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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000454 
 
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, FEBRUARY 3, 2006 
 
 
THIS REPORT PRESENTS A QUICK LOOK AT THE TURKISH PRESS: 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
"Clash of Civilizations" 
Sabah, Aksam, Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal and Yeni Safak 
give extensive coverage to the "clash of civilizations" 
(Sabah) over political cartoons in European papers depicting 
the prophet Mohammed.   Aksam reports that the editor-in- 
chief of French paper France Soir has been sacked from his 
post for publishing the cartoons.  El-Fatah and Islamic 
Jihad terrorist organizations threatened EU countries and 
urged them to apologize to the Muslim world within 48 hours. 
According to papers, widespread protests are expected today 
after Friday prayers in Denmark, the EU countries and in all 
Muslim countries.  Hurriyet reports that PM Erdogan told 
visiting French FM Douste-Blazy that 'freedom has 
boundaries, and this cartoon was an attack on spiritual 
values'.  Radikal reports that Foreign Ministry spokesman 
Namik Tan called for calm and said that 'dialogue between 
cultures is important and that all sides need to 
compromise'.  Milliyet reports that a Jordanian paper gave a 
surprising reaction to the crisis by wondering which was 
worse for the image of Islam: cartoons depicting Muhammed or 
images of terrorists beheading hostages. 
 
Prospects for War with Iran 
Commenting in the religiously conservative daily Turkiye, 
Yilmaz Oztuna writes that "the recent exchange of remarks 
between Bush and Ahmedinejad is not a good sign for the 
future." He reminds readers that "the most recent duel of 
words between Bush and a Middle Eastern leader - Saddam - 
ended in war" and states  "there are strong winds of war 
blowing in the region again." Oztuna believes that the US is 
too impatient to let the UN process take its course, adding 
"After all, Washington has already convinced China to 
prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons." 
 
Prospects for Peace in Palestine and Israel 
In his column in the nationalist daily Ortadogu, Kamuran 
Ozbir is cautiously optimistic. Ozbir concedes that the 
Western powers' worry about Hamas's election victory in 
Palestine is "a legitimate concern," as Hamas is "a 
political party with popular backing on one hand, and a 
murderous crime organization on the other."  He suggests 
that Western powers look into "some alternate ways to 
initiate dialogue with Hamas, such as forcing it to denounce 
violence," but concedes that even if Hamas were to agree to 
a two-state formula, peace talks are unlikely to start 
before elections in Israel.  His suggests that once the new 
Israeli government takes charge, Israel and Palestine should 
get together and "shape a joint strategy for the future." 
Ozbir concludes, "this is an historic chance not to be 
missed." 
 
 
Valley of the Wolves - Iraq 
Hurriyet/Milliyet/Sabah/Vatan/Cumhuriyet/Yeni Safak and 
others:  Turkish papers and broadcast media cover the 
Istanbul and Ankara premiers of "Valley of the Wolves - 
Iraq," the highest budget Turkish film ever, in which a team 
of nationalist Turks go to northern Iraq to get revenge for 
the humiliation of Turkish special forces who had been 
hooded under detention by Americans in Suleymaniye in 2003. 
The film portrays Americans as evil.  The two premiers were 
attended by many leading politicians who commented 
favorably. 
 
General Hagee Visits Ankara 
 
ANKARA 00000454  002 OF 003 
 
 
Sabah:  "Sabah" reports that the US Commandant of the Marine 
Corps, General Michael W. Hagee, met in Ankara on Thursday 
with the Deputy Chief of the Turkish General Staff General 
(TGS) General Isik Kosaner and the Land Forces Commander 
General Yasar Buyukanit.  Turks expressed to Hagee concerns 
over the PKK activities in northern Iraq, and the Americans' 
failure to eliminate the threat, says the report. 
 
Court Suspends Oil Refiner "Tupras" Privatization 
Hurriyet/Milliyet/Dunya/Referans/Cumhuriyet/Z aman and 
others:  Turkish Court of Appeals for Administrative Affairs 
(Danistay) postponed the sale of the state-owned oil refiner 
Tupras to a consortium led by Koc Holding and including 
Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, papers report.  The 
consortium had offered 4.1 billion USD on January 26 to take 
over a 51 percent stake in Tupras.  The suspension has 
stunned markets, papers comment, stressing that an annulment 
would raise concerns among foreign investors interested in 
Turkey.  Eyes are now turned to other pending privatizations 
in Turkey such as Turk Telekom, steelmaker Erdemir, the 
tobacco monopoly Tekel, Turkish Airlines, and electricity 
distribution companies.  Privatization revenues are crucial 
for the back payment of public debts, the curbing of 
interest rates, and the funding of the current deficit, 
papers comment. 
 
Poll: AKP Leads by Far in General Elections 
Sabah:  According to an opinion survey conducted by TNS Piar 
Polling Co in December, the AK Party will lead by 39.5 
percent if general elections are held today, Sabah reports 
on its front page.  Other than CHP, no parties will manage 
to pass the election threshld of 10 percent.  The results 
are based on interviews with 1600 people in 18 provinces. 
The distribution of votes is as follows:  AKP 39.5 percent, 
CHP 14.1, DYP 6.1, MHP 6.0, DEHAP 5.3, ANAP 4.2, and 
Undecided 18.0 (up from the 10.7 percent in June 2004.) 
 
Turkey to Send Bird Flu Team to Northern Iraq 
Radikal:  Radikal reports that Turkey, following a request 
by the US, decided to send a team of Turkish Health Ministry 
officials to northern Iraq on a humanitarian mission to 
assess the bird flu cases detected in the region. The visit 
will mark the first cooperation between the Kurdistan 
regional government and Ankara, says Radikal.  Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) said the humanitarian mission did not 
mean a change in Turkey's official position with regard to 
the Kurdistan regional authority. 
 
Secretary Rumsfeld Announces New US Military Strategy 
 
SIPDIS 
Yeni Safak:  The Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports that 
Secretary Rumsfeld unveiled the "US military strategy for a 
 
SIPDIS 
new age" at the National Press Club.  Under the headline, 
"There Will Not Be Peace," the paper says the "architect of 
war in Iraq" said unlike the terrorists, Americans had not 
been good at psychological war and intelligence operations, 
stressing that criticism from the press scared the US 
military.  Rumsfeld said the US is preparing for a 'long 
war' against terrorists. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV News (8:00 a.m.) 
 
Focus on Politics 
 
- Prime Minister Erdogan has filed a suit for compensations 
against the main opposition CHP lawmaker Haluk Koc and daily 
newspaper Radikal for insulting the PM regarding the 
disclosure of personal finances of politicians. 
 
 
ANKARA 00000454  003 OF 003 
 
 
International Issues 
 
- Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan said 
Turkey shares the concerns of the international community 
regarding Iran's decision to resume nuclear activities. 
 
- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held an 
emergency meeting in Vienna to discuss an EU draft 
resolution to report Iran to the UN Security Council over 
Tehran's nuclear program. 
 
- Iraq's Sunnis presented a ten-point ultimatum to the 
Shiite government, warning with a national strike and 
widespread street demonstrations if the bloody insurgency is 
not brought to an end. 
 
- Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi said according 
to the Iraqi constitution, the Kurds cannot make their own 
deals for oil exploration. 
 
WILSON