ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005830 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 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2006 In Today's Papers EU's Rehn Warns on Article 301, Free Speech Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others: Visiting EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned yesterday in an interview with the all-news broadcaster NTV that the reform process in Turkey has slowed down over the past year. "If we see no progress, then the progress report on Turkey will carry criticisms. Forward steps must be taken concerning free speech," Rehn said, stressing that the EU would not "horse-trade" with Turkey on the matter. Rehn expressed hope that the new attempt by Finland, the current EU President, would be successful and lead to direct trade with Turkish Cyprus. Rehn also reiterated that the Turkish military must be subject to civilian control. In a press conference after meeting with Foreign Minister Gul, Rehn said Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code had been used to silence views that do not incite violence, adding the number of lawsuits filed according to Article 301 had reached sixty-nine. A court in Istanbul released the justification of its acquittal of leading novelist Elif Safak, saying "fictional" characters in novels cannot commit offenses. Safak had been charged under Article 301 for "insulting Turkishness" in her latest novel "The Bastard of Istanbul" in which one of the characters refers to the mass-killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule in 1915. In other EU news, German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in Ankara on Thursday for her first state visit to Turkey. During the visit she will meet with Prime Minister Erdogan to discuss Turkey's EU aspirations, the nuclear dispute with Iran, and the situation in the Middle East. On Friday in Istanbul, Merkel, accompanied by Erdogan and a German businessmen's delegation of twenty, will talk with the leading Turkish industrialists and businessmen. PM Erdogan Comments on Defining Fundamentalism Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Zaman and others: Today's papers give extensive coverage to the proposal presented by Prime Minister Erdogan on his way back from London, to end tensions surrounding the debate about 'fundamentalist threats' in Turkey. Sabah quotes PM Erdogan as saying that "no one offers a legal definition of fundamentalism. This issue is always approached through politics and caused problems. Naturally, the whole issue disturbs religious people. Maybe that is why we should not call it 'fundamentalism' bu "extremism." Hurriyet reports that the Prime Minister extended an olive branch to President Sezer and TGS Chief General Buyukanit by saying "we [the AKP government] are ready to discuss your concerns about fundamentalism." Erdogan added that Turkey needed a package of measures for coping with the problem. Meanwhile, reaction from media and the opposition parties to US Ambassador Ross Wilson calling the Turkish internal debate over secularism 'cacophony' continues. The main opposition party CHP deputy Ali Topuz denounced the recent comments of Ambassador Wilson as 'arrogance' and added that Wilson should not consider himself the governor of Turkey. THY Hijacking - the Aftermath All papers reported about the Justice Ministry gaff of calling a passenger from the hijacked plane the second hijacker. The Justice Ministry realized its mistake four hours after passenger Mehmet Ertas was called a terrorist and stated in a second statement that they were mislead by the Interpol. Hurriyet reports that the hijacker Hakan Ekinci, an army deserter, went to Albania last May. His passport was confiscated by the Tirana International Hotel after he failed to pay hotel fees. UN Immigrants Commission bought his plane ticket to Istanbul. Meanwhile, realizing that his political asylum request would be rejected by Albania, Ekinci requested a travel document from the Turkish Embassy in Tirana. The Embassy told him that he could not be given a travel document until he withdrew his asylum request from Albania. Ekinci presented the ANKARA 00005830 002 OF 003 Embassy with an asylum withdrawal document and managed to receive a travel document. Because he was a draft dodger, the Embassy informed Ankara about his travel details so that he would be arrested on arrival. But, Turkish Airlines officials were not informed about these details. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that Turkey would request the deportation of Hakan Ekinci from Italy after the legal procedure is finalized there. Turkish Youth Want Election Age Lowered Radikal reports on its front page that a gathering of Turkish youngsters, Turkey Local Agenda 21 Youth Organization, is to launch a signature campaign in 73 cities in an effort to lower the age at which people can be elected to office to 25 from 30. "Agenda 21" said Turkey, a country with some eight million young voters, was the only country in Europe with a minimum election age of 30. The outcome of the campaign will be submitted to Turkish Parliament on October 16. Erdogan Orders US Cargill's Problems Solved Milliyet reports that prior to his trip to the US, Prime Minister Erdogan has given "firm instructions" to his aides to solve the problems of US food giant Cargill in Turkey. Erdogan told Cargill representatives in New York about the steps taken to solve their problems. Cargill is in trouble with Turkish authorities for building an industrial plant in a farming area in Bursa near Istanbul in violation of legal regulations. Editorial Commentary Writing in the mass appeal Hurriyet Oktay Eksi complains about recent remarks by diplomats about Turkey: "Diplomats are generally known as very careful speakers although there are always some exceptions to this rule. Some even forget about their position and act as if they are ruling the country to which they are assigned. The recent series of disrespectful statements started with the remarks from Turkey's EU representative, followed by the US Ambassador and ended with EU Commissioner. It is difficult to say that such disrespectful statements will not continue. Especially when the rulers of a country show weakness in preserving national pride, then diplomats without subtlety can easily find a platform to speak up." In the Islamist-intellectual Zaman Ekrem Dumanli comments on the debate over the influence of religious fundamentalism, praising PM Erdogan for suggesting that "extremism" was a more appropriate word: "PM Erdogan made some comforting statements about the ongoing debate and the growing speculation regarding the rise of religious fundamentalism in Turkey. He suggested that faithful people should be respected and that it would be better to talk about the issue of 'extremism' instead of 'religious fundamentalism.' His statement was tolerant and embracing as he noted the importance of understanding and tolerance to each other, and suggested that we should try to win over the extremists to make them centrist. Some people are angry at the use of the word 'cacophony,' but in fact Ambassador Wilson has made a normal statement, because there is no need to worry about something which is based on merely suspicions. Therefore when we ask people in Turkey we cannot find a person who can thinks religious fundamentalism is a threat to Turkey. People do not want to see fights over this issue and know well enough to live together in harmony with differences." TV Highlights NTV, 7.00 A.M. Domestic News - Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said Turkey would request the extradition of draft dodger Hakan Ekinci who had hijacked a Turkish airliner to Italy on Tuesday. - According to a Transparency International (TI) survey concerning ANKARA 00005830 003 OF 003 offering bribes of more than 11,000 business people in 125 countries, companies from India, China, Russia and Turkey were listed at the bottom of the 30 countries ranked, while Switzerland, Sweden and Australia topped the list. Companies in Turkey have a bad reputation for paying bribes abroad. - Several NGOs, professional organizations and political parties in Diyarbakir have released a statement welcoming the cease-fire called by the PKK as an important development. - Three Turkish soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in the eastern province of Elazig. International News - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) General Assembly has adopted a report urging more cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. - At least 14 have been killed and 75 others wounded in a car bomb attack targeting the convoy of Iraq's industry minister in central Baghdad. - Northern Ireland's ceasefire watchdog the Independent Monitoring Commission said in a report the IRA campaign of violence was over. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON