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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003099 
 
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, MAY 26, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Alpogan on Iran's Nuclear Efforts 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and others: 
Turkish National Security Council (MGK) Chairman Yigit 
Alpogan told the press after wrapping up three-days of 
meetings in Moscow that Turkey would not want having a 
nuclear armed Iran as its neighbor, stressing that Ankara 
favors a diplomatic solution to the problem.  'I have 
explained our position to the Americans during an earlier 
visit to Washington.  We don't believe that Iran as a 
nuclear power will serve world peace and regional stability. 
Turkey lost 50 billion USD despite the fact that it was not 
involved in the First Iraq War in 1991.  And Turkey had to 
look after some 450,000 Iraqis who fled to Turkey,' Alpogan 
said.  He added that Turkey will suffer enormous losses if a 
military operation is launched against Iran.  Turkey views 
the probability of US military action against Iran this year 
as very low, Alpogan said, because the American public 
largely opposes war with Iran and there are US interim 
elections in November. 
 
Nuclear Equipment Seized at Turkey-Iran Border 
Milliyet and Cumhuriyet report that in a joint operation 
with the CIA, the Turkish intelligence agency (MIT) seized 
two truck loads of equipment allegedly destined for the 
Iranian nuclear program at the Gurbulak border crossing on 
the Turkey-Iran border.  Cumhuriyet says the equipment was 
to be used in missile production and had been purchased by 
an Iranian company, the Istanbul-based Step Co., from firms 
in the EU, US, Canada, India, Ukraine, and China. Documents 
accompanying the shipment indicated that the end-user was in 
Turkey.  The paper says that Turkey had been used as a 
bridge in ferrying 'critical' materials to Iran. 
 
Sezer Will Not Meet Hamas on Upcoming Visit to Israel, 
Palestine 
Radikal reports President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will not meet 
with Hamas leaders during an upcoming visit to Israel and 
Palestine on June 7-8, despite persistent efforts by Prime 
Minister Haniya to be received by the Turkish President. 
Sezer made the decision in reaction to a statement by Hamas 
that the killing of civilians in the April 17 suicide bomb 
attack in Tel Aviv was 'legitimate self-defense.'  While in 
Palestine, Sezer will only meet with President Abbas and 
urge the Palestinian officials to give up efforts to 
legitimize their armed struggle, calling on both sides for a 
revival of talks under the Road Map.  Diplomatic sources 
said the Turkish government supported Sezer's decision, and 
that the President would not be accompanied by cabinet 
ministers on his upcoming trip. 
 
Arrests over Council of State Attack Continue 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and 
others:  Erhan Timuroglu, a suspect detained in connection 
with last week's deadly attack on the Council of State 
(Danistay) and the recent grenade attacks on the Cumhuriyet 
daily, said if the attacker Alparslan Aslan had not been 
caught, they would launch bloody bombings in Istanbul and 
target Armenians in the city.  Prior to his departure to 
Berlin yesterday, Prime Minister Erdogan said there was a 
"bloody" organization behind the Council of State attack. 
Erdogan slammed opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal for 
suggesting a link between the atackers and the ruling AK 
Party government. 
 
Syrian Opposition Party Takes AKP as Model 
A Syrian opposition group organized in exile in London told 
Hurriyet they want to meet with Prime Minister Erdogan 
 
ANKARA 00003099  002 OF 003 
 
 
during a visit to Turkey next month.  The group said they 
take the ruling AK Party in Turkey as a model, noting their 
name in Arabic, 'Harakat al Adala wal Binaa,' meant 'Justice 
and Development Party.'  The party's leader Anas al-Abdah 
said their members disguised as academics had toured Turkish 
cities last year in an effort to observe how the ruling 
party functioned.  'We have met with leading AKP officials 
during their visits to several Arab countries, including 
Qatar.  They support us.  We want to continue our party in 
Syria, and believe that our 'Third Way,' the 'democratic 
Islamist way,' will be the new face of opposition in Syria,' 
Abdah said. 
 
Ataturk Airport Fire Causes 1 Billion USD Damage 
All papers:  Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK,) an offshoot of 
the outlawed PKK, claimed responsibility over the blaze that 
destroyed the cargo section of  Istanbul's Ataturk airport, 
the hub of international air travel in Turkey, which 
slightly injured three people and caused delays in air 
traffic.  Initial estimates put the cost of the fire at 
around 1 billion USD.  The Turkish authorities have said an 
electrical short circuit was the cause of the blaze. 
Airport officials said some incoming planes were ordered to 
delay their landings and others were rerouted to the city's 
second airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Strait. 
 
Erdogan on the Headscarf Issue 
All papers:  During a meeting with the representatives of 
the Turkish community in Berlin, a Turkish woman wearing a 
headscarf complained to Prime Minister Erdogan that the 
Turkish Embassy in the German capital demanded photographs 
without headscarves for visa procedures.  The Turkish 
ambassador to Germany confirmed there was such a practice, 
and that the embassy only applied the instructions of 
Ankara.  An angry Erdogan to change the instructions that 
were allegedly outlined in a circular sent to Turkey's 
foreign missions, according to reports. 
 
Kurdish DTP Leaders to Attend Meeting in Northern Iraq 
Aysel Tugluk and Ahmet Turk, co-chairpersons of the DTP, 
Turkey's main Kurdish party, will attend the Socialist 
International Kurdish Working Group meeting in Suleymaniye 
on May 29, the Copenhagen-based Kurdish Roj TV reported. 
President Jalal Talabani, head of the Kurdistan regional 
government leader Nechirvan Barzani, and Speaker of the 
Kurdistan Parliament Adnan Mufti, and the regional president 
of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani will participate in the one- 
day meeting. 
 
Editorial Comments 
 
EU: "No Similarity between the Cyprus and Montenegro Issues" 
Selcuk Gultasli wrote from Brussels in Islamist-intellectual 
Zaman (5/26):  "The Europeans were very pleased about 
Montenegro's independence from Serbia after last week's 
referendum.  While praising this occurrence and urging 
everyone to recognize Montenegro's independence, EU sources 
strongly object to the idea that Turkish Cypriots would 
separate from the Republic of Cyprus and become independent. 
The same EU sources say that although these two issues could 
be compared, still there are huge differences between them. 
Besides, it has not been too long since the Greek rejection 
of Annan plan, and Turkish Cypriots' independent structures 
would not be accepted by the international community until 
all efforts exhausted to unite the both sides in Cyprus. 
However, the same sources add that if the intransigent 
stance of Papadopulos continues, international support for 
Turkish Cypriot independence could increase within few 
years." 
 
 
ANKARA 00003099  003 OF 003 
 
 
Time to Stop the Game 
Sami Kohen observed in the mainstream daily Milliyet (5/26): 
"The meeting of Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers in 
Istanbul on June 10 for the fourth 'Turkey-Greece Media 
Conference' will be a great opportunity to stop a very 
dangerous, long lasting game.  After the collusion of 
Turkish and Greek F-16s in the Aegean, it is necessary to 
discuss the 'dog fight' issue and take precautions to 
prevent such accidents.  It is good for Turkish and Greek 
governments to continue this dialogue, but unless the both 
sides' governments and military officials implement 
confidence building measures, talks on the technical level 
only will not help to resolve disagreements between Turkey 
and Greece.  The most effective way to prevent such 
incidents is to declare a flight moratorium in the Aegean 
while the both countries seek compromise." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (8 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
- Following the collision of Turkish and Greek fighter jets 
over the Aegean earlier in the week, Foreign Minister Gul 
said an emergency phone line between the two countries would 
be set up soon.  US State Department Spokesman Sean 
MacCormack said of the incident, "Those are things that we 
would hope that over time Greece and Turkey would be able to 
work through." 
 
- The EU is expected to warn Turkey and present new demands 
at Turkey-EU Association Council talks on June 12 in 
Luxembourg:  The military must speak out only on military 
issues; Greek Cypriots must be allowed into Turkish ports 
and airports; independence of the judiciary must be observed 
in the Semdinli trial, and Turkey must speed up reforms. 
 
- Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday 
'The Anatolian Sun 2006' military exercises to be held near 
Antalya today do not target any other country.  The United 
States, France and Portugal will participate in the 
exercises as well as thirty-one observer countries. 
 
- Turkey's State Statistics Institute said tourist arrivals 
in April rose to 1.37 million, up from last year's 1.34 
million, recovering from a sharp fall in the first quarter 
of 2006 on bird flu fears and terrorist attacks. 
 
International News 
- Palestinian President Abbas said on Thursday he would call 
a referendum on a Palestinian proposal seeking a negotiated 
settlement with Isrel if rival al-Fatah and Hamas groups do 
not aree on the plan. 
 
- US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans was removed from post 
after acknowledging the 'genocide' of Armenians by Ottomans 
in 1915.  Sixty US Congressmen have expressed their concern 
about Evans' removal in a letter to Secretary Rice. 
 
- Sources said twenty-four ethnic Azeris were killed in the 
riots in northwestern Iran sparked by the publication of a 
cartoon that allegedly denigrated Azeris. 
 
 
 Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
  http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON