ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

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DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL
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SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT
THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2006


A QUICK LOOK AT THE TURKISH PRESS
May 11, 2006

In Today's Papers

Turks LOBBY in Paris against Armenian "Genocide" Draft
All papers continue coverage of Turkish efforts in the face
of a controversial Armenian "genocide" bill that will be
considered by the French Parliament on May 18. On
Wednesday, a Turkish parliamentary delegation of the ruling
and opposition parties, in Paris to LOBBY against the bill,
met with the French Parliament Speaker Jean-Louis Debre.
The Turkish delegation reportedly pointed to the calls for
the boycott of French goods in Turkey, stressing bilateral
ties would be harmed if the draft becomes a law, making the
denial of Armenian "genocide" a crime. Some renowned
Turkish intellectuals including Turkish Armenians Etyen
Mahcupyan and Hrant Dink, professors Baskin Oran, Halil
Berktay and Murat Belge, and novelist Elif Shafak said in an
advertisement published in Liberation such a bill would
block free discussions both in France and Turkey, disrupting
the "questioning of historical and common memory." "We, the
citizens of Turkey, feel the burden of the inhuman calamity
which Ottoman Armenians were subjected to. We share their
pain. No one can deny the ruthless acts of 1915. As the
Armenian conference in Istanbul in September last year
revealed, the ongoing democratization process in Turkey can
enlighten the 90-year darkness. The draft law to be debated
by the French parliament will obstruct free discussions both
in France and Turkey. Today, both parties are far from
conveying their views to the one another. Armenian efforts
supporting laws restricting freedom of expression in
response to the Turkish state's policy of denial can spark
stricter disagreements. Therefore, we call on Armenians not
to make a mistake which will be quite difficult to correct
in the future," the advertisement said. Turkish papers
report Prime Minister Erdogan said he was "confident" that
France would "not make a wrong move".

Writing in Radikal, Murat Yetkin observed that an embargo
against French goods in Turkey would "have legal and
economic consequences for Ankara not for Paris." He urges
"wise men" to "stand up with wisdom, common sense and
knowledge and make their voices heard" so that Turkey will
admit that regarding the Armenian issue, "the emperor has no
clothes and that the current policy cannot even be called a
policy."

MFA Denies Gul Will Visit IRAN
Radikal, Yeni Safak report Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA)
Spokesman Namik Tan has rejected reports that during a
recent visit to Ankara, Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali
Larijani gave Turkey documents proving meetings between US
officials and PKK militants in Iraq took place. Tan also
rejected press reports that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
would pay a visit to Iran.

Asli Aydintasbas comments in Sabah that IRAN is in the
middle of a "serious global public relation offensive,"
which appears to be "rather successful." Aydintasbas notes
that by launching operations against the PKK and accusing
the US of having contacts with the PKK, "Iran scored a goal
against the US in Turkey's arena." She concludes that with
this public relations campaign, IRAN is building "step by
step" the infrastructure to position itself to "bargain with
the US face to face" and that "that was the main reason for
Larijani's visit to Ankara."

New "Danistay" Head Warns against Fundamentalism, Criticizes
AKP

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Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and
others: The newly-elected head of the Council of State
(Danistay) Sumru Cortoglu warned the ruling AK Party in a
ceremony yesterday against partisan appointments to public
posts, judicial rulings, and threats to secularism. She
said some fundamentalist groups were threatening Turkey's
constitutional order, stressing that religious freedoms
could be restricted to protect public life and secular
values. Cortoglu also strongly criticized a regulation
which will bring changes in the bureaucracy in the case of
the appointment of a new government. Prime Minister Erdogan
shrugged off the warnings, saying similar speeches had been
delivered at each Turkish judicial institution ceremony.

Turkey-Greek "Dogfight" in Aegean
All papers report Turkish jetfighters and helicopters
participating in search and rescue maneuvers in the
international waters of the Aegean were harassed by Greek
warplanes yesterday. Turkey sent jetfighters to the region,
prompting a dogfight between Turkish and Greek planes that
went on until the end of the exercises in the first air
confrontation between the two sides since March 21. Papers
recall that in a recent meeting in Sofia, Turkish and Greek
foreign ministers Gul and Bakoyannis had agreed to set up an
emergency phone line to prevent dogfights in the Aegean.

Sezer Vetoes Pensions Bill
All papers: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has vetoed an IMF-
backed pensions and health insurance reform bill which was
to raise the retirement age gradually to 65 from the current
58-60 and introduce universal health insurance as part of a
package to overhaul Turkey's social security system. A
statement from Sezer's office said 65 was too high a
retirement age in a country with an average life expectancy
of 66. The IMF wants the reforms to be passed by the
Turkish parliament before it launches a review to release
the next tranch of a USD 10 billion loan package. Papers
comment the veto might add to negative market sentiment
generated by a court decision suspending the sale of the
state-owned steel maker Erdemir.


TV Highlights
NTV, 8.00 a.m.

Domestic News
- PM Erdogan traveled to Austria on Wednesday to participate
in the EU-Latin America Summit in Vienna. Erdogan will move
on to Indonesia on May 13 for the D-8 summit, which Iranian
and Nigerian presidents, Malaysian and Pakistani prime
ministers, and the Egyptian foreign minister will also
attend.

- The main opposition CHP did not join the parliamentary
subcommittee to discuss the controversial anti-terror bill
in a move designed to protest Article 6 of the bill which,
many believe, will pave the way for the release of the PKK's
imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.

- Former members of Turkish Prime Ministry human rights
advisory board, professors Ibrahim Kaboglu and Baskin Oran,
were acquitted in a lawsuit filed against them for their
report on Muslim and non-Muslim minorities in Turkey.

- Police detained four suspected PKK terrorists, seizing
five Kalashnikov rifles in the Aegean port city of Izmir.

International News
- Joost Hiltermann, Middle East analyst at the Brussels-
based International Crisis Group, called on Washington to

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intervene to solve the Kirkuk problem before it is "too
late."

- President Bush said on Wednesday his younger brother
Jeb, the Governor of Florida, would make "a great president
for the United States."


Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON