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Viewing cable 06NICOSIA188, TURKISH CYPRIOTS SHRUG OFF DANISH CARTOONS,

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06NICOSIA188 2006-02-09 15:00 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Nicosia
VZCZCXRO1496
PP RUEHAG RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNC #0188 0401500
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091500Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5525
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0956
UNCLAS NICOSIA 000188 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC KISL TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH CYPRIOTS SHRUG OFF DANISH CARTOONS, 
ANTI-U.S. FILM 
 
REF: ANKARA 468 
 
1. Although the Turkish Cypriot press has given significant 
coverage (mainly through republished wire service stories) to 
the controversy surrounding publication of cartoons depicting 
the Prophet Mohammed (reftel), the largely secular Turkish 
Cypriot community appears to be taking the whole issue in 
stride.  We have heard no reports of any violence or 
significant protests against any western interests in the 
north over the matter. 
 
2. As is usually the case, questions not directly related to 
the Cyprus problem are of little interest to most Cypriots. 
One prominent politician laughed out loud when we asked him 
about the cartoons, saying Turkish Cypriots "just don't 
care."  A handful of local pundits have commented on the 
cartoon controversy, mostly to urge calm by deploring both 
the violence of foreign protests and the insensitivity of 
newspapers that printed the caricatures.  The top Turkish 
Cypriot imam, Ahmet Yonluer, has publicly called for 
restraint and suggested the publishers of the cartoons should 
apologize for "disturbing the peace."  He told the Ambassador 
last week that he would exercise his influence to keep things 
calm and "project the true face of Islam."  Meanwhile the 
"Union of Religious Workers" (which represents the north's 
Muslim clergy) issued a statement saying that "Muslims should 
not be involved in burning flags or attacking people." 
 
3. Post will report on reactions to the cartoons by Muslims 
in the Greek Cypriot south septel. 
 
4. Meanwhile, the anti-American Turkish movie "Valley of the 
Wolves: Iraq" has opened in at least one north Cyprus 
theater.  While it is too early to tell how many Turkish 
Cypriots will see the film, we expect it to attract a good 
audience since the movie is based on a popular TV series. 
Nonetheless, we do not expect the movie to stoke up any 
serious anti-American feeling -- partly because the U.S. 
position on the Cyprus problem has won us a significant store 
of goodwill among Turkish Cypriots, and partly because the 
Turkish Cypriot audience appears sophisticated enough to 
separate fact from cinematic fantasy.  One embassy contact 
compared the popularity of the "Valley of the Wolves" series 
among Turkish Cypriots to the popularity of "The X Files" 
among Americans -- both are popular, exciting conspiracy 
stories, but nobody mistakes them for real life. 
SCHLICHER