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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000617 
 
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 10, 2006 
--------------------------------------------- 
In Today's Papers 
 
 
FM Gul Remarks on Iran 
Hurriyet:  In an exclusive interview, Hurriyet quoted 
Foreign Minister Gul as saying "We will not give the US 
permission to use Turkish territory to attack our neighbors. 
Gul added that "the border with Iran was drawn in 1639, and 
is older than the US itself," implying that Turkey-Iran 
relations have a long and important history.  Gul reiterated 
Turkey's concerns regarding nuclear weapons and said that 
countries should spend their resources to improve the 
welfare and prosperity of their people. 
 
Cyprus/British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Remarks 
All major papers:  The Greek Cypriot Government launched an 
official protest against Britain over remarks by Foreign 
Secretary Jack Straw criticizing the government for creating 
 
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obstacles to the efforts for a settlement in Cyprus.  Straw 
has blamed the Greek Cypriots for blocking the settlement 
process. 
 
Cartoon Crisis 
All papers:  Protests over the publication of Prophet 
Mohammed cartoons continue.  Turkish Foreign Minister Gul 
and Austrian Foreign Minister Plassnik released a joint 
statement highlighting the importance of respect for 
religious beliefs.  The statement also stresses that the 
cartoon tensions had revealed the lack of dialogue between 
the west and Islam. 
 
The impact of the cartoon crisis continues to be a high 
priority for editorial commentary.  Prominent columnists 
analyzed the cartoons and the violent protest within a 
"conflict of civilization" context.  Moderate columnist Sami 
Kohen maintained hope for the future, in his column in 
mainstream Milliyet: "Even to this day many European 
countries continue to treat the cartoon issue as a sign of 
freedom of expression while Muslim nations interpret it as 
humiliating and repugnant. Interestingly, however, the 
Western countries do not have a single voice on the issue. 
Some European leaders have openly countered the argument 
about defending the cartoons as freedom of expression.  The 
US denounced the incident right from the beginning.  The 
ongoing efforts, by EU and ICO as well as other 
organizations and government leaders, to prevent the current 
crisis from turning into a real conflict are boosting 
hopes." 
 
Foreign affairs columnist Erdal Guven believes that at this 
point an apology from Danish government or press will not 
lower the tension.  Commenting in the liberal intellectual 
Radikal, Guven wrote, "This was a clear act of 
discrimination, humiliation and insult.  And it happened at 
a time when the Islamic world interpreted it as a 
demonstration of intense anti-Muslim feelings in the West 
after 9/11. The mistake has become irreparable.  The 
developments with the cartoon crisis have lowered the 
possibility even more than before for establishing a 
dialogue among civilizations." 
 
 
US-Turkey Rice War 
Yeni Safak, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Milliyet:  The dispute 
between Turkey and the US over the rice imports has entered 
into the legal realm.  The US filed a complaint to the WTO 
against Turkey's regulations on rice imports following the 
failure of bilateral talks to produce a settlement.  The US 
started the WTO procedure on February 6 and the formal 
notification on this issue was sent to Ankara. 
 
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In Today's Papers 
 
 
TV Highlights 
 
NTV (8 a.m.) 
 
Focus on Turkey 
 
-    PKK bombing of an Internet caf in Istanbul kills one 
and injures 15, seven of whom are police officers 
-    The schoolteacher involved in the court ruling that 
teachers may not wear headscarves in public when going to 
and from school is interviewed saying she will abide by the 
decisions but hopes the case will be appealed to the 
European Court of Human Rights 
-    The suspect in the killing of the priest in Trabzon is 
formally charged. 
 
US in the News 
 
-    Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Pace is 
slated to visit Turkey in March to at the invitation of his 
Turkish counterpart to attend a conference on "Global 
Terrorism and International Cooperation." 
 
WILSON