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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001065 
 
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, MARCH 2, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Jafari Visit to Ankara 
All Papers:  The Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari said 
before leaving Ankara on Wednesday that if Turkey had not 
convinced the Sunni groups to participate in elections, 
violence in Iraq would have risen further.  Jafari played 
down the criticism by President Talabani over the Iraqi PM's 
call on to Ankara, saying that he had the necessary 
authority to visit Turkey.  Cumhuriyet speculates that the 
Iraqi Kurds were worried about a possible rapprochement 
between Turkey and the Iraqi Sunni and Shiite groups. 
Ankara is seeking an alliance with the Sunnis and Shiites in 
the face of Kurdish demands related to Kirkuk and a federal 
structure in Iraq, says the paper.  Hurriyet reports that 
Turkey had suggested Jafari open two new border crossings 
between the two countries, of which one will lead to the 
region controlled by Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and 
the other to the Turkmen-dominated areas.  The sides have 
decided to do feasibility research about the new crossings. 
Hurriyet also reports that on February 16, Foreign Minister 
Gul had said "behind closed doors" to visiting Czech Foreign 
Minister Svoboda that the US should not pullout of Iraq. 
"If the US withdraws from Iraq, Iran will dominate the 
Middle East region, and no one will be able to prevent the 
export of the Iranian Islamic revolution to Turkey and other 
countries," Gul reportedly said.  Svoboda has disclosed 
Gul's concerns on Iran at a conference at Chatham House in 
London on February 28. 
 
Ambassador Wilson Interview with Milliyet 
US Ambassador Ross Wilson said in an exclusive interview 
with Milliyet Turkey has shown "how to move from autocratic 
pasts how democracy can function with freedom."  Turkey has 
taken the leadership in the broader Middle East and North 
Africa Initiative (BMENAI) in the region to help other 
countries understand what has made Turkish democracy a 
success, Wilson said.  "Its history and predominantly Muslim 
population gives Turkey a kind of credibility in the region 
that's different from what we or the others may have," 
Wilson noted, adding that Turkey's success as a secular 
democracy showed how democracy and freedom can advance the 
society's interests in the region.  Wilson stated the US is 
not planning any military action against Iran, but wanted 
"to build a broad international consensus that Iran's 
nuclear weapons programs are unacceptable."  "We want Iran 
to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, to resume its 
cooperation with the IAEA, and to resume negotiations with 
the so-called EU-Troika.  We believe Turkey has delivered 
that message," Wilson emphasized.  The US Ambassador 
recalled that over the weekend, Iraqi leaders from all of 
the main groups came together to condemn violence.  "They 
recommitted themselves quickly to form a national unity 
government.  All of Iraq's leaders, including the Kurdish 
leaders in Iraq, have committed themselves to the Iraqi 
constitution.  We think that Turkey is determined also to 
support those Iraqi efforts to form a strong, united and 
democratic goernment," Wilson said.  Wilson stressed that 
e regarded the fight against the PKK as an integral part of 
the overall fight against international terrorism.  "To be 
able to deal with the PKK problem, you have to deal with the 
support that it gets from Europe and other countries. 
Turkey faces lots of different problems and challenges in 
meeting the aspirations of the citizens in the southeastern 
part of the country, including the Kurdish residents," 
Wilson noted, stressing that the fight against terrorism is 
separate from further perfecting Turkey's democracy in a way 
to accommodate the aspirations of all its people. 
 
 
ANKARA 00001065  002 OF 003 
 
 
Demonstrations against Iraq War 
Hurriyet:  Celeste Zappala, an American mother who lost her 
son in Iraq, joined March 1 rally in Istanbul held on the 
third anniversary of the rejection by the Turkish Parliament 
of the deployment of US troops in Iraq through Turkish 
territory.  "The majority of people in my country do not 
support this war and George Bush," Zappala told the rally 
held by NGOs, labor unions and political parties.  In 
Ankara, a small group protested against the Iraq war in 
front of the US Embassy in a peaceful demonstration. 
 
Turkey against the NATO Force Expansion to the Black Sea 
Yeni Safak, Cumhuriyet, Sabah, Aksam, Star:  The US is 
trying to convince Turkey and Russia to expand NATO's 
operation Active Endeavour from the Mediterranean to the 
Black Sea.  Turkish sources say that NATO's Operation Active 
Endeavour was launched in the Mediterranean in order to 
fight terrorism.  Since three of the Black Sea countries 
(Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania) are members of NATO, there is 
no need to form another initiative in the Black Sea. 
 
Commenting on the issue, mass appeal Sabah columnist Erdal 
Safak advises Ankara to maintain its stance.  "The US wants 
to station a naval force in the Black Sea while Turkey sees 
it as conflicting with its regional politics as well as a 
potential threat to its relationship with Russia. By keeping 
a permanent force in the Black Sea, the US wants to control 
and support the revolution process in East Europe, the 
Caucus and the entire region.  The US tries to use NATO as a 
Trojan Horse for controlling the Black Sea, and Turkey is 
very right to oppose this initiative" he wrote. 
 
President Bush in Afghanistan 
Sabah, Milliyet and others:  President Bush paid a surprise 
visit to Afghanistan on March 1.  President Bush visited the 
US base in Bagram and joined the opening ceremony of the US 
Embassy in Afghanistan together with the President of 
Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, Mrs. Bush, and Secretary Rice. 
President Bush traveled to India after Afghanistan was 
protested by the tens of thousands demonstrators in there. 
President Bush is expected to travel to Pakistan after 
India. 
 
Attaching great importance to President's visit to India, 
Fikret Ertan observed in the Islamist oriented-intellectual 
Zaman:  "Bush's India visit is extremely important as it 
indicates growing bilateral ties between the US and India, 
and the nature of ties seems to be going toward a strategic 
partnership. The US and India have been negotiating for a 
nuclear cooperation agreement which is expected to be signed 
during President Bush's trip. President Bush's trip list, 
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India constitutes a strategic 
quadrangle and is as important as the Iraq issue in world 
politics." 
 
The US Narcotic Report 
All papers:  According to the US annual international drug 
report Turkey became an important base for the drug 
trafficking.  The report says that tons of heroin are 
transported through Turkey every month to be delivered 
mainly to Europe and in limited measures to the US.  The 
report also mentions the increasing money laundering cases 
in Turkey and suggests that this could be prevented by 
coordination of police and judiciary work.  Meanwhile, 
Istanbul police seized 42 kilos of cocaine from a ship 
traveling from Bolivia to Iran yesterday and arrested 9 
people in connection with drug trafficking. 
 
Television Highlights 
 
ANKARA 00001065  003 OF 003 
 
 
(NTV, 7:00 AM) 
 
Domestic News 
- Protest rallies held in Ankara and Istanbul against Iraq 
war on the anniversary Turkish parliament's rejection of US 
troop transfer to Iraq through Turkish land. 
 
- Snubbing the veto of President Sezer, Turkish parliament 
passed a bill for the establishment of 15 new universities. 
New universities are to be established in the provinces of 
Kyrsehir, Kastamonu, Duzce, Burdur, Usak, Rize, Tekirdag, 
Erzincan, Aksaray, Giresun, Corum, Yozgat, Adiyaman, Ordu 
and Amasya, requiring 2,000 new academic staff and 15 
rectors.  Now, President Sezer will either approve it or 
take it to the Constitutional Court for annulment. 
 
International News 
- Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said on the eve of an official 
visit to Moscow that his party will not change its position 
regarding Israel. 
 
- A leading Islamic Jihad commander in the Gaza Strip is 
killed by a bomb that ripped through his car. 
 
- Belgian judicial authorities have confirmed officially 
that Fehriye Erdal, the extreme leftist militant charged 
with the killing of the prominent Turkish businessman 
Ozdemir Sabanci, is missing. 
 
- Several Turkish Cypriots nationals have applied to Greek 
Cypriot authorities to participate in the May 21 elections. 
 
Economy News 
- Japanese credit rating agency JCR said it will review 
Turkey's foreign currency credit note, which stands at BB-. 
 
- Turkish exports rose by 7.51 percent year-on-year to USD 
6.124 billion in February, the Turkish Exporters' Assembly 
(TIM) said. 
 
 
WILSON