses currently carried out by 200 Turkish companies 
amounted to USD 2 billion.  Among those companies with the 
most business connections is the Turkish military pension 
fund OYAK.  OYAK, using subcontractors in an effort to hide 
its identity, provides northern Iraq with cement, 
construction materials and paper.  The Kurdistan flag flies 
over the storage facilities of OYAK in the region, and maps 
of Greater Kurdistan and photographs of the President of the 
 
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Kurdistan Regional Government Barzani hang on the walls OYAK 
offices.  Kurdish customs officer Bedirxan Benistani said 
that OYAK was donating cement and construction materials 
into Kurdistan, and that OYAK paid USD 720,000 in customs 
tariffs ever year.  Benistani added that OYAK was still 
negotiating with Kurdish officials for more investments in 
the region.  Turkish companies work in sectors ranging from 
food, construction and infrastructure to furniture and 
household electronic goods.  Intense interest by Turkish 
firms has led to an increase in the number of joint ventures 
among Turks and Kurds.  These firms have their central 
offices in the Turkish cities of Mersin, Ankara and 
Gaziantep, from where they delegate their commercial 
activities in northern Iraq.  In an effort to ease their 
work in the region, Turkish companies place ads on Kurdish 
radio and in newspapers every day.  Turks pay the local 
municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars every year 
for the ads and the billboards in Kurdish cities, and they 
write all their official correspondence, trade contracts 
plus commercials for the goods in Kurdish.  Businessman 
Mehmet Ismail, an official for the `southern Kurdistan 
government,' said that the Turkish companies were making a 
major contribution to the economy of Kurdistan.  Underlining 
that some 95 percent of Kurdistan was full of Turkish 
products, Ismail said that the firms with the greatest share 
of the market in Southern Kurdistan were Ulker, Arcelik, 
Cevikler and OYAK.  Ismail said that the tax paid by these 
companies was making a major contribution to the Kurdish 
economy. 
 
New Bird Flu Cases in Turkish Provinces:  Turkish Health 
Ministry on Thursday announced that 27 people are currently 
under treatment in suspected bird flu cases across eastern 
Turkey.  New bird flu outbreaks have been discovered in the 
central Turkish province of Yozgat, the southeastern 
province of Sanliurfa, and in the eastern provinces of 
Erzurum, Igdir and Agri.  All provinces have been put under 
quarantine.  Wild animal hunting in the eastern parts of 
Turkey has been banned until further notice.  Health 
Minister Recep Akdag said that all necessary measures were 
being taken to prevent the virus from spreading, and called 
on local people in the eastern provinces to avoid contact 
with suspect poultry.  A spokesman of the European 
Commission said that delegations of veterinarians from the 
commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) were sent 
to Turkey on Thursday. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
"If Sharon Dies" 
Ismet Berkan observed in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(1/6):  "Prime Minister Sharon's ingenious political plan to 
expand Israel a little, withdraw from Palestinian territory 
and build a security wall on its borders, leaving Palestine 
outside the wall, was unacceptable to the Palestinians but, 
because it meant that Israel wouldn't occupy any more of 
their territory, they did not object to it.  However, 
Sharon's Likud party did not like this plan and announced 
early elections.  Sharon resigned from the party to 
establish a new party.  The first surveys showed that the 
people of Israel, who have had enough of endless war and 
terrorism, were already showing strong support for Sharon's 
new party.  Sadly, just a few months before the elections, 
Sharon has been taken seriously ill.  Now, Israel is at a 
very interesting turning-point in history.  Sharon wasn't 
the Palestinians' favorite politician, but now even they are 
praying for Sharon's well being.  Because, if Sharon dies, 
there will be uncertainty in the region.  Indeed, some 
 
ANKARA 00000116  004 OF 004 
 
 
interesting days lay ahead in the Middle East." 
 
"What Happens after Sharon?" 
Sami Kohen commented in the mainstream daily "Milliyet" 
(1/6):  "In order to answer this question, first we need to 
know who will take over after Sharon.  Sharon is gravely ill 
and even if he survives, one thing is definite: his 
political career is over.  This means that the `Sharon era 
is over'.  Now a period of uncertainty is starting for 
Israel and the Middle East.  This uncertainty will continue 
until the end of elections in March.  As an Israeli diplomat 
says `the election results depend on who takes Sharon's 
place'.  There are few nominees of course. Sharon's deputy 
Ehud Omert is a well-known politician but not very popular. 
The Defense and Transportation ministers' names are 
mentioned as well, but the Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni, is 
a more likely candidate.  If the Likud party wins the 
elections, the chairman of the party, Benjamin Netanyahu, 
will become Prime Minister.  If Netanyahu becomes Prime 
Minister, Israel's Palestine policy will get tougher and 
there will be new tensions in the region.  If we add the 
Palestinian elections to this picture, it is clear that a 
new era, full of concerns and uncertainties, is going to 
start in the region." 
 
Note: Due the Turkish holidays and Martin Luther King Day, 
the next edition of the Turkish Media Reaction will be 
January 17, 2006. 
 
WILSON