TURKEY: PRESS BEGINS TO QUESTION TURKISH MILITARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004299

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: PRESS BEGINS TO QUESTION TURKISH MILITARY
ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ


REF: A. ANKARA 4278

B. ANKARA 4240


(U) Classified by DCM Robert S. Deutsch. Reason:1.5(b)(d)



1. (C) Summary: Turkish press' sensationalist reaction to July
4 U.S. arrest (and subsequent release) of Turkish special
forces soldiers in Iraq shifted somewhat July 9. Even
mainstream secularist journalists have begun to question what
the Turkish military is or may have been doing in Iraq.
Responding to harsh criticism of the AK Government for its
supposed "submissive" stance toward the U.S. (ref A),F.M. Gul
sounded a slightly tougher note; privately, AK officials
assert to us that the incident is clarifying the need to rein
in the TGS/military and bring it under civilian control.
Establishment standard-bearer "Cumhuriyet," well-connected to
senior military leadership, highlights what it calls a
growing
"crisis" between the relatively conciliatory AK and the TGS.
Meanwhile, press conspiracy spinners continue to allege USG
ties to the terrorist PKK/KADEK. Papers also note that the
"ARMENIAn genocide" issue is likely to further aggravate U.S.
-Turkey relations. End summary.


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Gen. Jones' Visit
--------------



2. (U) The press characterized the July 8 visit of SACEUR/
CINCUSEUR General Jones as an effort to "mollify" the Turks.
The press also reported that the contentious issue of
representation on the joint fact-finding commission (TGS
rejected the U.S.'s initial candidate) had been resolved. All
papers report that the commission will begin its work in
Ankara
July 9. The Ambassador's comments to the Anatolian Press
Service reinforcing the U.S. commitment to a quick, fair, and
transparent inquiry and describing the Jones visit as a
positive
step received wide and accurate coverage.


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Establishment Press Suspicions About the Turkish Military
-------------- --------------



3. (U) Leading columnists are beginning to question the nature
of Turkish Special Forces' (TSF) activities in Iraq and their
role in the current situation. "Hurriyet" editor-in-chief
Ertugrul Ozkok, who had previously condemned the U.S. action
in
the strongest terms, today acknowledged that the Turks have
some explaining to do. Ozkok questioned why explosive
material
was discovered in the Special Forces office and why members
of
the unit generally wore civilian clothes. The pro-West
liberal
Cuneyt Ulsever, another widely-followed "Hurriyet" columnist,
raised similar questions and cast doubt on whether the AK
Government was aware of what the TSF were doing. Muharrem
Sarikaya, center-left "Sabah" Ankara bureau chief and a
staunch
supporter of the military, also raised the alleged presence
of
explosives in the local TSF office, and asserted that the
"mystery" behind the crisis will now be solved in Ankara.



4. (U) Secularist establishment standard-bearer "Cumhuriyet"
ran a front-page story on "the Gul crisis," noting the
divergence of statements by TGS Chief General Ozkok, who, the
paper points out, said he does not believe the action was a
"local event" (ref B),and F.M. Gul, who has repeatedly
asserted that Washington had no prior knowledge of the action.
Center-left "Milliyet" achieved the same purpose of
highlighting the different approaches of the TGS and AK
Government by putting an angry threat of revenge from the
military and the government's cool-handed approach on facing
center-fold pages.



5. (U) Most papers carried FM Gul's subsequent comments on the
floor of Parliament, offered in respose to a query from the
opposition pro-Establishment CHP, which asserted that AK
Government had hurt "Turkish national honor." Gul replied
that
"it is ridiculous to think that the Turkish Armed Forces are
involved in terrorist activity." He added that "it is the
United States, not Turkey, that has lost" from this incident.
Separately, papers quoted P.M. Erdogan as saying simply that
the incident was "unfortunate."



6. (C) In private meetings with us, AK officials continue to
seek USG moral support and underscore the need to improve
bilateral ties. AK Diyarbakir M.P. Cavit Torun approached us
July 9 asking what "we" -- AK and the USG -- "could do about
the Turkish military." Separately, AK M.P. Irfan Gunduz, a
personal friend of Gul and like him a representative of
Kayseri (Gul's geographic political base),asserted to us
that, in fact, the Turkish military would suffer in the eyes
of the public for what it had done in Iraq. Moreover, Gunduz
added, the latest incidents make it even more imperative that
AK pursue its reform agenda and end the military's unchecked
dominance over the Turkish State by bringing it under real
civilian control.


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No U.S. Apology, Plenty of Conspiracy Theories
-------------- -



7. (U) Both "Hurriyet" and "Radikal" carried articles
suggesting that the United States is neither backing off its
claims that the operation was justified nor preparing to
apologize. "Hurriyet" cited U.S. officials in Washington who
state that Turkey has not been a reliable NATO partner.
Inaccurately, the paper asserts the officials claim that the
Turks refused to grant emergency landing permission to a U.S.
plane struck by enemy fire. Islam-oriented "Yeni Safak"
latched on to the conspiracy theory that the U.S. action was
intended to protect the PKK from Turkish Special Forces and
then use the PKK against the Iranian regime. Conspiratorial
thinking was also evident in reports of an assassination
attempt yesterday against the Governor of the southeastern
province of Tunceli. "Hurriyet" noted on its front page that
"while the U.S. claims that Turks plotted to kill a Kurdish
governor, the PKK/KADEK carried out an attack against the
governor of Tunceli." "Cumhuriyet" juxtaposed the story of
the failed assassination with a claim that the source of the
current controversy in Iraq stems from the U.S. failure to
deal effectively with the PKK threat.


--------------
Detentions over, "Genocide" Coming...
--------------



8. (U) All papers reported that the current crisis is likely
to deepen this week with the likely passage of an ARMENIAn
genocide resolution by the U.S. Senate. As a headline in
"Milliyet" put it, "Detentions are Over, but Genocide is
Coming."
PEARSON