ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004754 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, AUGUST 15, 2006 In Today's Papers Turkish Troops to Lebanon All papers report that on Monday top Turkish civilian and military officials convened at the Prime Ministry in Ankara to discuss the possible deployment of Turkish troops to south Lebanon. Prime Minister Erdogan met with Chief of Turkish General Staff (TGS) General Ozkok and Land Forces Commander General Buyukanit to discuss a possible Turkish troop deployment in the south of Lebanon. A statement after the meeting said Turkey welcomed the ceasefire implemented on Monday morning, but decided to await a new UN decision before sending peacekeeping troops to the region. At the same time, Sabah reports that, according to military and diplomatic sources, Turkey would send 600 soldiers to Lebanon. Turkey also stressed that it would be sending increasing quantities of humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people. On Tuesday morning, Foreign Minister Gul was to discuss the troop deployment issue with President Sezer and opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal. CHP MP Cevdet Selvi warned the AKP government against sending troops into "the Lebanon swamp." Cumhuriyet says parliamentary approval would be needed to send Turkish peacekeepers to Lebanon. Turkish Parliament's summer recess will end on October 1, but papers speculate that an extraordinary session could be held on September ¶19. Zaman reports Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is expected to visit Syria, Lebanon and Israel on Wednesday to test the ground for a possible deployment of Turkish peacekeeping troops to south Lebanon. Fikret Bila commenting in the mainstream Milliyet explains why Turkey is holding off on making a decision on participating in a peacekeeping force: "According to Justice Minister Cemil Cicek there are three reasons why Ankara is waiting: 1) the UN resolution doesn't openly say 'ceasefire' but says 'ending clashes;' 2) the positions and attitudes of the countries involved are not clear; and 3) the purpose and size of the force the UN will request is still not clear. It is obvious that Ankara would prefer to wait for a second and more concrete UN resolution before reaching a decision on troop deployment to Lebanon. It seems Ankara would prefer to participate diplomatically and professionally in regional and international issues, rather than militarily." Writing in mainstream Sabah, Yilmaz Ozdil questions Turkey's participation: "Will the troops sent there protect Lebanon or indirectly protect Israel by stopping terrorist infiltration from Lebanon? Do we send our children to military service to protect our borders or Israel's borders? As a UN member if we need to comply with the UN decisions, then, how come no one ever thought of asking the UN where they were when the PKK was coming through Lebanon's Bekaa Valley to attack Turkey?' Rahim Er argues in favor of participation in the daily nationalist Turkiye, noting that "people in the Middle East will trust Turkey": "Israel's one month long massacre ended yesterday with a UN decision. Now, the issue is the deployment of a 15,000-strong peacekeeping force in the region. There is no doubt that Turkey will send troops to this peacekeeping force and that the government is just waiting for a more concrete road map from the UN. When all is confirmed, Turkish troops will be sent to Lebanon as they were sent to Korea, Bosnia and Afghanistan. Turkish troops' success in these peacekeeping forces is a well known fact globally. Turkey should take the lead in this peacekeeping force in Lebanon because we share almost the same culture and the same religion with this region. The people in the Middle East will trust Turkish troops and trust is everything." Ceasefire in Lebanon All papers say both sides in the Lebanon conflict claim victory despite the devastation. All papers report that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah said we have won ANKARA 00004754 002 OF 003 "a great victory" over Israel. Several papers note Israel is debating the reasons for its failure. Thousands of Lebanese displaced by war are returning home. Yeni Safak says Israel withdrew unsuccessfully, leaving behind 1,200 killed and 7,500 devastated buildings. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's scheduled to visit Turkey at the end of this month has been cancelled. Israeli sources said Olmert has cancelled all his visits to foreign countries because of the ongoing war in the region, regardless of the declaration of a ceasefire. Two small groups of intellectuals and writers held a peaceful demonstration in front of the US missions in Ankara and Istanbul to protest against Israel. A mass anti-Israel rally will be held in Istanbul on August 20 with participation of NGOs, academics, and labor unions. Erdogan Marks AKP Fifth Anniversary All papers report Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issues political messages at a press conference held yesterday to mark the fifth anniversary of his ruling AK Party, saying Turkey was determined to fight PKK terrorism, also warning that Turkey's patience in this issue should not be tested. He warned the international community not to provide shelter to the terrorist organization. Erdogan said AKP had started a new era for Turkey over the last five years. The PM also shrugged off criticism that his government had "sold" Cyprus. "We gave away nothing in Cyprus; on the contrary, Turkish Cyprus has gained prestige with us." Diyanet Opens Family Advice Offices Milliyet reports the state body overseeing religious affairs, the Diyanet, will open 20 family advice offices across Turkey to offer religion-based solutions to family problems. Diyanet officials said six offices currently working to resolve conflicts between husbands and wives, offering psychological treatment if necessary as well as advise on issues such as honor killings had already drawn considerable interest. An official said in conservative societies, the best way to reach out to people would be through clerics. TV Highlights NTV (8 A.M.) Domestic News - The ruling AK Party government submitted to President Sezer's approval a proposal to award outgoing Chief of Turkish General Staff, General Himi Ozkok, with state medal of honor. Ozkok will be the third Turkish top military commander to receive the medal. - Iranian Petroleum Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh and an accompanying delegation arrived in Ankara Tuesday morning to meet with Energy Minister Hilmi Guler to discuss Iran's exports of natural gas to Europe via Turkey. - Former UN spokesman Timur Goksel said Turkey should send to Lebanon a battalion of military engineers instead of peacekeeping troops. - Three people were injured in a small blast on Monday in the heart of Istanbul's main tourist district of Sultanahmet. The blast was caused by an explosive substance left in a bag under a park bench in the district. International News - The UN Human Rights Council is to send a special commission to Lebanon to investigate Israeli war crimes against civilians. - The PKK opened a new office in Baghdad after the terrorist organization's extension Democratic Solution Party was closed down ANKARA 00004754 003 OF 003 by Iraqi authorities. - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected claims that Iran's nuclear program was at an impasse. - An American reporter and another unidentified journalist, both from Fox News TV, have been abducted in Gaza by unidentified gunmen. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON