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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006239 
 
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, NOVEMBER 2, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Buyukanit Visits Greece 
All papers report Turkish General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar 
Buyukanit on Wednesday kicked off a four-day official visit to 
Athens at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Admiral Panayotis 
Hinofotis.  Milliyet reports Buyukanit was given a "head of state" 
reception in Athens.  Buyukanit, the first Turkish army chief to 
ever visit Greece, is to meet with Defense Minister Evangelos 
Meimerakis today before hosting a dinner for Admiral Hinofotis at 
the Turkish Embassy in Athens.  The two commanders are expected to 
discuss primarily confidence building measures in the Aegean rather 
than political issues such as Cyprus.  Hinofotis was hosted by the 
former TGS Chief General Hilmi Ozkok during first his visit to 
Turkey this past July - the first by a Greek Chief of Staff in 32 
years. 
 
Gul, Rehn on Turkey-EU, Cyprus 
All papers:  Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, in Moscow to take part 
in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) foreign ministers' 
meeting, rejected at a press conference after meeting with the 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the EU criticism that the 
pace of reform was decelerating in Turkey.  "Our government is aware 
that the EU negotiation process will be favorable for Turkey.  We 
have a great determination to continue the reforms process," Gul 
maintained.  He also noted "Turkey and Russia consider the Cyprus 
issue should solved under the UN mandate.  President Putin and other 
Russian authorities consider that commercial ties between Turkish 
Cyprus and Russia should be boosted."   Papers report Greek Cypriots 
opposed an attempt by the EU term president Finland to hold a summit 
meeting this weekend regarding Cyprus because Turkish Cypriots were 
invited to participate as a separate party.  Zaman says Turkish 
Cyprus was the only party to have officially agreed to attend the 
meeting. 
 
In an interview with the French daily Liberation, EU Enlargement 
Commissioner Olli Rehn said ties between Turkey and the EU were 
"schizophrenic," adding that membership talks with Turkey should not 
be suspended.  Nicolas Sarkozy, the French presidential hopeful in 
next year's election, said the recognition of the Greek Cypriot 
state was a precondition even for a "privileged partnership" status 
for Turkey. 
 
PKK Offices in Northern Iraq Re-opened 
Milliyet, Cumhuriyet:  Offices of terrorist PKK affiliated Kurdistan 
Democratic Solution Party (PCDK) re-opened in Northern Iraq on 
Wednesday upon the decision of a regional court, reported the news 
agencies.  According to reports, offices also flew PKK flags again. 
 
 
Commenting on northern Iraq in the liberal daily Radikal, Gunduz 
Aktan speculates on the fate of Kirkuk and the implications for 
Turkish policy: "The Kurdish Administration is planning to search 
for oil in its own territory by approving a new oil law, in 
violation of the constitution.  Moreover, with a newly prepared 
draft Kurdish Regional Constitution, Kurds are planning to include, 
not only Kirkuk but many Sunni and Arab regions, including Mosul, in 
their territory.  Allegedly, the US is very tired of the Kurds' 
excessive ambition and plans to leave Kirkuk to the Sunni Arabs in 
exchange for stopping the insurgency.  Hopefully this suggestion, 
which has Turkey's support as well, will also serve to prevent the 
establishment of a Kurdish State.  In sum, we are heading toward a 
huge confusion.  Therefore, we should produce a policy with a 
solution considering every possibility." 
 
Also writing on northern Iraq, Cengiz Candar noted in the 
conservative Bugun:  "Obviously the Iraqi resistance groups, both 
Shiites and Sunnis, are using more violence to validate their 
political agendas because they simply realized the shaking influence 
 
ANKARA 00006239  002 OF 003 
 
 
of violence in American domestic politics.  On the other hand, 
violence is not only aimed against the US presence.  Iraqi groups 
are using violence to counter each other.  At this current stage, 
there is only one area, Iraq's north, which remains stable to a 
certain extent.  But Turkey is allergic to northern Iraq.  To make a 
reasonable assumption regarding the future of Iraq, we should wait 
until the US Congressional elections are over.  Yet there is still a 
fair analysis that can be made at this point:  Iraq will continue to 
be unstable from some time to come.  Turkey will have to make its 
policy assessments without ignoring this very fact." 
 
Heavy Floods Hit Turkey's South, Southeast 
All papers report that so far 32 people, including seven children, 
have died in heavy floods sweeping Turkey's southeast region in the 
worst flooding the region saw in 50 years.  Eighteen were killed in 
the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir and three others 
in the nearby town of Silopi in the past 48 hours.  In the 
Mediterranean city of Mersin, dozens of homes and businesses have 
been flooded.  The Turkish Red Crescent sent 2,500 blankets, 200 
tents and seven mobile kitchens to Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa and Sirnak. 
 "Not fate, Neglect" says a Milliyet headline, stressing that the 
high death toll and devastation in the impoverished southeast region 
are a direct result of poor infrastructure and shoddy building 
practices.  Hurriyet compares under the headline, "Like a Tsunami," 
the flooding in Turkey to recent disasters in Asia, noting Istanbul 
and the Mediterranean cities of Antalya and Mersin have also been 
badly hit. 
 
US Investment in Turkey 
All papers reported that KocSistem-owned by Koc Information 
Technologies Group-has sold Biletix, which was founded in 2000 as a 
more convenient way for consumers to purchase tickets and get 
information on entertainment and sporting events throughout Turkey, 
to the world's leading ticket sales company, Ticketmaster. 
California-based Ticketmaster has over 6,600 retail ticket sales 
counters, 19 international call centers and many international web 
sites.  Today's papers also report that RTUK approval of the sale of 
television station TGRT to US businessman Rupert Murdoch.  Sabah 
reports that speaking at the 'Russell 20-20 Forum', US Ambassador 
Ross Wilson praised the Turkish economy to the gathered investors 
and urged them to include Turkey in their investment plans. 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 7.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- A 4.8-magnitude earthquake has been reported in the southeastern 
province of Bingol. 
 
- The main opposition CHP lawmaker Onur Oymen said his party would 
not permit any changes to the controversial Article 301 of the 
Turkish Penal Code. 
 
- Turkey's chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan is due in Athens for 
talks with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. 
 
- Professor Muazzez Ilmiye Cig, a 92-year-old retired expert on the 
ancient Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia, has been acquitted of 
charges against her for saying that 5,000 years ago Islamic-style 
headscarves were worn by priestesses who initiated young men into 
sex. 
 
- World Bank Turkey director Andrew Vorkink supported the complaints 
of the Turkish Central Bank that wage hikes granted to civil 
servants could harm the fight against inflation. 
 
International News 
 
 
ANKARA 00006239  003 OF 003 
 
 
- A massive Israeli security operation in the northern Gaza Strip 
left six Palestinians and one Israeli soldier killed, wounding 35 
others. 
 
- Sunni insurgents have cut the roads linking Baghdad to the rest of 
Iraq and the country is being partitioned as militiamen battle for 
control of towns north and south of the capital, the British 
Independent reported. 
 
- British army General David Richards said NATO needs more troops in 
Afghanistan to secure a victory over Taliban fighters in the coming 
months. 
 
- China has adopted new rules requiring review of all death 
sentences by the Supreme People's Court in the face of domestic and 
international criticism of Beijing's extensive use of capital 
punishment. 
 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON