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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003021 
 
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, MAY 25, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Fire Breaks out in Istanbul's Main Airport 
All papers:  A large fire broke out in a cargo area of 
Istanbul's main Ataturk Airport on Wednesday, injuring three 
people.  Papers say the blaze might have been caused by an 
electrical short circuit, but the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks 
(TAK), an offshoot of the PKK, claimed responsibility. 
Authorities maintained there is no evidence to suggest 
sabotage.  Yeni Safak claims the fire could be linked to 
alleged customs irregularities.  Planes are landing and 
taking off on schedule after a brief disruption yesterday. 
Many companies experienced heavy material and financial 
losses in the blaze, which has forced the authorities to 
move Istanbul's commercial cargo operations to the small 
airport at nearby Corlu. 
 
Erdogan on Council of State Attack, Turkish Economy, 
Elections 
All papers:  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in a 
televised speech to his AK Party group yesterday that last 
week's attack on the Council of State was aimed at 
disrupting stability and security in Turkey.  'The heinous 
armed attack at the Council of State is an open act of 
provocation.  It is sad that some politicians have exploited 
it and refuse to see the true face of the murderer.  We can 
defeat terrorism only by boosting freedoms and preserving 
human rights,' Erdogan said.  Erdogan rejected suggestions 
that the AKP would take risks with the economy for political 
gain, saying there would be no irresponsible spending or tax 
cuts as part of a drive to win votes in next year's 
election.  Concerns that the government might call an 
election ahead of schedule have contributed to strains in 
domestic financial markets, which have pushed the lira to 
its lowest level against the USD in over two years.  Erdogan 
noted that market fluctuations are occurring around the 
world, and that the AKP government is not in a hurry to 
intervene.  Erdogan stressed that there are no plans to call 
early parliamentary elections, despite persistent 
speculation about such a move. 
 
Turkey, Greece to Set Up Emergency Hotline 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others 
report that following the collision of Greek and Turkish F- 
16 fighter jets over the Aegean Sea during a dogfight 
earlier this week, the two sides have decided to establish a 
direct phone line between the Turkish airbase in Eskisehir 
and the Greek base in Larissa for use in emergency 
situations.  The direct line will be inaugurated on June 10, 
when Greek Foreign Minister Bakoyannis is scheduled to visit 
Turkey.  The Turkish Air Force Command announced yesterday 
that the incident this week occurred when two Greek F-16 
jetfighters approached a Turkish F-16 from the rear and 
rammed into it.  The Turks blamed the Greek side for what 
they termed 'harassment.'  Greek Prime Minister Costas 
Karamanlis told the press that the collision and conditions 
int eh Aegean would be taken into consideration in the 
context of Turkey's application to join the EU. 
'Yesterday's accident must be a signal to Turkey to abandon 
tactics that do not tally with its European perspective,' 
Karamanlis said. 
 
BTC Oil to Reach Turkish Port in Late May 
Star and Yeni Safak report that the Azerbaijani crude oil 
that has been flushed into the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) 
pipeline will reach the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan on May 
27 to be distributed to world markets.  The BTC will carry 
an estimated 50 million ton of crude oil annually, resulting 
in 300 million USD of annual income for Turkey.  Heads of 
 
ANKARA 00003021  002 OF 004 
 
 
state and government from 16 countries are expected to 
participate in the inauguration of BTC in Ceyhan on July 13. 
Prime Minister Erdogan told Secretary Rice during her April 
visit to Ankara that he would like to see the US President 
and Secretary of State at the inauguration, according to 
Yeni Safak. 
 
Columnist Ibrahim Karagul wrote in the Islamist-oriented 
Yeni Safak about BTC:  "What is the connection between the 
air attacks in Afghanistan that killed hundreds of civilians 
and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline?  Why is NATO 
getting ready for a ground operation in Afghanistan?  Why is 
the UK deploying more troops in Afghanistan?  Why are NATO 
and US forces bombing Afghan villages?  BTC petrol will be 
transported from the port of Ceyhan with by oil tankers 
beginning on May 27.  The official opening of the pipeline 
is being organized for July 13.  There will be a glorious 
ceremony with the attendance of many heads of state.  The US 
will be represented at a high level.  There is no doubt that 
BTC is a very important step toward Turkey's goal of 
becoming an energy hub.  But the project itself and the 
nature of the opening ceremony also show that BTC is also an 
indicator of a frightening polarization.  Problems in the 
Middle East will spread to Central Asia in the near future. 
The main reason for the US interest in the opening of the 
BTC pipeline is that BTC is the only project the US had 
started in the Caspian region since the 1990s that has 
actually been completed.  The US launched very expensive 
military operations to facilitate some other projects, but 
none of them was successful.  Therefore, the US needs the 
BTC pipeline more than Turkey does.  Now that BTC is 
completed, Washington is exerting great efforts for the 
completion of a Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) 
natural gas pipeline.  The US is trying to lure India into 
this project as well.  And that is the main reason behind 
the renewed fighting in Afghanistan.  NATO is launching a 
'mop-up' operation to secure the pipeline route.  In short, 
a dirty project is being carried out through the blood of 
poor, innocent Afghans.  BTC is a great opportunity for 
Turkey, but is also an extension of frightening geopolitical 
plans for Eurasia." 
 
Police Detain Members of Fundamentalist Terror Group in 
Konya 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and 
others:  On Wednesday, anti-terror police captured 24 
suspected members of the fundamentalist 'Islamist Great 
Eastern Raiders' Front (IBDA-C)' terrorist organization in 
the central Anatolian province of Konya.  The suspects are 
said to have run dormitories for single men and cafes and 
restaurants in order to recruit members.  Some of the 
suspects were reportedly cashing post-dated checks, and some 
were involved in kidnappings.  Police seized three handguns 
and organizational documents. 
 
UN Investigates Women Suicides in Southeast Turkey 
Hurriyet reports the United Nations has sent a 
representative to Turkey to investigate the sharp rise in 
suicides by women in the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of 
Batman.  There are suspicions that the increase in suicides 
has been caused by heavy penalties brought by the new penal 
code for honor killings, and that most of the suicide 
victims have been forced to kill themselves by their 
families.  The number of suicides reported in Batman in the 
last five months is higher than the number of suicides 
committed throughout 2005. 
 
 
Editorial Comment 
 
 
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What does Russia Think about Turkey? 
Hakan Aksay commented in the leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet 
(5/25):  "An effort to improve Turkish-Russian relations has 
been a marked feature of Putin's rule.  Tension between 
these two countries might benefit others, but would 
inevitably damage both countries.  Turkey's geo-strategic 
position is based on energy resources.  Both Turkey and 
Russia have joint interests in the Black-Sea.  Russian 
Gazprom wants to do business in Turkey.  If Russia offers 
Turkey an energy partnership in the near future, that would 
not be a surprise.  It is noticeable that Russia is also 
showering Turkey with proposals ranging from the sale of 
military helicopters to the construction of nuclear power 
plants.  The recent improvement in Russia-Turkey relations 
disturbs the US.  The US is pressuring Turkey not to have 
trade cooperation with Russia.  Russian Foreign Minister 
Lavrov will be coming to Turkey on May 31.  President 
Sezer's visit to Russia will follow soon after that. 
Turkish-Russian relations could accelerate quickly if US 
pressure can be avoided." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 8.00 a.m. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will travel to Ankara 
for a three-day official visit on Sunday to meet with Prime 
Minister Erdogan and Foreign Minister Gul. 
 
- Turkey's social security reform bill, which had earlier 
been vetoed by President Sezer, will be discussed by the 
parliament next week. 
 
International News 
 
- British daily The Independent said Ankara's EU bid has 
been jeopardized by the killing of a top judge by an 
Islamist lawyer last week.  The angry popular response to 
the murder motivated by disagreements over the right to wear 
the headscarf has had the effect of forcing people in Turkey 
to take sides. 
 
- President Ahmadinejad said the US will fail in its effort 
to provoke ethnic clashes in Iran.  The statement came a day 
after Iran closed a state-owned newspaper and detained its 
chief editor for publishing an insulting cartoon that 
sparked riots by ethnic Azeris in Tabriz in northwestern 
Iran. 
 
- UNSYG Annan plans to send his special envoy, Michael 
Moller, to Cyprus, Turkey and Greece to test the ground for 
a new UN peace initiative on Cyprus. 
 
- Nabil Hodhod, a Gaza security chief loyal to President 
Abbas, was killed in a car bomb attack yesterday. 
 
Economy News 
 
- Turkey's telecommunications board and Vodafone Group Plc 
have signed a concession contract to completr the sale of 
Telsim, Turkey's second-biggest mobile operator.  Earlier 
this month, Turkey's top administrative court approved 
Vodafone's 4.55 billion USD takeover of Telsim. 
 
 
 Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
  http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
ANKARA 00003021  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
WILSON