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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000660 
 
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 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2006 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
 
The Cartoon Crisis 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and 
others:   In Jeddah on the first leg of a regional tour to 
cover Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Israel as well, EU 
Foreign Policy Representative Javier Solana met with the 
Saudi King Abdullah and the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in 
an effort to defuse the growing crisis over the Prophet 
Muhammad cartoons.  Ihsanoglu stressed that the Islamic 
world feels the cartoons to be a kind of '9/11 attack 
against Muslims.'  Ihsanoglu said the EU must enact laws 
against "Islamophobia."  Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Per 
Stig Moeller said it would be "meaningless" for Denmark to 
apologize over the cartoons.  Prime Minister Anders Fogh 
Rasmussen met with Muslim leaders in Denmark to work out a 
solution to the crisis. 
 
In the conservative daily Turkiye, Yilmaz Oztuna discusses 
Denmark's isolation: "Disapproved of by both Muslims and 
Christians, Denmark has not found any support in this 
ongoing cartoon crisis. Even Norway, which traditionally 
follows the Danish policy line, apologized to Muslims. 
Meanwhile the PM of Denmark did not make an apology, yet no 
country has depicted him as a champion of fredom of 
expression.  Freedom of press and freedm of expression are 
certainly undeniable essetials of democracy.  But this does 
not mean it is acceptable to disrespect humanitarian values 
and sacred concepts.  Violation of human virtues is a clear 
act of disrespect to humanity." 
 
Ankara Denies Planned Talks with Hamas 
Sabah, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Radikal:   Ankara told Israel 
and the United States that Hamas will not be invited to 
Turkey before a government is formed in Palestine.  Israel's 
Ambassador to Ankara, Pinhas Avivi will visit the Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) this week to urge Turkey to avoid 
dialogue with Hamas as long as the organization continues to 
support violence.  MFA officials told the US and some EU 
countries Turkey deems important that Israel and Palestine 
continue to follow the road map for peace.  Government 
Spokesman Cemil Cicek said after the Council of Ministers 
meeting yesterday that Turkey will take "all initiatives" in 
an effort to contribute to peace in the region. 
 
Iraq: US Troops Killed, Turkish Driver Injured; Lessons from 
Iraq 
All Papers:  Four US soldiers were killed and a Turkish 
driver was injured in a rocket attack against a Turkish 
convoy ferrying food to US forces in Baghdad. 
 
Haluk Ulman commenting in the daily Dunya suggests that "if 
the United States has learned anything from the Iraq 
experience, it should not consider a military option against 
Iran." He goes on to explain, "One of the US's major losses 
resulting from the Iraq occupation is the loss of prestige 
on an international scale.  The Iraq situation proved the 
weaknesses of even the most powerful one and posed a serious 
blow to the deterrent role of the US. Nowadays the mullahs 
of Iran are defying the US because they are encouraged by 
the results of the Iraq experience.  The failure of the Iraq 
occupation provides Iran with the courage and power to defy 
the US." 
 
Turkey-Iran Relations; Plans for Attack 
Radikal, Cumhuriyet:  The Iranian Ambassador in Ankara, 
 
ANKARA 00000660  002 OF 003 
 
 
Firouz Dawlatabadi said Turkey can send a team to inspect 
Iran's nuclear facilities, and noted that Foreign Minister 
Abdullah Gul will pay a visit to Tehran soon.  Dawlatabadi 
welcomed the Gul remarks that Turkey will not allow military 
operations against Iran from Turkish territory.  He noted 
that Iran has been living under international sanctions for 
27 years.  "We believe that the international community will 
not fall into a trap set by the US and Israel," Dawlatabadi 
stressed.  The Iranian Ambassador also said oil transfers 
through the Persian Gulf will not be blocked if UN sanctions 
are imposed on Iran.  Meanwhile, a report by the Oxford 
Research Group said that thousands of civilians will die in 
attacks against some 20 nuclear facilities in Iran. 
 
Commenting in the Islamist-oriented intellectual daily 
Zaman, Fikret Ertan states that new developments are making 
the Iran crisis more complicated.  He explains that "Iran 
has stopped the negotiation process which was based on the 
Russian proposal regarding its uranium enrichment program. 
The bilateral talks have been postponed until an unspecified 
date.  Moreover, the Iranian President hinted that Iran 
might pull out from the NPT agreement which indicates the 
possibility of Iran closing every door to compromise. 
Undoubtedly, countries disturbed by the Iranian nuclear 
program have already started taking some counter measures, 
and it goes without saying that the US is certainly one of 
them.  It seems both sides of this crisis are preparing for 
a confrontation day which nobody wants.  We can only hope 
that 'the day' will never come because it is going to be a 
day of colossal pain and destruction on a global scale." 
 
Turkish High Court (Danistay) Reacts to Government Criticism 
All papers:  The Danistay's ruling last week overturning the 
appointment of a teacher to principal of a nursery school 
for wearing a headscarf on her way to school was severely 
criticized by government officials.  In a statement on the 
issue, the Danistay said that the remarks exceeded the 
limits of criticism, and characterized them as "the most 
regrettable statements in the history of the democratic and 
secular Turkish Republic."  The Danistay stressed that the 
government created the impression that the judiciary is a 
political rival. 
 
Bombing in Istanbul 
All papers:  Fifteen people were wounded yesterday in an 
explosion in a supermarket in Istanbul.  The PKK has claimed 
responsibility for the attack.  Vatan says that security 
officials in the southeast of Turkey issued a warning for 
the 7th anniversary of the arrest of Ocalan, the jailed 
leader of PKK, on February 15 and warned people against 
possible violent protests. 
 
 
 
Turkish Court Consults Kurdish Institute on Kurdish Name 
Sabah, Milliyet:  A Turkish court has asked the Kurdish 
Institute in Istanbul the meaning of a Kurdish name to 
decide whether or not it will be "appropriate" for a 
petitioner, Yusuf Simsek, to change his name to "Sores." 
The court asked the Kurdish Institute whether the name is in 
line with moral values in Turkey.  The institute said the 
word means "revolution" in Kurdish, and was widely used as a 
Kurdish name in Turkey.  A member of the institute said such 
consultations by state institutions constituted significant 
forward steps in recognition of the Kurdish language in 
Turkey. 
 
Former PKK Leader Buried in Turkey 
 
ANKARA 00000660  003 OF 003 
 
 
All papers:  On Monday, the former PKK leader for Europe, 
Kani Yilmaz, who was killed in Suleymaniye in northern Iraq 
last weekend, is laid to rest in the southeastern city of 
Sanliurfa.  Milliyet claims that thus far the PKK has killed 
1500 of its members for leaving the organization. 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (8 a.m) 
 
- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to pay 
a one-day working visit to Ankara as the official guest of 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss the Prophet 
Muhammad cartoons crisis and Turkey's ties with the EU. 
 
- The main opposition party, CHP, filed a lawsuit against 
Prime Minister Erdogan and Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan 
for abusing his authority regarding the privatization of oil 
refiner Tupras. 
 
- Imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan petitioned a court 
for retrial in line with a ruling of the European Court of 
Human Rights (ECHR). 
 
- Turkey's aviation electronics company HAVELSAN exports 30 
million USD of CN-235 flight simulators to South Korea. 
 
WILSON