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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000703 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2006 
--------------------------------------------- 
In Today's Papers 
 
 
Turkey's Position on Hamas 
All papers:   On February 10, the Israeli Foreign Minister 
Tzipi Livni called Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to discuss 
Ankara's plans for contacts with Hamas. Gul assured Livni 
that Turkey will not establish direct contacts with Hamas 
before the party meets the expectations of the international 
community.  Gul said Turkey is sending messages to Hamas 
through various channels.  In a press conference yesterday 
with visiting Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Alikbek Jekshenkulov, 
Gul said that the new representatives of the Palestinian 
people had been elected as a result of a democratic process, 
adding that everybody had to act in line with the rules of 
democracy.  Cumhuriyet comments that Gul urged the 
international community to respect the democratic 
preferences of the Palestinian people, while Turkiye 
evaluates the Gul remarks as a warning to Hamas.  Yeni Safak 
reports that Gul called on West to send the 'correct 
messages' to Hamas. "If we go down the wrong road in the 
beginning, it will lead the peace process to an impasse," 
Gul said.  Meanwhile, papers also report that President 
Sezer is expected to visit Israel in June. 
 
European Parliament Delegation to Visit Turkish Cyprus 
All papers:   The European Parliament (EP) high-level 
contact group for Cyprus will visit Turkish Cyprus from 
March 5-8.  The group will call on Turkish Cypriot 
"President" Mehmet Ali Talat in his office and will meet 
with the political parties and NGOs in the north.  The Greek 
and Greek Cypriot members of the group tried to block the 
delegation's meeting with Talat during a meeting yesterday. 
 
About 18 Million Turks Live Under the Poverty Line 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet and others:  According 
to figures gathered in 2004 released by Turkey's State 
Statistic Institute (TUIK), 909,000 Turks live below the 
hunger line.  The survey showed that 25.6 percent of the 
population -- 17,991,000 people -- lives below the poverty 
line.  The poverty level stands at 39.97 percent in rural 
areas and at 16.57 percent in cities. 
 
Freedom of Expression Cases: PM Loses Suit Against Humor 
Magazine; 
Baskin Oran Defends the 'Minority Report' 
Vatan, Radikal:  Ankara Civil Court rejected PM Erdogan's 
law suit filed against satirical magazine Penguen.  In a 
show of support for Cumhuriyet cartoonist Musa Kart, who 
lost a similar case brouht by Erdogan, Penguen had 
published satirica cartoons portraying Erdogan as an 
elephant, iraffe, monkey, camel, frog, snake, cow and duc 
under the title "World of Tayyips" [Erdogan's first name] in 
its February 24, 2005 issue. Musa Kart was ordered to pay to 
the Prime Minister 5,000 Turkish Lira in damages over a 
cartoon portraying Erdogan's face on the body of a cat. 
Radikal reports that, in a separate case, an Ankara court 
will try two academics, Ibrahim Kaboglu and Professor Baskin 
Oran today 
for preparing the "Minority Report" on the status and rights 
of minorities today.  Both academics will be charged with 
"provoking and separating the Turkish people." 
 
Commenting on the "cartoon crisis" in the nationalist- 
oriented daily Ortadogu, Kamuran Ozbir warns against viewing 
the crisis as solely based on religions difference. 
According to Ozbir, the growing carton crisis should also be 
explained "from historical, political, economic and social 
perspectives.  Currently the crisis serves to the benefit of 
ultra-nationalist or racist circles in Europe.  Similarly 
 
ANKARA 00000703  002 OF 003 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
certain organizations in some Muslim countries are 
manipulating the issue to benefit their anti-Western 
agendas." 
 
Iran and US Ambassador Schulte's Visit to Ankara 
Sabah, Zaman and others:  US Permanent Representative to the 
IAEA Greg Schulte is coming to Ankara today to share 
intelligence about Iran's nuclear program.  Sabah says that 
Ambassador Schulte is coming to convince Turkey that Iran's 
nuclear power poses a major threat to Turkey.  Meanwhile, 
nine lawmakers from the Turkish-Iranian parliamentary group 
are planning to visit Iran on February 24 for four-day 
visit. 
 
Sami Kohen, commenting on Iran in the mainstream daily 
Milliyet, warns that the possible consequences of a 
"polarization between the West and Iran" are "critically 
serious," and they are "not necessarily only military 
consequences but also political, economic and psychological 
consequences." Kohen continues that "this possibility is 
more horrifying than the prospect of Iran's actual 
possession of an atomic bomb," likening arguing about what 
is the most dangerous possibility to "trying to decide on a 
mode of death." 
 
"Valley of the Wolves, Iraq" in the Foreign Press 
Milliyet, Radikal and others:  Turkish press reports on the 
US press coverage of the film 'Valley of the Wolves, Iraq." 
Milliyet includes The Drudge Report headline "Crowds Cheer 
Anti-American Film in Turkey" and reports on an interview 
with the chairman of the American-Turkish Council (ATC), 
James Holmes. Holmes is quoted as saying that "This is 
entertainment and we do not allow entertainment to damage 
the facts.  The leaders of the both countries should be 
prepared to highlight the differences between the facts and 
the entertainments.  The importance of the US-Turkey 
relationship should be supported as much as the movie." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
 
(NTV, 8 AM) 
 
International News 
- Thousands rallied in Lahore, Pakistan to protest against 
the Prophet Muhammad cartoons, and two were killed in 
sporadic clashes with riot police.  In Istanbul, a group of 
that included leftist parties and NGOs gathered in front of 
the French Consulate in a peaceful rally to protest the 
cartoons. 
 
- Tehran confirmed that it began resumption of small-scale 
uranium enrichment at the facility in Natanz.  Foreign 
Minister Abdullah Gul expressed regret over the decision. 
 
- Hundreds of thousands of protestors marched in Beirut to 
mark the first anniversary of the assassination of former 
Prime Minister Hariri. 
 
- Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis changes six ministers in 
cabinet reshuffle, appoints Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyanni to 
the Greek Foreign Minister post. 
 
Domestic News 
- Landmines on Turkey's southeastern provinces will be swept 
by private companies in contracts offered by Turkey's State 
Assets Directorate.  205,000 square km of land will be 
 
ANKARA 00000703  003 OF 003 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
opened to agriculture in the provinces of Mardin, Hatay, 
Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Sirnak when the landmines 
are removed. 
 
Economic News 
- IMF officials rejected speculation of a delay in IMF's 
third review of Turkey, adding that the date for the review 
had not been fixed yet. 
 
WILSON