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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006276 
 
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, NOVEMBER 3, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Buyukanit Visits Greece 
All papers comment that the warm reception given to visiting Turkish 
General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit in Greece was an 
extension of the positive ties established between the Turkish and 
Greek politicians.  General Buyukanit, in Athens as the official 
guest of his Greek counterpart Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis, said 
yesterday after meeting with the Greek Defense Minister Evangelos 
Meymarakis that his talks had been "very positive."  "The problems 
between the two countries should be discussed.  This is not a sign 
of weakness but self-confidence.  The peoples of the two countries 
keep a close eye on us.  We need friendship, not enmity," Buyukanit 
emphasized.  He said the struggle against illegal migration was also 
discussed, adding that he proposed closer cooperation to Greek 
officials on this "human tragedy" posing a significant threat to 
Europe.  Responding to a question, Buyukanit said debates based on 
race and ethnicity were a "disgrace" for Turkey in the 21st century. 
 Papers also report that the Turkish and Greek delegations agreed at 
talks yesterday on "a regulation of confidence-building measures" to 
be submitted to the foreign ministries in both countries, in an 
effort to reduce the strains in the Aegean. 
 
Finnish Attempt to Hold a Cyprus Summit Fails 
Hurriyet, MIlliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others 
report the EU term president Finland announced it had given up plans 
for holding a summit meeting with Turkey and the Greek and Turkish 
Cypriots on November 5-6 in Helsinki, just ahead of a crucial EU 
progress report on Turkey to be released November 8.  Foreign 
Minister Abdullah Gul said on his return from Moscow yesterday that 
he believed the parties did not want to participate in the talks. 
"Turkey has supported the Finnish efforts from the very beginning. 
We will be glad if the EU assists the efforts for a solution, but 
the problem should be dealt with through the UN," Gul maintained. 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan told his Finnish counterpart Matti 
Vanhanen that Gul would not take part in a meeting not attended by 
Greece.  "So far there have only been rumors about the Finnish 
plan," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey needed to see a blueprint 
before announcing its views about the proposal.  Meanwhile, papers 
quote Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis as saying, "The paradoxical 
politics of the non-recognition of one EU member state by another 
candidate state cannot continue forever." 
 
Greek Cypriots Want 'Education Blockade' on Turkish Cyprus 
Radikal reports the Greek Cypriots have launched lobbying efforts 
against San Diego State University for sending its 26 students and 
four fellows to the East Mediterranean University in Turkish Cyprus 
for a six-week program.  Lashing out at San Diego State University 
for cooperating with an "illegal" school, the Greek Cypriots are 
expected to apply to international courts in an effort to put an 
"education blockade" to prevent Turkish Cyprus universities carrying 
out exchange programs with other universities.  The Rector of the 
East Mediterranean University, Professor Halil Guven said the Greek 
Cypriot campaign was "disgraceful". 
 
Paper: Iraqi PM to Visit Turkey November 12 
Cumhuriyet speculates that the actual reaon behind the cancellation 
of a visit by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to Turkey 
earlier in October was not the excuse offered at the time -- a 
"sandstorm at the Baghdad Airport" - but that the Kurds and 
Americans believed that al-Maliki would make pledges during his 
talks with the Turks.  Concerned that Turkey might demand the right 
of hot pursuit of the PKK terrorists, US Ambassador Khalilzad asked 
al-Maliki to put off his visit to Turkey.  After giving guarantees 
that he would make no commitments for cross-border incursions 
without the consent of the Kurdish groups and the US, the Iraqi PM, 
accompanied by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zabari and the Iraqi 
anti-PKK envoy Shirvan al-Wailily, is expected to visit Turkey on 
November 12-13. 
 
 
ANKARA 00006276  002 OF 003 
 
 
Editorial Commentary on US Midterm Elections and Iraq 
Haluk Ulman, commenting in the economic-political daily Dunya, notes 
that the situation in Iraq is at the center of the US mid-term 
election campaigns:  "The upcoming US Congressional election has 
become the most debated topic in America, with Iraq at the center of 
the discussion.  The fate of Iraq and whether or not the US will be 
able to make up for its Iraq failure is going to be the major thing 
shaping the decision of the voters.  Unlike the 2004 presidential 
elections, when nobody questioned Bush's policy for Iraq and 
supported the war against terrorism, Washington's Iraq policy and 
the growing terrorist incidents there have become the main concern 
of the voters.  It is also interesting that the Bush administration 
managed to hide the facts about Iraq from the very beginning by 
manipulating the media and through the war-mongering lobbies.  There 
was always a rosy picture presented to the American public about 
Iraq.  In the end, the failure in Iraq reached such a colossal level 
it was impossible to hide anything anymore." 
 
 
YIMPAS Irregularities 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal and others:  Today's papers report that 
PM Erdogan, FM Gul, Deputy PM Abdullatif Sener and Mehmet Ali Sahin 
have all come out to criticize parties trying to link Yimpas -- an 
Islamic-oriented company whose funds allegedly ended up in the bank 
accounts of private individuals -- with the AKP government.  Radikal 
and other papers quoted FM Gul as saying, "Just because we were at 
the same funeral with the Yimpas chairman Dursun Uyar does not mean 
we are linked to them.  There are judges and prosecutors in Turkey 
and they need to do what's necessary.  I don't have the power to 
declare a person innocent or guilty.  Yet, some people are implying 
that we are protecting these individuals."  Milliyet reports that 
Dogan Cansizlar, head of the Capital Markets Board (SPK), said that 
in December 2003, SPK had prepared a draft, holding officials of 
Islamic companies personally responsible for the funds collected 
from shareholders.  The government however has declined to undertake 
any moves to put the draft into effect.  Cansizlar added that SPK 
had filed 17 cases against Yimpas Holding and its president Dursun 
Uyar.  Six of the complaints have dropped from agenda in line with 
an amnesty passed by the government and others have been dismissed 
under a statue of limitations. 
 
Poll: One-Third of Youngsters Want Reforms in Religion 
Sabah carries a survey which shows that even seven percent of 
youngsters who describe themselves as "very pious" regularly drink 
alcoholic beverages whereas 79.3 percent of the same group said they 
drink occasionally.  More than half of the youngsters, 54.2 percent, 
want religious classes in schools to be compulsory whereas 41.4 
percent disagree.  One third, 31 percent, of the youngsters think 
religions could be reformed according to the requirements of modern 
times, with 42.1 percent saying religions should not undergo changes 
at all.  The survey was commissioned by Sabah and TNS-Piar polling 
company. 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (8 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Eleven people were killed in the southeastern province of Batman 
following the torrential floods on Wednesday evening after 17 were 
killed in floods in the neighboring Diyarbakir province in the last 
two days.  The death toll rose to 34 with another person missing in 
the Mediterranean city of Mersin. 
 
- On Thursday, a man fired a gun in front of the Italian Consulate 
in Istanbul to protest against Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey later 
this month.  The 26-year-old Ibrahim Ak said after he was detained, 
"I did what every Muslim has do to.  The Pope will not come to 
Turkey, but if he does he will see what will happen to him." 
 
ANKARA 00006276  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
- Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the "honor 
killing" of a pregnant girl by her brother in the eastern city of 
Van. 
 
- The Ankara Prosecutor's Office has rejected a request for the 
closure of the gay association "Pink Life," saying such a move would 
amount to a violation of human rights. 
 
International News 
 
- Ten Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed 
yesterday in the heaviest fighting in Gaza since Israel pulled back 
last year. 
 
- Hamas demands that Israel release some 400 Palestinian women and 
minors if it wanted the release of the abducted Israeli Corporal 
Gilad Shalit. 
 
- The US military said American forces killed an al-Qaeda chieftain 
in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi by destroying his car with a 
laser guided bomb. 
 
- President Bush said he wants Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President 
Cheney to remain in his administration until the end of his term in 
the White House. 
 
- Iran has awarded a Moroccan artist the top prize in an exhibition 
of cartoons on the Holocaust, meant to be a response to the Danish 
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked rage among Muslims 
around the world. 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON