ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005369 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 15, 2006 In Today's Papers The Diyarbakir Killings All papers report that on Thursday, Diyarbakir remained largely peaceful apart from minor clashes between youth and the police during a march to protest the deadly bomb blast which killed 10, including 6 children, in the mainly Kurdish city on Tuesday. The protestors shouted slogans against Prime Minister Erdogan, and in support of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the PKK. The majority of shopkeepers in the Bagcilar neighborhood, the site of the attack, pulled down their shop shutters in support of the protests. Kurdish leaders laid carnations at the bus stop where the bomb went off. Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu went to Diyarbakir, where he vowed to capture those responsible for the killings. Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP denounced the incident, saying not the PKK but the forces attempting to block a settlement in the Kurdish question were responsible for the attack. The PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency blamed in a statement on its website the "counter-guerrilla forces" within the Turkish state for carrying out the bomb attack. Several press commentators and politicians believe the hardliners in the PKK to be behind the deadly attack because the organization was put under pressure by calls by the DTP for it to announce a unilateral ceasefire. Several papers said a preliminary criminal investigation by the police showed the mechanism that triggered the explosion on Tuesday was the same that was used by the bombs made by the PKK. Opposition party DYP chairman Mehmet Agar, a former police chief, said the AKP government had turned the anti-terror struggle into an issue to "weep over," criticizing the government for not issuing a statement even a day after the killings. Ralston Visit to Ankara All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan congratulated the US Special Envoy for Countering the PKK, retired Air Force General Joseph Ralston, on his new job at a meeting in Ankara yesterday. Erdogan warned Ralston not to take steps that may be interpreted as accepting the terrorist organization as an interlocutor. He reminded Ralston that President Bush and Secretary Rice have been informed on the substantial steps that should be taken for eliminating the PKK in northern Iraq. Ralston assured Erdogan that "the terrorists will never be accepted as interlocutors," adding "the Turkish nation will see that we will take solid and visible measures." Papers report Ralston's counterpart, retired general Edip Baser, would join Turkey's Anti-terror Board, and would use the title "Anti-terror Coordinator for Turkey," reporting to the PM. Radikal reports Baser said he told Ralston that if there are any contacts with the PKK, he will resign. Baser first of all will set up a timetable for action together with Ralston. "We will outline a roadmap for action and will fix the interim targets," Baser said. The sensationalist Star reports an unidentified Turkish official as saying that during the Ralston visit to Ankara, Turks and Americans have decided to launch, if necessary, a joint operation against the PKK in northern Iraq. Ralston said Erdogan's persistence on the issue had been effective in determining a new concept in the fight against terrorism. Ralston drew attention to President Bush remarks that "We cannot accept Iraq providing shelter for terrorists," reports the paper. Turkish Directorate for Religious Affairs Criticizes Pope Benedict over Recent Remarks All Papers: Today's papers gave extensive coverage to the harsh response given by Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoglu to Pope Benedict XVI for criticizing Islam and Prophet Mohammed. In a speech on Tuesday, the Pope quoted from a book recounting a ANKARA 00005369 002 OF 003 conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Islam and Christianity. "The Emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war", the Pope recalled. "He said, I quote, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. Labeling the statement a matter of concern and grief both for the Christian world and for peace on earth, Bardakoglu said that the statement may reflect hatred and enmity in the Pope's inner world. Bardakoglu described the Pope's statement as "disrespectful" and "hostile" and urged him to take his words back and apologize. Milliyet reports that Bardakoglu also spoke out against the Pope's planned visit to Turkey in November by saying that "the visit would make no contributions to peace among different civilizations." SONAR Survey Reveals Considerable Decrease in the Popularity of AKP Cumhuriyet reports that a survey carried out by polling company SONAR has revealed that the ruling party AKP lost a considerable amount of its popularity. According to SONAR survey at the beginning of 2006, 43.32 percent of Turkish voters were supporting PM Erdogan, whereas, the latest survey shows that this number dropped to 25.51 percent. Main opposition party CHP's popularity jumped from 13.35 to 20.08. The survey was based on interviews with 1851 people in Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Denizli, Edirne, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Mersin, Samsun and Trabzon. Editorial Commentary on War on Terror and NATO Yilmaz Oztuna writes in the conservative Turkiye: "President Bush has called on Americans to support the fight against terrorism by arguing that otherwise terrorism will bring a horrifying future for the coming generations. However, people in the wealthy nations of the west, including Americans, are not in favor of any war or being involved in any kind of fighting. Europeans, after committing suicide twice in 20 years with two world wars, are always trying to change Washington's mind when an international crisis escalates and leads up to a war situation. Currently NATO has almost become the full extension of the US as Europeans stay away from making significant contributions. It seems Washington is going to continue its policy goals in the Middle East with Israel and the UK, as well as with Kurdistan and Armenia. At this point, Washington wants Turkey to be in this league however Ankara pledges nothing, only gives advice." Sami Kohen asks in the mainstream Milliyet whether or not NATO has become outdated: "Obviously NATO members, Turkey included, are totally unwilling to respond positively to the request for additional forces for the Afghanistan mission. European nations, due to the pressure of public opinion, do not want to get involved in a dangerous military adventure. In addition, for most Europeans, the situation in Afghanistan is considered to be a US war. As for Turkey, there is one more reason for the unwillingness to contribute additional forces - the public strongly believes that the western community has not done anything on Turkey's terrorism issue. Regardless of the reasons, NATO faces a new situation which requires an extensive debate on the organization's out-of-area responsibilities and operations. Otherwise NATO will eventually turn into an outdated organization." TV Highlights NTV (6 a.m.) Domestic News - Visiting Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had been given a warm welcome in Paris, with several French officials lauding Ankara's decision to join the international force in Lebanon. - A delegation of Turkish officials is to hold talks in New York on ANKARA 00005369 003 OF 003 September 15-16 to discuss the technical details of the upcoming Turkish peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. - Two suspects fled after throwing a hand grenade at a jandarma patrol team in the Aegean tourist town of Marmaris. - State Minister Ali Babacan said the transfer of Turkish Central Bank headquarters would transform Istanbul into a financial center as well as strengthen Ankara as a political center. - IMF said it expected the year-end inflation in Turkey to stand at 10.2 percent, predicting 5 percent growth. International News - The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has released a statement asking the Vatican to unveil its views with regard to Islam. - The Turkish Embassy in Baghdad has been working for the release of a Turkish driver, Yildirim Tek, abducted by the insurgent "Brigades of the Lions of Righteousness" in Iraq. The insurgents had threatened over the weekend to kill Tek within 72 hours unless Ankara withdraws his company Vinsan operating in Samarra. - French Le Figaro slammed the EU for trying to humiliate Turkey by forcing it to open its ports and airports to the Greek Cypriots despite the fact that Turkish Cypriots had accepted UNSYG Annan's reunification plan for Cyprus. - French socialist politician and presidential hopeful Segolene Royal warned her rival Nicolas Sarkozy's calls for excluding Turkey from Europe would bring "disastrous consequences." - Prime Minister Haniya claimed the US was trying to block efforts for forming a new national unity government in Palestine. - A report by Amnesty International (AI) accused Hezbollah of violating international law by deliberately killing civilians in rockets attacks into Israel during the 34-day conflict in Lebanon. Hezbollah rejected the charges. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON