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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002358 
 
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 
FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2006 
 
Secretary Rice Visit Special Edition 
 
SIPDIS 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Turkey Denies Troops Entered Northern Iraq 
All papers:  On Thursday, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul 
said, en route to Sofia to participate in the NATO foreign 
minister meeting, that the build-up of Turkish troops along 
the Iraqi border is aimed at preventing the PKK militants 
from crossing the border and moving into Turkey.  "Since the 
Iraqis don't have enough forces to establish security in the 
region, they should be happy and help us," Gul maintained. 
Papers claim Turkish troops have infiltrated 20 km into 
northern Iraq, carrying out operations in many places. 
Milliyet says two PKK camps near Amediye in northern Iraq 
had been destroyed by Turkish jetfighters and artillery, 
adding that troop transfers to the border area continued. 
Hurriyet claims in talks in early April, American officials 
gave the green light for Turks to carry out such cross- 
border operations.  The President of the Kurdistan region, 
Massud Barzani told Kurdistan TV that Turkish forces had not 
crssed the border, and warned neighbors not to inerfere in 
Iraq's domestic affairs.  Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) 
officials told Yeni Safak that tripartite security talks 
among Turkey, Iraq, and the US should be resumed as soon as 
a new government is formed in Baghdad, and that the US was 
expected to keep its pledge of "doubling the efforts" 
against the PKK. 
 
Commentary on Secretary Rice's Visit 
Commentators continued speculating about the outcome of 
Secretary Rice's recent visit to Ankara.  "Iran and Iraq, 
 
SIPDIS 
including the PKK were the main issues but Secretary Rice 
refrained from making any commitment" liberal-intellectual 
Radikal's foreign affairs columnist Erdal Guven told his 
readers. Erdal wrote:  "There is an unspoken truth about 
Turkish-American relations. Even though Turkey is considered 
to be an ally, the US does not feel obliged to make an 
active commitment to fight against the PKK because of 
Ankara's position during the Iraq war.  Moreover, the 
growing anti-Americanism at both the political and popular 
levels is not helping make Washington feel the need for such 
an obligation.  Secretary Rice did not make any commitment 
on that issue, nor did she give a calendar for action.  In 
the end, the Rice visit did not seem to make a positive 
contribution on the hottest issue between Turkey and the 
US." 
 
Characterizing US-Turkish relations as "sleeping with the 
bear," Oguzhan Muftuoglu wrote in the leftist Birgun : "The 
statements from Secretary Rice and Turkish Foreign Minister 
Gul provided a clear indication of Ankara's commitment to 
support the American actions on Iran.  It seems that Ankara 
will not make the same mistake, the parliamentary motion 
accident [the March 1, 2003 vote] if you will, when and if 
the US launches a military operation against Iran.  The 
rhetoric shows that both Turkey and the US are currently 
basing bilateral relations on that understanding.  Rice 
underscored during the press event that she and Gul have 
shared the same views on the Iran issue - an expression that 
was more than just an ordinary diplomatic statement." 
 
Turkey's MGK Discusses Iraq, the PKK 
All papers:  In a meeting lasting more than five hours, the 
Turkish National Security Council (MGK) discussed security 
measures against the PKK, the threat of fundamentalism in 
the country, and a Turkish government report on Iraq.  The 
MGK gathering said measures must be taken in order to 
bolster the economic, social and cultural structure in 
southeastern Turkey.  The MGK noted that US failure to 
 
ANKARA 00002358  002 OF 003 
 
 
crackdown on the freely moving PKK militants in northern 
Iraq, and the logistic support extended by the KDP and PUK, 
northern Iraqi Kurdish parties, to the PKK has played a role 
in the comeback of the terrorist organization in southeast 
Turkey.  On Iraq, the MGK said the status of the oil-rich 
northern Iraqi town of Kirkuk must be agreed on by all the 
groups in the country. 
 
After Kirkuk, Northern Iraqi Kurds Eye Tal Afar 
Cumhuriyet cites on its front page a news commentary in the 
Christian Science Monitor which claims the Kurds in northern 
Iraq, who have already taken control of the oil-rich city of 
Kirkuk through population transfers, are now attempting to 
do the same thing in the northern Iraqi Turkmen town of Tal 
Afar, in an effort to establish a link with the Kurdish 
region in Syria, which is essential in attaining the goal of 
"Greater Kurdistan." 
 
Turkish Opposition Criticizes New Anti-Terror Bill 
All papers report the main opposition CHP and the Turkish 
military believe Article 6 in the new anti-terror bill 
should be removed because it would open the way for the 
imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to seek amnesty. 
Papers comment the ruling AK Party government is looking to 
remove the article in the face of such pressure.  Justice 
Minister Cemil Cicek rejected claims that the bill will work 
in a way to enable the release of Ocalan, lashing out at the 
CHP for distorting the facts. 
 
US Ships in Eastern Mediterranean 
Cumhuriyet reports the USS Theodore Roosevelt and an 
unidentified US warship have docked offshore Turkey's port 
city of Iskenderun in the eastern Mediterranean.  Turkish 
authorities turned down the USS Roosevelt Commander and some 
other high-level military officers who requested a port 
visit to Iskenderun to allow the crew to tour the city. 
Both US aircraft are to join a US exercise to be held in 
international waters in the eastern Mediterranean on May 24- 
26, the dates set for the visit of the Iranian President 
Ahmadinejad to Turkey. 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (7 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
- Turkish National Security Council (MGK) convened Thursday 
to discuss terrorism in southeast Turkey and Iran. 
 
- Turkish military conducts air exercises with F-16 and F-4 
jetfighters in the central Turkish province of Konya. 
 
International News 
- Foreign Minister Gul attends NATO foreign ministers 
meeting in Sofia to discuss Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and 
Kosovo. 
 
- The US House of Representatives Wednesday night accepted 
by 397 votes against 21 tough sanctions on Iran. 
 
 - Azeri President Aliyev, in Washington to meet with 
President Bush, told a press conference Azerbaijan will not 
join any military action against Iran. 
 
- Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayed Hasan Nasrallah has 
acknowledged in an interview with a Lebanese daily support 
for Palestinian militants. 
 
 
 Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
ANKARA 00002358  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
  http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON