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. ANKARA 00003344 002 OF 003 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 ANKARA 00003344 003 OF 003 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 http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON