Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA5090
2006-09-01 13:42:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

Tags:  OPRC KMDR TU 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005090 

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
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2006


In Today's Papers

PM Erdogan on Turkish Participation in Peacekeeping Forces
All papers covered PM Erdogan's half-hour address to the nation
yesterday. PM Erdogan talked about the situation in the Middle East
and said "the only way to protect Turkey's national interests is to
get involved in the developments in the Middle East." PM Erdogan,
in his speech, defended the government's decision to send troops to
Lebanon. Milliyet quotes the PM as saying that "an attitude of 'I
do not care' will be treason towards our history, future and supreme
interests of our nation." Yeni Safak reports that the PM noted that
the government has decided to send troops to Lebanon since all of
the three conditions it had set have been met:
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005090

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
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2006


In Today's Papers

PM Erdogan on Turkish Participation in Peacekeeping Forces
All papers covered PM Erdogan's half-hour address to the nation
yesterday. PM Erdogan talked about the situation in the Middle East
and said "the only way to protect Turkey's national interests is to
get involved in the developments in the Middle East." PM Erdogan,
in his speech, defended the government's decision to send troops to
Lebanon. Milliyet quotes the PM as saying that "an attitude of 'I
do not care' will be treason towards our history, future and supreme
interests of our nation." Yeni Safak reports that the PM noted that
the government has decided to send troops to Lebanon since all of
the three conditions it had set have been met: 1) Turkey demanded a
UN resolution; 2) Turkey asked for a ceasefire to be declared; and
3) Turkey wanted all parties involved to welcome Turkey's
contribution. PM Erdogan underlined that the UN peace force does
not have the duty of disarming Hezbollah.

Commentaries on the Lebanon Peacekeeping Force and Turkey's Role
Writing in the leftist Birgun, Hrant Dink is squarely against
participation: "It looks like sending Turkish soldiers to a place
which is very vulnerable to provocations will be a historic mistake.
When the Turkish parliament makes its decision on Lebanon on
September 5, let's hope it will be the same as the decision
regarding sending troops to Iraq."

Hasan Aksay argued in the fundamentalist Vakit that there is "no
need to even discuss the topic" as "you simply cannot have a
discussion about the obvious": "Here the obvious thing is the fact
that sending troops to Lebanon is being part of Israeli violence and
being part of the Greater Middle East project. The peacekeeping
force cannot be a solution to the problem because in this case the
solution is coming from the aggressor."

Also weighing in against sending troops, Derya Sazak observes in the
mainstream Milliyet that the Turkish government insistence that
"Lebanon is different from the Iraq" and that "Hezbollah will not
harm Turkish soldiers just because of they are Muslim" is "nothing
but a cheap distortion." Sazak concludes: "The Turkish parliament
should reject the deployment of troops to Lebanon. Currently a
bloody game is being staged in the Middle East and what we are
seeing now is only the action in south Lebanon. When the next act
is staged we might end up finding ourselves a part of a big war
against Syria and Iran."

Writing in the Islamist-opinion maker Yeni Safak, Fehmi Koru says
that Turkey should evaluate the purpose of the force: "The question
we should ask is what kind of project are we about to become a part
of. In the Lebanon situation, the current peacekeeping project is
designed to provide Israel's security. Turkey should be a part of
efforts to establish a balance of power in the Middle East where the
existence of both the states of Israel and Palestine are recognized.
The current peace effort is only about bringing peace through war
and use of force."


Non-Commissioned Officer Investigated for Dancing with Diyarbakir
Mayor
Aksam, Zaman and others: Elazig's Gezin town gendarmerie commandant
Azim Basol faces an investigation for taking part in the local
'halay' folkdance accompanied by Kurdish songs along with Diyarbakir
Mayor Osman Baydemir. Reportedly, a captain from the Gendarmerie
Provincial Command questioned Basol yesterday, following the reports
in papers about Basol taking part in a summer camp for economically
disadvantaged children organized by the Diyarbakir Municipality.

DTP Siirt Members been taken to Custody
Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Yeni Safak: Papers report that the police
launched an investigation into the offices of predominantly Kurdish
Democratic People's Party (DTP) in the southwestern city of Siirt

ANKARA 00005090 002 OF 002


and confiscated some documents and computers. Yeni Safak reports
that the police took 8 party members into custody.

Ankara Looks for a Peaceful Settlement in Iran
Milliyet reports MFA Spokesman Namik Tan in his weekly press
conference yesterday expressed Ankara's firm expectation that a
diplomatic resolution to the international dispute over Iran's
controversial nuclear program would be found.

TV Highlights
NTV (6 a.m.)

Domestic News

Q Opposition party CHP has denounced the comments of Istanbul Police
Chieh Celalettin Cerrah praising the mob attacks against anti-war
demonstrators in Istanbul.
Q DYP Leader Mehmet Agar urged the government to clarify the purpose
of the deployment of Turkish troops in Lebanon and the details of
the mission.


International News

Q Americans view Turkey as the third closest ally, after Israel and
Kuwait, of the US among 13 Middle East Countries, according to the
results of a new Harris Interactive Poll.
Q US Special Envoy for the PKK General Joseph Ralston plans to visit
Ankara in the coming weeks.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at

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

WILSON