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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 000207 
 
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 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2006 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
HEADLINES 
 
MASS APPEAL 
General Wald: US May Strike Iran's Nuclear Facilities - 
Sabah 
EU Softens against Iran - Aksam 
Talabani: Saddam Can Be Tried in Kurdistan - Bugun 
If Freed, Iraq's Aziz Wants Asylum in Croatia - Tercuman 
Serbian Daily: General Mladic Hides in Russia - Sabah 
UN: 400,000 Pakistani Earthquake Survivors Face Death from 
Hunger, Illness - Turkiye 
US Will Ease Visa Procedures - Bugun 
US Supreme Court Allows Euthanasia in Oregon - Hurriyet 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
European Parliament to Investigate `CIA Planes' - Cumhuriyet 
`Hawkish' Livni to Replace Shalom in Israel - Cumhuriyet 
Livni Israel's Second Golda Meir - Zaman 
Hamanei: Iran Will Continue Scientific Nuclear Progress - 
Radikal 
Iranian State TV: Ahmadinejad to Visit Syria - Yeni Safak 
HRW: US is Behind Torture in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
US to Shift to `Hospitable' Visa Procedures - Yeni Safak 
UNDP Chief Dervis among Candidates to Replace UNSYG Annan - 
Radikal 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
Ankara Warns General Wald against Striking Iran:  A column 
in 'Sabah' claims that during his meetings in Ankara, EUCOM 
Deputy Commander General Charles Wald told the Turks that 
the United States had no intention of waging war against 
Iran, but if the diplomatic process is blocked, precision 
strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities may be considered. 
Turks told Wald that such strikes could lead to Iran- 
supported terrorist attacks in Western cities. High-level 
Turkish authorities believe that the US will not venture a 
military operation against Iran, and instead aims to corner 
Iran with such messages.  Ankara has also implied that 
Turkey is ready for mediation between Iran and the West with 
regard to inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities if Tehran 
ends negotiations with the EU.  General Wald also said at a 
reception during his stay in Ankara that US-Turkey military 
ties are the best they've been in ten years, says "Sabah." 
 
Avivi: Turkey, Israel Have Parallel Views on Iran:  Israeli 
Ambassador to Turkey, Pinhas Avivi, said Israel and Turkey 
shared `parallel views' regarding Iran, says "Milliyet." 
Avivi warned that Iran will pose a big threat against Turkey 
if Tehran acquires the capacity to produce nuclear weapons, 
and develops missiles with a 4,000 km range.  Israel is 
satisfied with Turkish efforts to ease regional tensions, 
Avivi noted, adding that Turkey has been using every 
opportunity to convey its concerns to Tehran. 
 
Talabani Wants Coalition Government in Iraq:  In an 
exclusive interview with the mass-appeal daily "Bugun," 
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that he will accept the 
position of `official' President of Iraq for the next four 
years only if a coalition government is formed in the 
 
ANKARA 00000207  002 OF 004 
 
 
country, with participation of all groups.  The Iraqi 
parliament will convene 15 days after the announcement of 
election results to select its speaker and a president for 
the country.  Talabani's candidate for the Iraqi Parliament 
speaker is Sunni politician Tarik al-Hashimi, the leader of 
the Iraq Islam Party.  Hashimi has close and friendly ties 
with Turkey, and is the `favorite' of the Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA.)  Talabani will be the sole candidate for 
Iraq Presidency.  Talabani says his Sunni vice-president may 
be Iyad Samarrai, and wants Shiite Adil Abdulmahdi as his 
other deputy.  The Iraq Constitution stipulates that the 
president have two aides -- a Sunni and a Shiite.  Iraqis 
will go to the ballot box again in the four months following 
the formation of a government in Iraq to vote for 
constitutional changes.  The first half of 2006 will show 
whether Iraq will proceed toward a better future, or toward 
civil war, says the interview. 
 
HRW 2005 Report: Torture Declines, Anti-Reform Elements 
Still Strong in Turkey:  New York-based Human Rights Watch 
(HRW) praised human rights developments in Turkey in its 
annual 2005 report, saying that the government showed `some 
commitment' to reform, Turkish papers and news agencies 
report.  The HRW report, however, added that the government 
was inhibited by anti-reform elements within the judiciary, 
police, and military.  The HRW said that there had been 
progress in fighting torture in Turkey last year, with the 
number of reports of ill-treatment in police stations was 
lower.  Police compliance with laws and regulations is 
generally good, it added.  Reports of ill-treatment 
continued to decline, including the right to see a lawyer 
from the first moments of detention.  The report, however, 
stressed that little progress had been made in ensuring 
freedom of language and free speech.  The report underlined 
that women wearing headscarves continue to be excluded from 
higher education, the civil service, and political life. 
The HRW said that scores of people had been charged with 
speech-related offenses, and threatened with imprisonment. 
The HRW report also stated that more evidence came to light 
in 2005 which indicated that torture and mistreatment were a 
deliberate part of the Bush administration's 
counterterrorism strategy. 
 
New Efforts to Make US a Welcoming Country:  Turkish papers 
report that in 2006, the United States will launch new 
efforts to ease the visa restrictions following 9/11. 
Reports say that `friendly' customs officials and video 
messages will greet visitors to the US, and video-conference 
will be used for interviews.  The Islamist-oriented "Yeni 
Safak" wonders whether the video-interviews will be added to 
intelligence files on visa applicants. 
 
UN Agencies on Turkish Fight against Bird Flu:  The World 
Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization 
(FAO), and the Animal Health Organization have all voiced 
full confidence in Turkey, stating that Turkey is capable of 
beating the bird flu outbreak, papers report.  The current 
bird flu outbreak in the country has claimed the lives of 
four children in the east of the country.  The virus has 
also spread to the west of Turkey.  More than 1 million 
birds have been culled across Turkey in efforts to contain 
the outbreak.  WHO Contagious Diseases official Margaret 
Chan said the Turkish government has been `acting 
transparently, and is open to any proposal from 
international agencies.'  FAO Chief Veterinary Officer 
Joseph Domenech said that the geography and climate of 
eastern Turkey was suitable for the spread of the virus, and 
that it will take time to achieve results in the region.  In 
a statement issued by Turkey's National Avian Flu 
 
ANKARA 00000207  003 OF 004 
 
 
Coordination Center, as of Thursday, a total of 24 locations 
for suspected avian flu had been identified in laboratories 
in chickens and wild birds in 13 provinces.  The statement 
emphasized that a further 59 locations existed today. 
Meanwhile, the independent Al-Sharqiyah TV in Baghdad 
reported yesterday that an Iraqi woman died of bird flu in a 
village in Suleymaniye in northern Iraq.  The agriculture 
ministry in the Iraqi Kurdistan region said that measures 
were taken to prevent the spread of the epidemic, 
particularly in border areas with Turkey. 
 
Ozkok Visits Paris, French FM Due in Turkey:  The Chief of 
Turkish General Staff (TGS) General Hilmi Ozkok arrived in 
Paris on Thursday on a three-day official visit as the a 
guest of his French counterpart Henri Bentegeat to discuss 
bilateral military issues, "Radikal" reports.  On the other 
hand, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy will 
visit Turkey in early February to discuss mainly economic 
issues, says the report. 
 
PACE to discuss Kurdish Issue in Paris:  The Council of 
Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has begun discussing 
the situation of the Kurdish communities in Iraq, Syria and 
Iran in a meeting held in Paris on Wednesday, "Cihan News 
Agency" (CNA) reports.  The gathering, originally scheduled 
for last autumn, was postponed after objections by the AKP 
lawmaker Murat Mercan, the head of the Turkish delegation to 
PACE, claiming that the majority of the speakers at the 
meeting had been selected from supporters of the outlawed 
PKK.  Taking Mercan's objection into consideration, the 
Committee on Culture, Science and Education invited 
`impartial' and `moderate' experts to the conference.  A 
report on the Kurds by British Council of Europe member, 
Lord Russell Johnston, will also be discussed during the 
meeting. 
 
Freed Turkish Paragliders Return Home from Iran:  Islamist 
rebels in southeastern Iran released three Turkish 
paragliders they had kidnapped in late December, because the 
Turks were Sunni Muslims, papers report.  The paragliders 
returned home on Thursday. 
 
CD Manufacturer Sentenced for Music Piracy:  "Hurriyet" 
reports that a Turkish court has sentenced a CD manufacturer 
to 67 months in jail, and a fine of 160,000 lira for music 
piracy.  The report says that it is the first time a 
manufacturer has been jailed in Turkey for piracy, apart 
from street sellers who have been given minor penalties in 
past years. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq, Iran 
 
"Iraq is Slipping Away" 
Gunduz Aktan commented in the liberal-intellectual "Radikal" 
(1/19):  "After every election in Iraq hopes for a 
democratic regime, and the end of terrorism and the Sunni 
insurgency falters.  After the last elections, the attacks 
against the US troops and the Shiites increased.  The US is 
withdrawing 20,000 of its troop from Iraq.  This is an 
expected development.  But the US has to announce the second 
part of its withdrawal within six months.  At this point 
even the announcement of withdrawal will lead Iraq to 
disintegration.  A US military official predicts that the 
Iraqi military will split along ethnic and tribal lines and 
will turn into armed gangs and militants.  The US has been 
in close contact with the Sunni insurgents for some time, in 
an effort to separate the Sunni insurgents from Al-Qaeda 
militants.  The US reprimands the Kurds and the Shiites for 
 
ANKARA 00000207  004 OF 004 
 
 
their efforts to leave Sunnis outside the coalition 
government.   The seriousness of the crisis in Kirkuk is 
increasing immensely.  Because of their support, the US had 
allowed Kurds to migrate to Tamim in large numbers.  The 
Kurds also squeezed the Arab population out of Kirkuk and 
settled around 350,000 Kurds there.  This illegal act is one 
of the main factors leading to the disintegration of Iraq. A 
result could be that the Sunnis and the Shiites join 
together against the Kurds, changing the direction of a 
possible civil war.  Since the terrorist attacks have spread 
to Kirkuk, this possibility should not be ignored." 
 
"To Depend on Iran" 
Yilmaz Oztuna wrote in the conservative-nationalist 
"Turkiye" (1/19):  "Turkey's stance against Iran is going to 
determine its future.  In any case, the US will defeat Iran 
over its nuclear program.  In the end, Turkey - based on its 
level of cooperation with the US -- could either join the 
super states, or slip towards Asia with the status of a 
rather poor, crowded and problematic country.  What is the 
US planning in Iran?  It is going to repeat its Afghanistan 
and Iraq act in Iran as well.  But, it is not possible for 
the US to keep all of Iran under its military control.  The 
US is going to apply a more developed plan there.  And 
Russia and China will learn to be satisfied with verbal 
protests while they wait for their turns." 
 
WILSON