TURKISH NGO LEADER RETURNS EMBASSY 9/11

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 005525

SIPDIS

ISTANBUL PASS TO ADANA

SIPDIS

EUR/SE, EUR/PPD, INFO EUR - DAS GRAFFY, DAS BRYZA, ECA, R

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2016
TAGS: PREL KPAO OEXC TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH NGO LEADER RETURNS EMBASSY 9/11
ANNIVERSARY GRANT AFTER ATTACKS FROM EXTREMIST PRESS

REF: A. A. ANKARA 005223


B. B.ANKARA 005259

Classified By: Classified By: A/DCM Dan Sreebny for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (SBU) Summary: On September 11, 2006 Embassy Ankara
presented a grant to a Turkish NGO as part of post's 9/11
anniversary commemoration. The event received positive
coverage in the mainstream broadcast and print media, but two
extremist newspapers characterized the donation as "blood
money" and attacked the NGO's leader in front-page stories.
The sustained, vitriolic coverage caused organization members
to call for the funds to be rejected, and the NGO issued a
public statement on September 18 declining the donation. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) As part of Embassy Ankara's program to commemorate
the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, post donated
$10,000 to the Association for Aid and Solidarity with the
Families of Martyrs from the Security Services (EMSAD),a
Turkish NGO that provides assistance and support to families
of victims of (mostly PKK) terrorism. EMSAD general director
Nursen Donmez Kiricikaya agreed to accept the funds for use
in educational scholarships for children who had lost a
parent to terrorism. The organization was known to the
Embassy as a reputable group, and Kiricikaya had recently
participated in a State Department International Visitors
Leadership Program (IVLP) on non-profit management. The
donation was designed to reinforce the Turkish-American
relationship in confronting and defeating terrorism.


3. (SBU) In a September 11 ceremony, Ambassador Ross Wilson
presented the donation to Ms. Kiricikaya. The two delivered
positive remarks, and the event received equally positive
coverage from the main television stations and newspapers.
However, two extremist newspapers -- Vakit (circ. 66,000;
represents Islamic fundamentalist views) and Yenicag (circ.
55,300; represents extreme nationalist views) -- attacked
EMSAD and Kiricikaya for accepting the donation, calling it
"blood money" and alleging that the United States was solely
responsible for Turkish victims of PKK terrorism. They also
attacked her IVLP program in the United States, alleging that
it was a bribe to Ms. Kiricikaya. Aroused by the critical
coverage of these two newspapers in sustained daily articles,
EMSAD board members and clients began to call on Kiricikaya
to reject the funds.


4. (C) Ms. Kiricikaya also reported to Embassy staff that she
had received death threats related to the donation. (Note:
Vakit newspaper had previously been implicated in a shooting
incident that targeted high-court judges, since the newspaper
had run front-page photos of the court's judges with articles
condemning them for ruling against a plaintiff in a case
involving the wearing of headscarves -- a sensitive domestic
issue in Turkey. End Note.)


5. (SBU) One week after the donation was announced,
Kiricikaya told the press that she would reject the donation,
saying in a written statement, "The EMSAD administrative
board has taken into consideration both public pressure and
EMSAD members' request for the return of the donation." In
response to press queries, the Ambassador and embassy press
officers expressed our regret at this decision, while
affirming that the money would go to support Turkish children
through another NGO.


6. (C) Comment: This incident illustrates the vitriolic
views of extremist media and organizations in Turkey, and
their ability to have a negative impact on mainstream society
and aspects of the Turkish-US relationship. While their
opinions are rejected or ignored by most of the main Turkish
media and groups, in this case they successfully incited
their readers to pressure a respected NGO and its leader into
refusing a previously-acceptable donation to help children of
terrorism victims. They jumped on the anti-American
bandwagon that the opposition now uses repeatedly to bash the
government, using it as the basis for outlandish allegations
that, unchallenged, were naturally accepted by individuals
inclined to view America as being behind every perceived
conspiracy against Turkey. The more respectable media,
organizations and individuals in Turkey did not take part in
this unjustified attack -- but they also notably refrained
from defending EMSAD, Ms. Kiricikaya or the American
donation. This provides another example of how (particularly
as long as PKK violence continues) anti-government voices
across the political spectrum will use anti-American
sentiment (often within the cloak of Turkish nationalism) as



an effective domestic political club. End Comment.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON