ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003344

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, JUNE 7, 2006

In Today's Papers

Unrest in the AKP: One Deputy Expelled, Another Sent to
Disciplinary Committee
All papers: The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)
yesterday expelled Hatay Deputy Fuat Gecen from the party
and referred Afyonkarahisar Deputy Mahmut Kocak to the joint
Disciplinary Committee with a demand for his expulsion.
Fuat Gecen was expelled from the party after making
allegations of irregularities in state tenders in Hatay, on
the grounds that he insulted, defamed, and humiliated the
AKP, its members and leaders. Mahmut Kocak was sent to the
disciplinary board after he criticized Prime Minister
Erdogan. Kocak had accused the Prime Minister for reacting
impulsively when anything annoying happens by saying that
'though the Prime Minister may have been raised in Kasimpasa
(a rough Istanbul neighborhood),he should not always act in
line with that culture under tension.

Vatan reports that in order to eliminate the escalating
tensions in the parliament, a group of parliamentarians
established a "Dialog Group." Five Deputies from AKP, four
from CHP, one from ANAP and one independent deputy
established this group without informing their party
leaders. The group had their first meeting with PM Erdogan
and Parliament spokesman Arinc yesterday.

CHP Leader Baykal's Emergency Plan of Action for the
Government
Radikal, Aksam: Main opposition Republican People's Party
(CHP) leader Deniz Baykal tabled seven requirements for the
government to overcome the current political crisis. CHP's
suggestions to the government are as follows: The Ministers
of Education, Finance and Interior, and the Prime Ministry
Undersecretary Omer Dincer should be removed from their
posts immediately; the anti-terror bill should be passed by
parliament before the summer recess; the AKP must call early
polls or agree to seek consensus in Parliament for next
year's presidential elections; and the AKP should not
interfere with military appointments made by the High
Military Council.

Germany to Establish Official Contact with "TRNC"
All papers report following Britain and the United States,
Germany now will establish official contacts with
"President" Mehmet Ali Talat, with Foreign Minister Frank-
Walter Steinmeier to meet with the Turkish Cypriot leader in
Berlin on Friday. Commentators note that the meeting would
not amount to recognition of the "TRNC," but was important
since Talat would be recognized as the elected leader of
Turkish Cypriots, underlining that it would constitute a
serious message for President Papadopoulos that the
uncompromising policies of Nicosia could lead to the
recognition of "TRNC." Papers claim the meeting was
organized by Cuneyd Zapsu, a close advisor of Prime Minister
Erdogan.

Mass Grave Found in South Cyprus
Sabah reports that on June 2 Greek Cypriots discovered human
remains in a mass grave. The remains are thought to be those
of Turkish Cypriots who went missing during clashes on the
island in 1963 and 1964. This is the first known case of a
Turkish Cypriot multiple grave being found on the Greek
Cypriot side of the island since Cyprus was partitioned
after Turkey's invasion of the north in 1974. Missing
persons is a highly-charged issue between Greek and Turkish
Cypriots on the island with 1,500 Greek Cypriots and 800
Turkish Cypriots unaccounted for.


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US Report: 90 Nukes Kept in Incirlik Airbase
Hurriyet reports the main opposition CHP is to submit to
parliament today a motion with regard to a report drafted by
the US-based National Resources Defense Council which
claimed the US has 90 B-61 nuclear bombs in Incirlik Airbase
in southern Turkey. American F-16 C/D planes to carry the
nukes are kept in underground shelters in the base. CHP
lawmaker Sukru Elekdag said the Cold War was over, and
recalled Greece had taken nuclear bombs out of the country.
Elekdag noted that it would not be possible for Turkey to
explain to Muslim and Arab countries why the bombs were kept
in the country.

Magden to be Tried for Supporting Conscientious Objection
Milliyet, Sabah, Vatan, Radikal, Cumhuriyet: Author Perihan
Magden will appear before court in Istanbul today in a
lawsuit filed against her for supporting conscientious
objection against compulsory military service in Turkey.
Turkish General Staff (TGS) had filed a complaint with the
prosecutor's office in Istanbul against Magden for defending
in a weekly magazine article in December the right to
conscientious objection. Several international and domestic
observers are expected to monitor the hearing today.

Editorial Comments: Haditha, US and the Geneva Convention

Commenting in Dunya, Zafer Atay writes that Haditha was not
an isolated incident: "It only reminds one of other major
massacres by the US forces in South Korea in 1950 and in
South Vietnam in 1968. The British press has already called
Haditha the tip of the iceberg. And this statement reflects
the truth if we remember other killings committed by the US
forces in Iraq such as in Tal Afar, Fallujah and Ishaqi.
The fact is that the US is committing massacres in Iraq
after entering into the country on the pretext of democracy
and freedom. A dynasty of the cruel prevails in today's
Iraq."

Ibrahim Karagul argues in Yeni Safak that the US decision to
"unilaterally suspend the Geneva Convention for Prisoners of
War," as reported to by the Los Angeles Times, means there
will be "absolutely no international guarantee for POWs."
Karagul concludes, "By suspending the Geneva Convention
unilaterally, the US added another crime against humanity
because this move only justifies unilateral massacre and
genocide by the US forces. The US is forming a new world
shaped by its war doctrine where individual rights and
freedoms are eliminated."

TV Highlights
NTV (7 a.m.)

Domestic News

- Two Turkish soldiers were killed and four others wounded
when militants of the PKK opened gunfire on a military
patrol in Semdinli in the southeastern province of Hakkari
near the border with Iraq.

- A child was killed when a boat carrying illegal immigrants
from Somalia, Mauritania, Iraq, and Palestine capsized off
Turkey's Aegean resort of Kusadasi.

International News

- Saddam's defense counsel said the court trying the former
Iraqi dictator was under the control of Americans.

- President Abbas called on Hamas to agree to a plan for
statehood that implicitly recognizes Israel by the end of

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the week, or that he would hold a referendum on the issue.

- Tehran's chief negotiator Larijani said proposals by six
world powers to end a dispute over Iran's nuclear enrichment
activities had positive points but also that some
ambiguities that must be removed.

- The US annual human trafficking report said countries such
as Belize, Burma, Iran, Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia,
Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe have
failed to fight effectively against people smuggling, and
Turkey was among the countries for transition of illegal
migrants.


Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

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WILSON