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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006670 
 
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, DECEMBER 15, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Turkey-EU Ties Following EU Leader Summit 
All papers:  At a summit meeting in Brussels, EU leaders ratified a 
December 11 decision by European foreign ministers to suspend talks 
with Ankara in eight of 35 policy areas.  EU leaders agreed to 
discuss the isolation of Turkish Cyprus at an EU meeting on January 
¶22.  The next EU term president, Germany's Angela Merkel, told the 
Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos that she was determined to 
implement a regulation adopted in 2004 for direct trade with the 
Turkish Cypriots.  Papadopoulos reportedly agreed with Merkel that 
Turkish Cypriots could use the Greek Cypriot ports such as Limassol 
in the south for their exports.  European Commission President Jose 
Manuel Barroso told the Italian daily La Stampa that in addition to 
the Cyprus issue, Turkey must do more with regard to religious 
freedom, free speech, the rights of women and minorities, and the 
impact of the military in politics. 
 
Papers report British Prime Minister Tony Blair will stop over in 
Ankara on Friday before going on a tour of Middle Eastern countries 
including Egypt, Israel and Palestine on Saturday.  Blair will meet 
his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at dinner on Friday to 
discuss the EU's suspension decision, Cyprus and the Middle East. 
 
Meanwhile Mesrob II, the Armenian Patriarch in Turkey, sought 
support for Turkey in a letter he sent to 23 EU leaders.  "The EU 
reforms have improved the basic rights of Turkish nationals 
including religious minorities," Mesrob II said, adding "This 
positive process will continue."  "Since the 1920s, Turkey has 
turned its face to the West," he stressed, urging the EU leaders not 
to derail membership talks by imposing one-sided conditions, 
"without taking into account Turkey's other commitments." 
 
The economic/political daily Referans claims that the Turkish 
Foreign Ministry (MFA) has been working on a new plan concerning 
ties with the EU, which envisages cutting dialogue with the European 
bloc on some issues, downgrading the level of contacts with EU 
representatives and using Turkish veto powers in NATO.  The paper 
thinks Turkey might cut off dialogue with the EU on energy and 
illegal migration issues.  The EU desperately needs to diversify its 
energy resources to avoid natural gas dependency on Russia.  Turkey, 
however, might opt for cooperating on energy with Russia, not with 
the EU, according to Referans. 
 
Kamuran Ozbir, commenting in the nationalist Ortadogu, urges EU 
leaders to show vision:   "The Greater Europe project, with the 
addition of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU, has proven its success. 
Even though the EU has 27 members, most likely four others will 
follow -- Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Serbia.  That brings the EU 
to the borders of Turkey and unfortunately there is no consensus on 
that subject.  Even the European press is now admitting that Cyprus 
is not the genuine issue as far as Turkey-EU negotiations, but it is 
only a pretext for excluding Turkey.  When the current potential 
conflict areas are seriously considered, it is obvious the value 
Turkey brings for its position between the Western world and the 
Islamic world.  If the EU leaders make their decision without 
thinking of only Turkey's membership as the issue, but in terms of 
establishing a bridge between the two worlds, they will prove to be 
global actors with vision.  Otherwise the EU will remain within its 
confined borders.  The upcoming events will demonstrate the quality 
of the EU vision." 
 
Turkey-Israel Project of Black Sea-Red Sea Pipeline 
Under the headline, "The Project of the Century," Radikal carries an 
extensive front-page story reporting that Turkey and Israel have 
agreed to establish a pipeline to link the Black Sea to the Red Sea, 
carrying Russian and Kazakh oil to Far East markets.  The 
multi-purpose pipeline will also carry natural gas, electricity and 
water, benefiting also Jordan and Palestine.  Turkish Energy 
Minister Hilmi Guler and the Israeli Infrastructure Minister 
 
ANKARA 00006670  002 OF 003 
 
 
Binyamin Ben Eliezer agreed in Jerusalem yesterday on an immediate 
launch of the project, for which the feasibility work is expected to 
last six months.  A 550-km pipeline, with a capacity to carry 60-70 
million tons of crude annually, will be constructed in early 2007 
linking Samsun and Ceyhan.  The project to be completed in 2009 is 
estimated to cost USD 1- 1.5 billion dollars.  Turkey's 
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, a key terminal in the project, will 
become an export route for the Russian and Kazakh oil to be 
transported through Israel to India, China, Japan and other Far East 
countries.  Israeli Prime Minister Olmert is expected to visit 
Ankara in the coming weeks to discuss the project, and the official 
agreement between the Turkish and Israeli governments is to be 
signed in mid-2007, says Radikal. 
 
Iraqi Sunni Groups Secret Meeting in Istanbul 
Cumhuriyet and Yeni Safak reported that a conference to support the 
Iraqi people was held in Istanbul this week.  Representatives of 
Iraqi Sunni groups attended the meeting, which started three days 
ago in Istanbul.  Papers speculate that the meeting might spark some 
trouble for Turkey's Iraq policy since some radical Sunni groups 
reportedly participated at the meeting.  Initially, the meeting was 
planned for the same time as Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's visit to 
Turkey.  However, Maliki rejected the plan and threatened to cancel 
his trip to Ankara if the meeting coincided with his visit. 
Therefore, the meeting was held one month after his mid-November 
visit. 
 
Writing in the mass appeal Vatan, Rusen Cakir warns of the dangers 
in seeking a sectarian-based solution for Iraq: "In the US there are 
two different views prevailing on the Iraq issue.  One group tends 
to believe that civil war is Iraq's own business, suggesting that US 
forces should only focus on operations against Al Qaeda elements and 
training Iraqi forces.  The other group suggests that the US should 
take a side in the civil war and favor the Shiites.  But there is 
also a fear within this group of creating an Iraqi Shiite state 
which would benefit Iran.  There is no pro-Sunni group in the US, at 
least not one speaking out.  Thus some Arab nations, including Saudi 
Arabia are forcing Washington to make a choice.  For that very 
reason, it would be wrong to characterize Turkey as a Sunni Muslim 
country, as it was in the ISG report.  If Turkey finds itself in the 
midst of a sectarian debate, Ankara will gain nothing but will be 
thrown into a boiling pot.  Fortunately, there is still some hope 
for finding the right approach.  Former Democrat administration 
figures like Madeleine Albright stood up and warned the 
administration not to shape a policy based on sectarian lines. 
Let's wait and see how President Bush shapes the new Iraq policy and 
how it will play in the Democratic-led Congress.  The fact of the 
matter is that there are very few names as wise as Albright." 
 
Early Election Debates 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Yeni Safak, Cumhuriyet and others:  Debates over 
election timing are high on Turkey's agenda.  The opposition parties 
and the President are pressuring for early elections, and AKP 
officials reject these calls sharply.  Speaking to NTV, Justice 
Minister Cemil Cicek said that early elections will only be a waste 
of time.  AKP Deputy Group Leader Salih Kapusuz, in an attempt to 
respond to all critics, said yesterday that in a time when Turkey 
needs economic and political stability it is not right to try to 
stir things up by talking about early parliamentary and presidential 
election.  Kapusuz added that President Sezer forgot the fact that 
the parliament that elected him was overthrown by the people.  The 
opposition parties continued their criticism of AKP and pressured 
for early elections.  Yesterday, CHP Deputy group leader Kemal 
Anadol, expressing support for President Sezer, said that no one has 
the right to determine the next seven years of the country, adding 
that the next president will be a people's leader not the AKP's. 
ANAVATAN leader Erkan Mumcu, in a written statement late on 
Wednesday, said that "parliament should first discuss the 
presidential election system before early general elections.  The 
president should directly be elected through a popular vote in two 
 
ANKARA 00006670  003 OF 003 
 
 
rounds." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (6 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Some 250,000 public servants, members of the labor union KESK, 
launched a nationwide one-day go-slow strike at hospitals, 
tollbooths, schools and tax offices.  A couple of thousand state 
employees staged protests in Ankara demanding pay hikes and better 
living conditions.  Traffic on the Bosporus Bridge was jammed for 
hours yesterday because of a slowing down of work by employees at 
the tollbooths. 
 
- The Turkish Parliament has overridden the veto of President Sezer, 
approving a controversial land protection bill that is seen as a 
regulation favoring US food giant Cargill operating in the province 
of Bursa. 
 
- Turkey and Jordan will participate in search and rescue exercises 
to be held in Israel on December 17-21. 
 
- The Turkish Parliament has approved a bill banning the 
development, production and stocking of chemical weapons. 
 
- A draft bill allowing foreign doctors to work in Turkish hospitals 
has sparked heated debates between the Justice Ministry and Health 
Ministry. 
 
International News 
 
- The Economist speculates the Turkish military might intervene in 
northern Iraq in spring.  Last July, Prime Minister Erdogan had 
asked President Bush for support to contain "hawkish" Turkish 
generals. 
 
- Iranians will go to the polls Friday for local council elections 
that are expected to be a first test of support for hardline 
President Ahmedinejad. 
 
- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya reached the Gaza strip 
late Thursday after Israel closed a border crossing to block his 
return from a money-raising tour of Arab states. 
 
- The FBI said in a bulletin the "blind sheik" who inspired the 
World Trade Center bombing has been hospitalized, raising fears of 
new attacks if he dies in US custody. 
 
- On Thursday, South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon took the oath of office as 
the next secretary-general of the UN, promising to restore the 
organization's tarnished reputation and push for peace in the Midle 
East and Darfur. 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON