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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000414 
 
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, FEBRUARY 2, 2006 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS A QUICK LOOK AT THE TURKISH PRESS: 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
State of the Union 
Hurriyet/Milliyet/Sabah/Vatan/Zaman/Cumhuriye t and others: 
Turkish papers give extensive coverage to the President's 
State of the Union address, focusing on his assertion of the 
continued need for US leadership in the world.  Papers 
emphasize that the President pointed to 'radical Islam' as 
being the greatest enemy of the United States and add that 
he 'indirectly' turned down a cease-fire proposal from bin- 
Ladin by saying that the US will not `step back' because 'if 
we do, they will carry the war to US shores.'  Papers also 
highlight the President's admonition that Tehran will not be 
allowed to produce nuclear weapons and his warning to Iran 
to stop supporting terrorism.  'Iranians are taken hostage 
by a small group of mullahs who are isolated from their 
people,' Bush stressed.  The President's remarks on the 
Broader Middle East, his call on the Egyptian government to 
permit a peaceful opposition to decrease the appeal of 
radicalism, and his call on Hamas to renounce violence and 
recognize Israel are also highlighted. 
 
Writing in tabloid "Bugun", Cengiz Candar noted that the 
tone and messages of the SOTU provides a good indication of 
the US approach to world affairs.  Candar observed, 
"President Bush did not step back from his rhetorical 
commitment to democracy and freedom, despite the case of 
Hamas.  His tone on Hamas was quite flexible, which 
indicated that when Hamas takes the necessary steps, it 
could have a place in American foreign policy." 
 
Commenting in Islamist opinion maker "Yeni Safak", Ibrahim 
Karagul contended that "the speech was nothing more than 
empty rhetoric, since the US itself poses the biggest threat 
to democracy, freedom, justice, human rights, and 
prosperity." 
 
Ahmadinejad Responds to Bush Remarks on Iran 
Hurriyet/Milliyet/Sabah/Yeni Safak/Zaman/Cumhuriyet and 
others:  Papers highlight the response to President Bush's 
remarks on Iran by President Ahmadinejad, who said that 
those who support the "Zionist regime" in Israel and the 
destruction of Palestine cannot talk to Iran about human 
rights.  Ahmadinejad added that 'those responsible' will be 
tried in a people's tribunal soon.  The Iranian President 
also stressed that the nuclear plant in Iranian city Busehr 
will be activated by the end of the year. 
 
Reaction Grows to the Publication of Prophet Cartoons 
Hurriyet, Milliyet and Aksam highlighted that in a show of 
solidarity with Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, French, 
German, Italian, and Spanish newspapers republished its 
controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed.  The 
drawings provoked emotion in the Muslim world because 
Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet. 
Reaction is growing in Turkey to the publication of these 
caricatures, with members of the union of the Turkish 
Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet Sen) placing black 
wreaths in front of the Danish and Norwegian embassies.  The 
union demanded that the two countries apologize for the 
cartoons while calling on the Turkish government to boycott 
Danish and Norwegian goods. 
 
Debate Over Financial Disclosures by Party Leaders 
Hurriyet/Milliyet/Sabah/Cumhuriyet/Zaman/Yeni Safak and 
others:  The lead story in most dailies is Prime Minister 
Erdogan's alleged decision to reveal his personal wealth 
 
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amid a row among political parties over whether politicians 
should be required to make such declarations. "Radikal" 
frontpages that unlike the practice in Turkey, details about 
the finances of President Bush and members of the US 
Congress are readily available on the Internet. 
 
French FM Visits Turkey 
Hurriyet/Milliyet/Sabah/Zaman/Cumhuriyet and others:  At a 
joint press conference with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, 
visiting French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy 
called for the resumption of talks on Cyprus to reach a 
satisfactory settlement, papers report.  Douste-Blazy said 
the issue should be resolved under the UN umbrella.  The 
French FM refrained from expressing clear support for the 
Turkish position on Cyprus, and called on Ankara to open its 
ports and airports to Greek Cypriots and recognize Cyprus, 
as well as to acknowledge Armenian genocide claims, say 
papers.  Gul said Turkey will only recognize Cyprus when 
both sides work agree to a permanent solution under the 
auspices of the UN. 
 
Turkish, US Ambassadors Discuss New Natural Gas Pipeline 
with Niyazov 
Radikal reports that in an effort to block the Russian 
monopoly over natural gas reserves in Central Asia, Turkey 
and the US have joined forces.  After Russian President 
Putin's offer to Turkmenistan to buy its natural gas and 
carry it to international markets through Blue Stream 
pipeline, the Turkish and US ambassadors in Ashgabat visited 
the Turkmen president to explain the hazards of selling his 
country's natural gas to Russia.  The two ambassadors 
submitted to Niyazov a plan for building a new natural gas 
pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan.  The new 230-km 
pipeline would be constructed under the Caspian Sea and 
would carry 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, 
says the report. 
 
Turkey-Israel Agree to Abandon Manavgat Project 
Dunya, Milliyet:  Turkey's economic/political daily "Dunya" 
and mass-appeal "Milliyet" report that Turkey and Israel 
have agreed to abandon the Manavgat project, launched 14 
years ago, to carry water from Turkey to Israel, saying that 
the parties were now working on new projects to carry water 
to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan from the Goksu River in 
Turkey. 
 
TV HIGHLIGHTS 
Rumsfeld Presents 'New US Defense Doctrine' 
NTV:  Turkey's leading all-news broadcaster NTV reported 
that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld submitted to the US Congress 
a `new US defense doctrine' focused on a 'long war against 
terrorists and extremists that will continue for an 
undetermined period.'   The 'doctrine' reportedly emphasizes 
the formation of new counter-terrorism US special forces and 
has as its main goal the prevention of the spread of WMD. 
 
FROM THE WIRES 
European Heroin Smuggling in Turkish Hands 
International Wire Services:  A report released Tuesday by 
the Council of Europe on heroin smuggling said that drug 
trafficking in countries such as Germany, Britain, and the 
Netherlands was largely conducted by Turkish crime 
organizations, with heroin smuggling activities being run by 
the Turkish mafia in Germany, and drugs taken into England 
and the Netherlands by the same groups.  Since 2003, 34 
percent (18,019 kilos) of all heroin seized around the world 
had been confiscated in Europe, the report said. Of this 
total, over one quarter (4,705 kilos) was seized in Turkey. 
 
 
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WILSON