Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
101347Z Jun 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 003328
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, JUNE 10, 2005
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- -----
HEADLINES
MASS APPEAL
Syria Dialogue at the White House - Sabah
Erdogan Urges Annan to Approval UNSC Cyprus Report - Sabah
No Promises from Bush on PKK - Hurriyet
Erdogan-Bush Meeting Did Not Repair Strained Relations -
Hurriyet
Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security -
Milliyet
Annan Steps In on Cyprus Issue - Turkiye
Syria Issue Raises Tension at Bush-Erdogan Meeting - Vatan
OPINION MAKERS
Erdogan Asks For Annan's Help on Cyprus - Radikal
US Ambassador to Yerevan Loses Award Over `Genocide' -
Radikal
US Uses Kandil Mountains as `Trump Card' Against Turkey -
Cumhuriyet
Opposition CHP Says Erdogan's Trip a Fiasco - Cumhuriyet
Erdogan Invites Cheney to Turkey - Cumhuriyet
Turkey Fails to get US Support on PKK issue - Zaman
Erdogan Warns Annan about Cyprus Report - Yeni Safak
BRIEFING
Erdogan - Annan Meeting: Prime Minister Erdogan yesterday
met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and urged him to
gain approval of his Cyprus report by the UN Security
Council. Erdogan also urged more pressure on the Greek
Cypriots to restart negotiations for the island's
reunification. "Radikal" reports that following the meeting
Annan said that the Cyprus peace process could not be
resumed in the short term. PM Erdogan announced a new, five-
point strategy for Cyprus: the free movement of people and
goods through the island; lifting of restrictions on the use
of all ports and airport, including for direct flights;
allowing northern Cyprus to benefit from the EU Customs
Union; allowing the `TRNC' to participate in international
sports and cultural events; and bringing the Annan plan to a
new vote after some changes are made.
Erdogan's Visit to the US: Today's papers carry conflicting
reports about PM Erdogan's visit to Washington. "Hurriyet"
says the meeting between Bush and Erdogan was not sufficient
to end the problems in bilateral relations. US officials
are upset specifically about Turkey's Syria policy.
"Cumhuriyet" reports that US mistrust in the AKP foreign
policy has increased as a result of the meeting. Papers
cite comments by members of the opposition CHP
characterizing the visit as `a fiasco.' "Vatan" draws
attention to the problems Erdogan ran into in the White
House when he tried to defend his policies toward Syrian
leader Bashar al-Assad. The paper claims that President
Bush stated openly that the US and the international
community are not happy with Turkey's policies on Syria.
"Aksam" notes that no progress was made on any issue during
the visit. "Cumhuriyet" writes that Washington is
preoccupied with its own interests in Iraq, and is therefore
turning a blind eye to Turkish requests for combating the
PKK. The paper adds that the US is not likely to carry out
an operation against the PKK in the Kandil Mountains until
the insurgency in Iraq ends `and work is completed on the
establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq.'
"Radikal" and "Milliyet" cite US sources as saying US side
will closely follow the Turkish Government's statements and
actions in the weks and months ahead. Only then, according
to these sources, will it be known whether the Erdogan visit
was a real success. Papers also note that the Vice
President Cheney reacted positively to Erdogan's invitation
to visit Turkey later this year.
Turkish Trucker Killed in Iraq: "Sabah" reports that a
Turkish truck driver heading to a US base after entering
Iraq from Kuwait was attacked and killed in an area near
Ramadi.
Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security:
Speaking at the International Democracy and Global Security
Conference hosted by the Turkish National Police, Prime
Minister Erdogan, speaking via satellite from Washington,
said that terrorism has become the main threat to democracy
and global security in the new millennium. Erdogan added
that Turkey is willing to share its 25-year experience in
fighting terrorism with other countries in the world.
EDITORIAL OPINION: US-Turkey/PM Erdogan in the U.S./BMENAI
"OK, So Now What Happens?"
Ergun Babahan, editor-in-chief of the mainstream daily
"Sabah" (6/10): "PM Erdogan's meeting with President Bush,
around which there had been so much speculation, is finally
over. The Prime Minister tried to win points in Washington
by his statements prior to the visit. For example, he
announced that Turkey will support the Greater Middle East
Initiative (GME), which he had strongly opposed until a few
days ago. He said Turkey and the United States have the
same view of Iraq. He stressed the existence of a strategic
partnership. But despite the generally positive atmosphere
in the meeting, it has emerged that the Bush administration
is keeping its distance from the Turkish Government. One of
the main areas of disagreement is Syria. The US
Administration wants to isolate the Baath regime in
Damascus. The Erdogan Government wants to lead the Syrians
to the right path using its own methods. There is a serious
difference of views on this issue. Similarly, Erdogan wants
the United States to take action against the PKK in northern
Iraq. But Washington doesn't seem too eager. The Americans
say they don't have enough troops, that they need more time,
that they don't want to come into conflict with the Kurdish
administration. But real `strategic partners' don't have
major disagreements on two key issues. It is not clear to
me how two administrations that disagree on fundamental
issues can have a real partnership. There is a deep crisis
of confidence between Washington and Ankara. I'm not saying
that Washington is right. But I will say that there have
been commitments made to Washington that have not been kept,
and the differences between words and deeds have created
serious question marks about Turkey in Washington. The
political leadership in Ankara will be in a weaker position
to govern if it is in a poor relationship with the United
States. PM Erdogan has seen this personally since he has
been in power. That's why this trip was important. He
knows that it has been the AKP, not the CHP, that is most
responsible for damaging the relationship. It is for that
reason that while he has been in Washington, he has been
saying nothing but positive things about the US. The US
administration is giving Turkey's legitimate leaders a new
chance to continue the relationship. The future of the
relationship between the two countries, or more precisely
between the Bush Administration and the AKP leadership, will
be determined by whether the Turkish Government stands
behind the commitments it made at the White House."
"The Triumph of Conspiracy Logic"
Fehmi Koru wrote in the Islamist-oriented "Yeni Safak"
(6/10): We all witnessed that PM Tayyip Erdogan was
received with great esteem at the White House. The Bush-
Erdogan meeting clearly represents a new opening for Turkey
and the United States. But rumors coming from behind the
scenes are aiming to undermine this positive situation. Is
there anti-Americanism in Turkey? The polls show that the
anti-American atmosphere is Turkey is strong. But is there
a country anywhere that hasn't shown a reaction to the wrong-
headed analyses that emerged in Washington after September
11. In many countries in Europe, opposition to President
Bush's policies is much stronger than it is in Turkey. In
some countries, this anger may even be extended to the
American people. In Turkey, on the other hand, there is a
clear distinction being made between the US administration
and the American people. In this situation, can the
political leadership really be accused of fomenting anti-
Americanism? Can the AKP Government, or any government for
that matter, fairly be charged with stoking anti-American
views that had already appeared on the scene? Yet as soon
as we set foot in the US capital, that is the main issue
that we heard being discussed. According to the rumors that
were being fed by certain people, anti-Americanism in Turkey
was created and controlled by the AKP. Underlying this was
the fact that after PM Erdogan took it into his head to seek
an appointment in Washington, the anti-American atmosphere
seemed to go into relative decline. Why? Because the AKP
Party, which had fed that sentiment in the first place, was
now bringing it under control. Since September 11, the
Americans have been complaining in increasingly loud tones
about the prevalence of conspiracy theory. But the
contention that the AKP has fed and is controlling anti-
Americanism in Turkey is the lamest conspiracy theory I have
heard yet. For a government to be capable of this, it would
either have to hold all the mechanisms in its hands for
manipulating the media - like the Bush Administration - or
else have the dictatorial powers of a tyrant like Hitler.
You would have to be blind not to see that Turkey is a
democratic country, and that its media is not creating
positive feelings about the AKP Government. Washington
needs to see that Tayyip Erdogan took upon himself a risk by
visiting the US capital. It's not hard to guess what is
behind the efforts to spread this kind of nonsense about the
AKP - to force those who took the trouble to go to
Washington with all good intentions to accept a kind of
cooperation that they had avoided in the past. Should the
United States, which has set the region ablaze through the
war in Iraq, be allowed to spread that fire to neighboring
countries by drawing Turkey to its side? I don't think that
even reasonable Americans could want that. First, the
Americans need to look at themselves.
"Strategic What?"
Sami Kohen observed in the mass appeal "Milliyet" (6/10):
"Some of the policies pursued by Ankara are not compatible
with views in Washington. Syria is at the top of the list.
The White House meeting and its reflection in the press is
indicative of the differences the two sides have on the
Syria issue. This means that if the two countries are
engaged in a partnership or relationship in the strategic
sense, Syria is out of the line of bilateral cooperation.
This difference may not constitute an obstacle to a broader
relationship for the time being. But it remains to be seen
what Ankara may do when the US steps up its pressure on
Syria and looks for Turkish support. . The strategic
partnership calls for full cooperation. Turkey may not have
the luxury of making its own choices."
"The Revival of Strategic Alliance?"
Yilmaz Oztuna opined in the conservative "Turkiye" (6/10):
"The revival of a strategic alliance between Turkey and the
US heavily depends on Turkey's performance. In fact,
Turkey's future is to be shaped by its ability to overcome
certain complexes and superstitions. Unfortunately, certain
so-called advisers are pointing the government in the wrong
direction. One of them is the fantasy that Muslims cannot
engage in a fight with other Muslims. The history of
humanity is full of wars and brutalities between Muslims --
the 8-year-long Iran-Iraq war is only one example of many.
The second misguided idea is the argument that Turkey will
end up living in this geography with its neighbors - like
Syria and Iraq - and not the US. This is an argument that
is impossible to defend. In this geography, the US will be
our neighbor for at least for another 50 years. If we are a
serious state, we should not forget or overlook that some of
the regimes around us are anti-Turkish."
"Bush and Erdogan Agree To Work Against Turkey"
Mustafa Balbay wrote in the leftist-nationalist "Cumhuriyet"
(6/10): "Some in the Turkish press have deliberately
portrayed the Bush-Erdogan meeting as a positive, writing
headlines about `a fresh beginning' or `a new page' in
bilateral relations. These headlines hide the fact that the
US has started making plans for the period ahead which
should be of direct concern for us. These steps are to be
taken as part of the BMENAI project. We simply do not know
what promises Erdogan made to Bush. Similarly, we don't
know to what extent Bush talked openly about the goals of
the BMENAI. Therefore it is not possible to make an
assessment about how much Turkey will be affected by the
efforts to implement the BMENAI. But one thing is very
clear. PM Erdogan is desperate to have strong US support
for his government. He is ready to do anything to continue
in officer. So the two leaders have agreed on something
specific - the effort to undermine the fundamental
principles of Ataturk's republic."
"New Strategic Relations with the US"
Erhan Basyurt wrote in the Islamist-oriented "Zaman" (6/10):
"Turkey has been providing support for the US for some time,
including permission for the use of Incirlik airbase and a
leading role in the civilian and military effort in
Afghanistan. Turkey also supports the BMENAI project.
President Bush thanked Turkey for its support and mentioned
Turkish democracy as a model. Turkey is also one of the co-
chairs of the `Democracy Assistance Dialogue,' a grouping
that is a part of the BMENA initiative. . It seems the
strategic partnership between the two countries that was
established during the First Gulf War and then deteriorated
during the Second Gulf War is now being billed as a
strategic relationship. Erdogan's visit to Washington was
certainly important as part of the attempt to smooth the
bilateral relationship. But what kind of relationship the
two countries really have will only be seen in the steps
taken by both countries in the days ahead."
"If We Use The Greater Middle East Project Well."
Aydin Ayaydin in the mainstream daily "Sabah" (6/10):
"Prime Minister Erdogan met with President Bush on the
second day of his visit to the United States. The Oval
Office meeting, which lasted about an hour, was an
opportunity to breathe new life into the relationship, which
had been broken since March 1, 2003. On the Greater Middle
East Initiative (GME), which is given great importance by
the US side, Turkey displayed a joint approach, but
commentators have noted that the Syria issue showed that
Erdogan and Bush really aren't on the same frequency.
President Bush is determined on the GME. If Erdogan really
wants to take a step toward fixing the relationship, he
needs to make his views clear on this issue. It is clear
that there is no use debating the GME with the United
States. The US view is quite clear. But what will Turkey's
position be? The United States wants to know this. The GME
was renamed the Greater Middle East and North Africa
Initiative (BMENAI) at last year's G-8 Summit. That meeting
also laid out the first details of the initiative. There
are 90 million young people between the ages of 15-24 in the
countries of the Broader Middle East. 14 million of them
(16 percent) are unemployed. The numbers of unemployed are
increasing by 3.5 percent each year. The growth rate in
most of these countries is right around zero. There is no
economic integration in the region. According to the
BMENAI, there is no organized effort to curb the spread of
weapons in the region. As a result, there is a race for
arms, including for WMD. In short, this area is a source of
great instability. 14 million youth can't find a way to
make a dollar. They are hungry. These youth are a source
of international terrorism. The BMENAI is an effort to
improve the economic, social, and cultural infrastructure in
this region. It also seeks to move these countries toward
democratization. But it also leaves each country free to
determine the form of its own political development. When
looked at in this way, the BMENAI is an ethical initiative
in the social and economic sense. If Turkey evaluates this
initiative in the right way and uses its geography and
geopolitical understanding effectively, it could take a
leadership role in this region and beyond."
MOORE