ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001160 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 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2006 In Today's Papers Debates over Accusations against General Buyukanit All papers: Prime Minister Erdogan accused the main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal and the press of trying to cause a rift between the government and military by confusing people about the charges directed by a prosecutor against Land Forces Commander General Yasar Buyukanit. Erdogan told his party parliamentary group meeting yesterday that confrontation between the judiciary and military will not benefit Turkey. General Hilmi Ozkok, the chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS) told President Sezer at a meeting on Tuesday that the accusations against Buyukanit were designed to damage the military. Ozkok also complained that the military's maneuvering area has been restricted by the anti-terror laws passed by the parliament. Vatan claims that some commanders in the military are concerned that anti- TGS political elements regarding the military as an obstacle against their aspirations have been encouraged by the "soft" attitude of General Ozkok. Government Spokesman Cicek denied any involvement by the government in the judicial proceeding against Buyukanit, adding that if it contained deficiencies, the investigation file could be rejected by the court. MFA: Turkey Wants Enhanced Cooperation in Black Sea Hurriyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Yeni Safak: "Turkey believes that regional cooperation will contribute to peace and stability in the Black Sea, and has pioneered the initiatives to establish the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)," Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan said on Tuesday with regard to press reports that a NATO force will be set up in the Black Sea. "We also proposed the formation of BLACKSEAFOR (Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Force) by littoral states to assure the security in the Black Sea. Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, the three countries that have joined this force, are NATO members. We have also launched Operation Black Sea Harmony, inviting all littoral states. We are sharing the intelligence we collect from this operation with our allies," Tan stressed. Yeni Safak claims that Turkey and Russia block US aspirations to deploy military in the Black Sea and the Caucasus. The paper comments that the US intends to control the Blue Stream natural gas pipeline with a prospective annexation of an oil pipeline, warning that Ankara's sovereignty over the Straits will be damaged. Iran-West Standoff Over Tehran's Nuclear Program Sabah, Milliyet, Vatan, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman, Yeni Safak: Tehran rejected a plan by the international community under which Iran would suspend industrial-scale uranium enrichment for two years. After talks with the US, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had made no a "compromise" proposal that would allow Iran to enrich uranium, even in small quantities. Iran views enriching work as involving up to 3,000 centrifuges that enrich uranium, an industrial-level figure according to experts. The United States believe that Iran has already "crossed the international red line." Turkish papers quote Iranian officials as saying, "Whenever we agree, the US breaks it up." Meanwhile, several Turkish dailies cite a Washington Post article which said Turkey is reviving its quest for nuclear power, pressed both by serious energy shortfalls and by "strident nuclear ambitions in neighboring Iran," underlining that any Turkish move toward a nuclear weapons program would mark a dramatic departure from long-standing foreign policy and military doctrine seen in a slogan of Ataturk, "Peace at home, peace in the world." ANKARA 00001160 002 OF 003 Columnist Sami Kohen warned that the Iran issue is not only about its nuclear enrichment program. In his column in the mainstream Milliyet he drew attention to the dangers of the Iranian regime: "The current behavior of the Iranian administration and its policy goals cause worry. Ankara is disturbed by Ahmedinejad's tension building policy, and believes that the Middle East needs steps toward calm and compromise more than ever before. There is also an Iraq angle to the worry about Iran. Tehran is apparently very pleased with the rise of Shiite power in Iraq. If a Shiite state is created in the south of Iraq, the mullahs of Iran will undoubtedly be very active." Ruling out the possibility of a military action, nationalist Ortadogu columnist Kamuran Ozbir observed: "From Washington's point of view, it seems unlikely for Bush to take military action against Iran while the Iraqi swamp deepens. If common sense and rationalism prevail in the world, the Iran tension will be resolved eventually." Gul Due in US Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others: Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is to meet UN Secretary General Annan in New York and Secretary Rice in Washington on March 26-29 at the annual SIPDIS meeting of the American-Turkish Council (ATC). Gul will address the ATC on Turkey-US ties, and discuss Cyprus and other regional issues with Annan and Rice. OSCE: Conditions Improve in Guantanamo Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet: Inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison are treated better than in Belgian jails, a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said after a visit to the controversial detention center. OSCE member Belgian Senator Anne-Marie Lizin said conditions in Guantanamo have recently improved, warning that the prison should not be closed immediately because countries like Yemen and Saudi Arabia would not immediately allow the return of their nationals kept there. Turkey Approves Armenia's Membership in Eurocontrol Cumhriyet reports that Turkey, under EU pressure toimprove ties with neighboring countries, approved Armenia's request for membership in Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. Turkey began to carry out win- win policies in dealings with Armenia, says the paper. Turkish Media Watchdog Allows Broadcasts in Kurdish Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman: Turkish Radio and Television High Board (RTUK) authorized the Diyarbakir- based Gun TV and Soz TV, and Sanlyurfa-based Medya FM radio to commence broadcasts in Kurdish. Local TV channels will be allowed to air four hours and radio stations five hours of programs weekly. Turkish Women Uneducated, Subject to Violence Milliyet says on the occasion of World Women's Day that 34 percent of Turkish families suffer domestic violence in which 46 percent of children are beaten. Eighty percent of women victims believe they are helpless in blocking domestic violence. Forty-five percent of males believe they have the right to beat women in cases of disobedience. 39.6 percent of women aged 15-24 are unemployed, and one out of four women is illiterate. Only 3.9 percent of women are university graduates and women make 40 percent less than men in professional life. TV Highlights NTV, 8 AM ANKARA 00001160 003 OF 003 Domestic News - Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said the escape of DHKP-C militant Fehriye Erdal severed the credibility of Belgian security forces. The extreme-leftist DHKP-C allegedly threatened to kill the Belgian prosecutor who convicted Erdal for crimes committed in Belgium. - A third motion on Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan filed by the opposition CHP will be discussed in the Turkish Parliament on March 14. The motion accuses the finance minister of abusing his position, influencing tenders, and of causing the state to incur losses. - Three local TV channels have been granted permission to kick off Kurdish language broadcasts. International News - At least 15 are killed in a series of bomb blasts in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi in northern India. - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has accused Iran of infiltrating members of Iranian Republican Guards into Iraq. - The new Hamas-dominated Palestinian Authority Parliament stripped President Mahmoud Abbas of excessive powers granted to him in the final days of the previous parliament, dominated by the outgoing Fatah Party. Israel warned that if attacks continue, Israel will target Palestinian "political and military leaders." - At least 8,000 US troops have defected from the armed forces since the war with Iraq began in 2003, the Pentagon said. - Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Matthew Bryza visits Armenia. - Azerbaijani and Armenian forces exchanged heavy gunfire and mortars at several points along their border. An Azerbaijani soldier is killed and several Armenian troops are wounded. - South Dakota has passed a bill outlawing abortion. Economy News - Turkey's textile industry is not happy with a government- announced cut of 10 percent in VAT, and also wants lower energy and employment costs as well as curbing the value of the Turkish lira against the USD. - Parliament's budget commission is discussing a draft to make truckers going abroad tax-exempt. WILSON