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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000904 
 
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 23, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
The Hamas Visit Controversy Continues 
Milliyet, Hurriyet, Vatan, Cumhuriyet, Aksam, Yeni Safak, 
Zaman and others:  On the Hamas visit to Ankara last week, 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that Turkey had carried 
out its historical responsibilities.  Gul said an Israeli 
spokesman's comments on the PKK were not printed by the 
Israeli media, while Turkish press covered the statement in 
detail.  "I see that the Turkish media is open to 
manipulation by the intelligence services and diplomats," 
Gul said, prompting the diplomatic correspondents' 
association to issue a statement saying his comments are 
unfair.  Zaman reports that the Israeli envoy to the UN 
Danny Gillerman has told the UN Security Council meeting 
yesterday that together with Iran and Syria, Hamas formed a 
new "terror axis."  "Would your countries allow al-Qaida or 
the PKK to run in elections?" Gillermann asked.  Papers 
report Gul as saying that Israel, Russia and the US had been 
informed in advance about the Hamas visit. 
 
The Israeli Ambassador in Ankara, Pinhas Avivi told the 
press at a reception yesterday that Turkey and Israel should 
continue to put the past aside and move forward, stressing 
that cooperation between the two countries would continue. 
 
Palestinian Ambassador Nabil Marouf singled out Prime 
Minister Erdogan as the "architect" of the Palestinians' 
visit to Turkey, adding that Erdogan had consulted President 
Mahmoud Abbas regarding the messages to be conveyed to 
Hamas, Aksam reports.  Isolation of Hamas would bring more 
violence, Marouf said.  Dailies quote Hamas chief Mashal as 
telling the press in Tehran that Hamas can learn from 
Turkey's experience on administration and cultural and 
economic development, not from its democracy. 
 
Yeni Safak says the State Department said in a statement 
that the US had received information from Turkey with regard 
to the Hamas visit.  State Department Spokesman Ereli said 
US and Turkey are in consensus that a strong message must be 
given to Hamas to renounce terror. 
 
Hasan Cemal writing in mainstream Milliyet wonders "whether 
the Bush administration is going to do a u-turn on the 
Democracy for Middle East Project?" Cemal believes after the 
"occupation of Iraq and the "continuing scenes of torture," 
it "does not matter when Bush calls for democracy because he 
will not be taken seriously." 
 
Secretary Rice in Egypt 
 
SIPDIS 
All papers:  In Egypt on the first leg of her Middle East 
tour aimed at isolating Hamas, Secretary Rice said at a 
joint press conference with the Egyptian Foreign Minister 
Aboul Gheit that Hamas must renounce terror and recognize 
the existence of Israel.  Aboul Gheit said Hamas must be 
given a chance, stressing that it will be wrong to cut 
financial aid to Palestine.  Rice also discussed Palestine 
and the political reforms process in Egypt with President 
Mubarak.  Papers quote political observers as warning that 
Egyptians are forced to choose between the Mubarak 
dictatorship and the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement. 
 
Commenting in the conservative daily Turkiye, Yilmaz Oztuna 
says that by asking Arab capitals to cut off financial aid 
to Palestine, Secretary Rice made a mistake "which is 
totally out of character given her diplomatic skills." 
Noting that if aid is cut, "the bill is to be paid by 
Palestinian people and they will suffer more than before," 
Oztuna concludes that "it looks like Palestinians are about 
 
ANKARA 00000904  002 OF 002 
 
 
to be punished only because they voted for Hamas even though 
the Westerners allowed it as a political party before the 
election process began." 
 
Shiite Shrine Bombing in Iraq 
All papers cover a bomb attack in Samarra which destroyed 
the dome of one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines, prompting 
reprisal attacks against 27 Sunni mosques in Baghdad that 
left three clerics and three worshippers dead.  Dailies 
comment that the incidents have raised fears of sectarian 
civil war in Iraq.  They speculate that the Samarra bombing, 
carried out by men dressed in police uniforms, was launched 
by al-Zarqawi, who has declared war on the country's 
Shiites. 
 
Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) "strongly" condemned in a 
statement yesterday the deadly sectarian violence in Iraq, 
urging Iraqis to refrain from reprisals after the bombing of 
the Shiite shrine. "It is obvious that the aim of those who 
resort to terrorism is to start sectarian and ethnic 
conflict in Iraq.  The most efficient way to undo this game 
is to remain prudent in the face of those inhumane 
provocations, refrain from reprisals and strengthen national 
unity," the MFA said. 
 
 
Television Highlights 
(NTV, 7:00 AM) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkey and Iran sign memorandum of understanding at the 
end of a three-day security meeting.  Interior Ministry 
officials in the Turkish delegation in Tehran said the two 
countries agreed to combat terrorism. 
 
- Turkish High Court "Danistay" annuls the provisions of a 
recent controversial regulation exempting Koran courses from 
Education Ministry inspections.  Teachers' union Egitim-Sen 
had applied for the annulment of the regulation. 
 
International News 
 
- Shiite protesters attack dozens of Sunni mosques across 
Iraq in reprisal for the attack on the holy Golden Mosque in 
the Shiite city of Samarra.  Mobs attacked 60 mosques in 
Iraq. 
 
- Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel urged Ankara to 
recognize the Republic of Cyprus by the end of 2006. 
 
- UNSYG Annan called on the Turkish and Spanish foreign 
ministers to open a second meeting of the Alliance of 
Civilizations in Qatar to resolve the row over the Prophet 
Muhammad cartoons.  Annan, EU foreign policy chief Javier 
Solana, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and Arab 
League officials will also attend the meeting to be held in 
Doha on Saturday. 
 
WILSON