ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003641 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 TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2006 In Today's Papers Court Sentences Semdinli Suspects All papers report two Turkish non-commissioned officers in the jandarma, Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz, were sentenced by the Van criminal court to 39 years and 5 months each for last year's bombing of a bookstore in Semdinli in which one person was killed. The court convicted Kaya and Ildeniz on charges of homicide, forming an armed gang and attempted murder. The attack prompted riots in the mainly Kurdish region and a parliamentary inquiry that followed the unrest said the military may have orchestrated the attack to stir up trouble in the region in an effort to justify tougher methods in the fight against the separatist PKK. The case has focused attention on Turkey's so-called deep state allegedly made up of nationalist elements of the military and judiciary. In April, a prosecutor was sacked after he accused the Commander of Land Forces, General Yasar Buyukanit, of organizing an illegal group during his tenure in the region. The case will go to the court of appeals. FM Gul at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Meeting Hurriyet, Radikal and others: Addressing the OIC Foreign Ministers Conference in Baku, Gul said that Islamic countries need to make a comprehensive effort to implement reforms. Reform in the Islamic world is a necessity, not a suggestion, Gul added. Gul called on the OIC members for a more effective effort for the solution of the Cyprus issue. Gul told his Iranian counterpart Mottaki that the incentive package prepared by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council is the last chance to find a solution to the nuclear standoff. Gul, reportedly, conveyed a message to Mottaki that Turkey, as a neighbor of Iran, favors a diplomatic solution to the crisis and will continue to exert efforts in line with this position. Radikal reports that, while in Baku, FM Gul was received by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. The meeting focused on Kars-Tbilisi-Javakheti (Ahilkelek)-Baku railway project. Gul stressed that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia should come together to overcome several difficulties about the project. Aliyev highlighted the importance of the inclusion of Kazakhstan in the pipeline project while the two leaders were discussing Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. �00A;DTP (Democratic People's Party) Invites ETA and IRA to its Convention on June 25 Milliyet, Yeni Safak: Preparing for its first Ordinary congress, the DTP included politicians, NGOs, authors and members of the ETA and IRA's political wing in its invitee list. IRA and ETA are still on the terrorist organizations list of the US and the EU. Deputy Chairman of DTP Alaattin Erdogan said that the Basque issue in Spain and the Northern Ireland issue in the UK have begun democratic and peaceful processes toward resolutions. Edrogan further explained that as the Kurdish issue is similar to these countries' problems, the DTP wanted to hear about examples for dialog directly from their representatives. He added that the DTP believes that their contribution to resolving the Kurdish issue could be important. Both parties, reportedly, accepted the invitation and are going to send their representatives. Diplomatic Traffic Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is to attend the "Paris Pact Initiative Ministerial Meeting" in Russia June 26-28 while he accompanies President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on his state visit to Moscow from June 28-30. Gul announced earlier that he would travel to Washington on July 5. Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Muhammad al-Baradei are also expected to visit Turkey in July, with the latter coming to Ankara on the 6th for a three-day visit. ANKARA 00003641 002 OF 003 Top Business Group Urges 12 Years of Compulsory Education Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and others: The influential Turkish businessmen's group TUSIAD has issued a call for education reform in its report, "Education and Sustainable Growth--The Turkish Experience," proposing that compulsory education should be extended to 12 years (from the current eight years) and that the curriculum should be revised. TUSIAD Chairman Omer Sabanci said Turkey was well behind other nations in developing human resources. "Turkey's economy has the potential to maintain 7 percent growth between 2006-2020, if investments are boosted in addition to the ties between productivity and human resources," he emphasized. The report also calls for the reform of higher education, demanding competitive and creative universities. The World Bank's Education Sector Study (ESS) had said in April that Turkey's education system needs comprehensive reform from top to bottom. Editorial Comment: Palestine, Israel and Arab Leaders Omer Taspinar, writing in Radikal, argues that, contrary to what logic might tell us, finding a solution to the Israel-Palestinian problem is against the interests of many Arab leaders: "Once a Palestinian state is established, many authoritarian Arab regimes will find themselves in a very difficult position. The States of Palestine and Israel living in peace side by side poses a potential threat to Arab leaders. If and when this happens, Arab public opinion will naturally focus on in-house issues, such as oppressive and incompetent regimes. In the absence of a Palestinian problem, Arab regimes will undoubtedly face growing pressure for democratization. In a nutshell, the continuation of the Palestinian issue means prolonged rule for Arab dictators, so they don't genuinely desire that a solution be found." TV Highlights NTV (8 a.m) Domestic News - Turkish Cypriot "Prime Minister" Ferdi Sabit Soyer said Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni's "European United Cyprus Plan" was a tactical step aimed at easing Athens' troubled policy on the island. - Ankara has to meet the requirements of the European Court of Human Rights by June 22 to solve the issue of disputed Greek Cypriots' properties in the north of the divided island. - Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus is to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday at the official invitation of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on a two-day visit to discuss bilateral ties as well as regional and international topics. - Moody's Vice-president Kristin Lindow said Turkey's credit rating would not be pulled down. International News - An insurgent grouping tied to al-Qaida's Iraq branch claimed responsibility for the abduction of two US soldiers and four Russian diplomats in Iraq, in statements posted on the Internet. - The US and Iraqi forces sealed off the Sunni rebel town of Ramadi by setting up new checkpoints on all the entry and exit roads in a bid to eliminate the insurgents. - The chief prosecutor in the Saddam Hussein trial has demanded the death penalty for the ousted Iraqi president and two other defendants. ANKARA 00003641 003 OF 003 - US, Japan reacted strongly to reports claiming North Korea was preparing to test the long range Taepodong-2 nuclear missile. White House Spokesman Tony Snow said if Pyongyang carries on with the test, there will be "appropriate retaliation." - Sources close to Prime Minister Andres Fogh Rasmussen said the US has been pressing Denmark to close the Copenhagen-based Kurdish broadcaster Roj TV. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON