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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001530 
 
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 23, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
General Pace in Ankara 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet:  Chairman of the US 
Joint Chiefs of Staff General  Pace will join 
representatives from NATO and the Mediterranean countries 
tomorrow at a symposium in Ankara organized by the Turkish 
General Staff (TGS) to discuss international cooperation 
against terrorism.  The "Global Terrorism and International 
Cooperation" symposium will consider the effects of 
globalization on terrorism, security of urban areas, and 
cooperation against terrorism.  In addition to making a 
presentation at the conference, General Pace will meet today 
with Prime Minister Erdogan and travel to Istanbul with TGS 
Chief General Hilmi Ozkok on Friday. 
 
Defense Offer from Lockheed Martin 
Sabah: A consortium headed by US defense giant Lockheed 
Martin has presented an unprecedented proposal to the 
Turkish defense industry.  The Joint Strike Fighter 
consortium has asked Turkish Airspace Industry (TAI) to 
cooperate in the construction of the fuselage of 4,000 new 
generation F-35s.  Ankara remains undecided due to political 
considerations reasons.  Along with Lockheed Martin's offer, 
Turkey is considering an EU plan for the sale of Eurofighter 
Typhoon war planes. 
 
US Official Delegations in Ankara for Iran 
Yeni Safak, Bugun, Cumhuriyet, Radikal:  A convergence of 
official visitors from Washington has heightened focus on 
the Iran issue.  In addition to General Pace, a 
Congressional delegation led by Senator Warner is in Ankara 
today and NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gordon 
Gray met with Turkish officials yesterday to discuss Iran, 
among other issues.  Dailies report that Washington wants 
Ankara to exert more pressure on the Iranian government. 
 
Turkey and the Arab League 
Yeni Safak: After considering Turkey's request, the Arab 
League has decided to grant permanent observer status to 
Turkey.  PM Erdogan will attend the upcoming Arab League 
Summit on March 27 in Sudan.  The Danish cartoons, the 
Middle East, Iran, and Iraq are among the main agenda items. 
 
Iraq 
Commentary on the third anniversary of the Iraq War 
continued.  Highlighting the ongoing instability, columnist 
Zafer Atay suggested that a mechanism should be established 
prior to the pull out of the US.  In economic-political 
daily Dunya, he wrote: "In this ongoing chaos throughout the 
country, it would be completely unrealistic to suggest a UN 
peacekeeping force or an Islamic Peace Corps.  There is no 
way to protect peace when it simply does not exist.  A 
mechanism must be found to prevent civil war in Iraq in the 
event of a pullout of foreign troops.  Such a mechanism 
should contain the means by which to fill the power vacuum 
if and when the pullout occurs.  There is a Turkey side to 
all of this.  The first Gulf War worsened terrorism in 
Turkey.  And this time we don't even want to think about the 
consequences for Turkey." 
 
Talking about the urgent need for a national consensus 
government in Iraq, columnist Hasan Cemal noted that an 
immediate pullout would only worsen the chaos.  In 
mainstream Milliyet, he wrote: "Any Sunni, Shiite, or Kurd 
in Iraq with common sense doesn't want the US to pull out 
from the country.  They are aware of the fact that an 
immediate pullout will only worsen the current chaos and 
lead to division as well as terror.  It will only help 
 
ANKARA 00001530  002 OF 003 
 
 
radical Islamists to operate more freely, which will unleash 
a wave of terror throughout the Middle East.  On the other 
hand, the US should start formulating an exit strategy by 
taking suggestions from the international community into 
consideration.  Failure should not be an option for the 
future of Iraq.  An immediate consensus between Shiite, 
Kurdish, and Sunni groups for a national unity government 
will pave the way for normalization and a stable Iraq." 
 
Turkey Opens Airspace for Greek Cypriot Airport 
Milliyet: There are signs of flexibility on opening ports 
and airspace to Greek Cypriot vessels.  While Ankara 
continues to discuss whether opening its ports to Greek 
Cypriot ships, permission has already been granted for the 
airspace.  International airlines are allowed to use Turkish 
airspace en route Larnaca airport on the Greek Cypriot side. 
Cypriot Airlines is still an exception to this rule. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 8 AM 
 
Domestic News 
- Noting that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had to cancel 
his trip to the United States due to a health problem, 
Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said Turkey 
will be represented by State Minister Kursad Tuzmen during 
the American Turkish Council meetings in Washington on March 
¶26. 
 
- Police Intelligence Chief Sabri Uzun has been fired from 
his post.  There is speculation that Uzun was a victim of 
his harsh criticism of the military during his testimony 
about the Semdinli incidents in southeastern Turkey. 
 
- Afghan President Karzai arrived in Ankara on Wednesday to 
participate in the international symposium on global 
terrorism.  Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General 
Pace; chiefs of general staff from NATO, Partnership for 
Peace, and Mediterranean countries; and high-level military 
officials will attend the symposium. 
 
- Security sources said compared to last year, there was a 
20 percent decrease in participation in Nevruz celebrations. 
 
- Diyarbakir-based Gun TV and Soz TV and Sanlyurfa-based 
Medya FM Radio commenced Kurdish-language broadcasts, 
marking the first private radio and television broadcasts in 
Turkey in a language other than Turkish. 
 
International News 
- Israeli acting PM Ehud Olmert's Kadima remains the leading 
political party on the eve of the elections. 
 
- The Basque separatist group ETA has ended a decades-long 
campaign of terror, announcing a permanent cease-fire. 
 
Economic News 
- Addressing the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, Prime 
Minister Erdogan said it would be wrong to claim that Turkey 
is currently going through an economic crisis like the one 
seen in 2001.  Erdogan added that there will be no change in 
monetary policies, including the floating exchange regime. 
 
- State Minister for Economy Ali Babacan departed for Vienna 
on Wednesday to attend a meeting on investment opportunities 
in Turkey.  On Thursday, Babacan will move on to Sweden to 
meet with Swedish foreign minister and industry minister. 
 
  -    The wage hike granted by the ruling AKP government to 
 
ANKARA 00001530  003 OF 003 
 
 
     civil servants and the cut in VAT for textile producers is 
     seen by the IMF as a deviation from the economic 
     stabilization program. 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
  http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON