Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA5604
2006-09-25 14:33:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
how-toVZCZCXRO9071 OO RUEHDA DE RUEHAK #5604/01 2681433 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 251433Z SEP 06 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8965 RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7463 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1340 RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1138 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5461 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5181 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1835 RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU RHMFIUU/USDOCO 6ATAF IZMIR TU RHMFIUU/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005604
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
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006
In Today's Papers
Turkish Peacekeepers Due in Lebanon October 20
Cumhuriyet reports Turkey is to deploy on October 20 a military unit
to participate in the international force for Lebanon. The Turkish
force will be made up of 200-270 military engineers for construction
of roads and bridges and a 700-strong navy unit for patrolling off
the Lebanese coast. Two Turkish majors will command the units and a
colonel will serve at UNIFIL headquarters in Beirut.
Writing in the conservative Bugun, Cengiz Candar notes that the
UNIFIL mission will be to rebuild Lebanon without the involvement of
Iran: "Observing the situation in South Lebanon, there has to be a
serious effort to reestablish the daily lives of the people with a
fast rebuilding process. It certainly looks like the people of
South Lebanon have no power to engage in a war with Israel at this
point, and that shows Hezbollah cannot stop UNIFIL in this area.
Then there is one other question that needs an answer: What will
Iran do? Will Tehran give up its influence and power in South
Lebanon? Time will show to what extent Lebanon will be rebuilt
without Iran and without Iran-Syria influence."
Turkish Parliament Delegation to Visit Northern Iraq
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others: A
Turkish Parliamentary delegation comprised of the ruling and main
opposition AKP and CHP lawmakers will travel to northern Iraq on
Tuesday for talks with the Iraqi, American and British officials to
discuss the status of Kirkuk and developments in Iraq. AKP MP
Turhan Comez said that the delegation will meet with the American
and British consuls general and the governor in Kirkuk, and the
speaker of the Turkmen Assembly where a Turkmen Friendship Group
will be established during the three-day visit.
Forced Marriages, Traditions Claim Lives in SE Turkey
A front page report in liberal/intellectual Radikal says nine
teenaged girls in the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Batman
held a march to protest the death of their friend, the 18-year old
Saliha Demir, who committed suicide when she was forced to marry a
60-year-old man who already had two wives. The group called for an
end to forced marriages and honor killings which makes Batman "the
city of women suicides victims." Fifteen women there have killed
themselves over the past nine months. On Sunday, NGOs in the border
city of Hakkari made a joint statement to denounce violence against
women, saying three girls between the ages of 13 and18 have
committed suicide due to pressures coming from family and
traditions.
US Senate Blocks US Funding for Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Railroad
Sabah, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the US
Senate Banking Committee has approved a bill prohibiting American
loans for the construction of a new railroad from Azerbaijan to
Georgia and Turkey that will by-pass Armenia. The Armenian lobby in
the US managed to convince the Senate Banking Committee to ban
Eximbank and other US finance institutions from providing funds to
the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project.
Editorial Commentary: UNGA and Anti-Americanism
Writing from Washington in the Islamist oriented-intellectual daily
Zaman, Ali Aslan argues that the UNGA "demonstrated the growth of
anti-American feelings since 9/11": "The strong anti-American
remarks by the usual suspects, such as the Iranian and Venezuelan
leaders were not the surprising part of UNGA. The unexpected
development was the fact that those speakers received hearty
applause from the UNGA participants. At this point, the
international community can only find some relief if the issue
between the US and Iran is resolved peacefully. A Congressional
majority of Democrats after the November elections might also send a
signal to President Bush to stop acting unilaterally."
ANKARA 00005604 002 OF 002
One Out of Every Five Turks Jobless
Cumhuriyet reports on its front page the number of young people who
have stopped looking for a job because they have lost hope of
finding one rose to 623,000, in which 39.8 percent are in the 14-25
age group. With the addition of 2.9 million jobless Turks, who had
not been included in the data for the jobless, to the official
figures for the unemployed, the percentage of jobless in Turkey
climbs to 18.8. Opposition CHP lawmaker Professor Yakup Kepenek
said new employees joining the total work force were below 50
percent, a level far too low when compared with OECD countries.
Kepenek blamed ruling AKP policies for killing peoples' hopes to
find a job.
TV News:
(NTV, 7.00 A.M.)
Domestic News
- This week the Turkish Parliament will continue discussing EU
harmonization reforms, including the issue of minority schools.
- 56 Kurdish mayors from Turkey's eastern and southeastern provinces
will appear before the court tomorrow on charges of aiding the PKK.
The prosecutor demands 15-year prison sentences for the mayors who
have sent a letter to Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen to campaign
against the closure of the Copenhagen-based pro-Kurdish Roj TV.
- Seventeen people, including five policemen, were injured when a
bomb-laden truck exploded in front of a police building in the
eastern city of Igdir over the weekend.
- The number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey has increased by
1.6 percent in August.
International News
- Iraq's Prime Minister al-Maliki called for peace and unity during
the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Sectarian violence claimed 20
lives across the country over the weekend.
- Several British soldiers who have served in Iraq are being
investigated on charges of smuggling guns confiscated from
terrorists out of the country and exchanging them for drugs.
- Turkish Cypriot Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Freedom and
Reform Party (ORP) will submit their joint cabinet list to President
Talat for approval on Tuesday.
- Forty Taliban insurgents have been killed in clashes with Afghan
and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
- The leaders of Thailand's military coup have closed more than 300
community radio stations in the country.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON
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
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006
In Today's Papers
Turkish Peacekeepers Due in Lebanon October 20
Cumhuriyet reports Turkey is to deploy on October 20 a military unit
to participate in the international force for Lebanon. The Turkish
force will be made up of 200-270 military engineers for construction
of roads and bridges and a 700-strong navy unit for patrolling off
the Lebanese coast. Two Turkish majors will command the units and a
colonel will serve at UNIFIL headquarters in Beirut.
Writing in the conservative Bugun, Cengiz Candar notes that the
UNIFIL mission will be to rebuild Lebanon without the involvement of
Iran: "Observing the situation in South Lebanon, there has to be a
serious effort to reestablish the daily lives of the people with a
fast rebuilding process. It certainly looks like the people of
South Lebanon have no power to engage in a war with Israel at this
point, and that shows Hezbollah cannot stop UNIFIL in this area.
Then there is one other question that needs an answer: What will
Iran do? Will Tehran give up its influence and power in South
Lebanon? Time will show to what extent Lebanon will be rebuilt
without Iran and without Iran-Syria influence."
Turkish Parliament Delegation to Visit Northern Iraq
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others: A
Turkish Parliamentary delegation comprised of the ruling and main
opposition AKP and CHP lawmakers will travel to northern Iraq on
Tuesday for talks with the Iraqi, American and British officials to
discuss the status of Kirkuk and developments in Iraq. AKP MP
Turhan Comez said that the delegation will meet with the American
and British consuls general and the governor in Kirkuk, and the
speaker of the Turkmen Assembly where a Turkmen Friendship Group
will be established during the three-day visit.
Forced Marriages, Traditions Claim Lives in SE Turkey
A front page report in liberal/intellectual Radikal says nine
teenaged girls in the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Batman
held a march to protest the death of their friend, the 18-year old
Saliha Demir, who committed suicide when she was forced to marry a
60-year-old man who already had two wives. The group called for an
end to forced marriages and honor killings which makes Batman "the
city of women suicides victims." Fifteen women there have killed
themselves over the past nine months. On Sunday, NGOs in the border
city of Hakkari made a joint statement to denounce violence against
women, saying three girls between the ages of 13 and18 have
committed suicide due to pressures coming from family and
traditions.
US Senate Blocks US Funding for Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Railroad
Sabah, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the US
Senate Banking Committee has approved a bill prohibiting American
loans for the construction of a new railroad from Azerbaijan to
Georgia and Turkey that will by-pass Armenia. The Armenian lobby in
the US managed to convince the Senate Banking Committee to ban
Eximbank and other US finance institutions from providing funds to
the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project.
Editorial Commentary: UNGA and Anti-Americanism
Writing from Washington in the Islamist oriented-intellectual daily
Zaman, Ali Aslan argues that the UNGA "demonstrated the growth of
anti-American feelings since 9/11": "The strong anti-American
remarks by the usual suspects, such as the Iranian and Venezuelan
leaders were not the surprising part of UNGA. The unexpected
development was the fact that those speakers received hearty
applause from the UNGA participants. At this point, the
international community can only find some relief if the issue
between the US and Iran is resolved peacefully. A Congressional
majority of Democrats after the November elections might also send a
signal to President Bush to stop acting unilaterally."
ANKARA 00005604 002 OF 002
One Out of Every Five Turks Jobless
Cumhuriyet reports on its front page the number of young people who
have stopped looking for a job because they have lost hope of
finding one rose to 623,000, in which 39.8 percent are in the 14-25
age group. With the addition of 2.9 million jobless Turks, who had
not been included in the data for the jobless, to the official
figures for the unemployed, the percentage of jobless in Turkey
climbs to 18.8. Opposition CHP lawmaker Professor Yakup Kepenek
said new employees joining the total work force were below 50
percent, a level far too low when compared with OECD countries.
Kepenek blamed ruling AKP policies for killing peoples' hopes to
find a job.
TV News:
(NTV, 7.00 A.M.)
Domestic News
- This week the Turkish Parliament will continue discussing EU
harmonization reforms, including the issue of minority schools.
- 56 Kurdish mayors from Turkey's eastern and southeastern provinces
will appear before the court tomorrow on charges of aiding the PKK.
The prosecutor demands 15-year prison sentences for the mayors who
have sent a letter to Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen to campaign
against the closure of the Copenhagen-based pro-Kurdish Roj TV.
- Seventeen people, including five policemen, were injured when a
bomb-laden truck exploded in front of a police building in the
eastern city of Igdir over the weekend.
- The number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey has increased by
1.6 percent in August.
International News
- Iraq's Prime Minister al-Maliki called for peace and unity during
the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Sectarian violence claimed 20
lives across the country over the weekend.
- Several British soldiers who have served in Iraq are being
investigated on charges of smuggling guns confiscated from
terrorists out of the country and exchanging them for drugs.
- Turkish Cypriot Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and Freedom and
Reform Party (ORP) will submit their joint cabinet list to President
Talat for approval on Tuesday.
- Forty Taliban insurgents have been killed in clashes with Afghan
and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
- The leaders of Thailand's military coup have closed more than 300
community radio stations in the country.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON