ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005898 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 12, 2006 In Today's Papers Turkey Awaiting French Parliament Vote on Armenian Genocide Claims All papers focus on the French Parliament's discussion of a bill which will penalize the denial of the 'genocide' of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish troops between 1915-23. Papers report Ankara has warned European capitals that the approval of the draft would be perceived by the Turkish people as a hostile act. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said if the genocide bill is passed, Turkey will not lose anything but France will lose Turkey. Cumhuriyet and Yeni Safak believe the French parliament will jeopardize ties with Turkey for the sake of pleasing 200,000 Armenian voters. Several papers, however, note that the French government may choose to freeze the controversial draft by delaying its approval by the senate. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned Paris that the bill would block dialogue between Turkey and Armenia, extending support to a Turkish proposal for discussing the issue by a joint commission of historians. The EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-chairman Joost Lagendijk said after working for years to boost free speech in Turkey, he found the French move, contradicting such efforts, as "unacceptable." EU term president Finland's Parliament Speaker Paavo Lipponen also warned that the genocide bill has not helped Turkey-EU relations. Milliyet reports US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson said Washington had conveyed to Paris its concerns about the approval of the controversial bill. Wilson noted the US deems important the Turkish proposal for establishing a joint committee of historians to investigate genocide claims. Zaman reports the French ambassador in Ankara told Paris that if the bill is passed, bilateral economic ties would be harmed and anti-French sentiment would increase in Turkey. The paper also reports the head of the Turkish-Armenian Businessmen's Association said the French bill, in fact, aimed to block Turkey's entry into the EU. The Armenian Patriarch in Turkey, Mesrob II, has released a statement denouncing the bill. Murat Yetkin of the liberal-intellectual Radikal commented that the debate at the French Parliament today will not only damage the ties between Turkey and France, but will also allow the French system to be discussed again in France and in Europe. "Obviously, France will continue to use Armenian genocide claims to pressure Turkey, especially on the issue of EU entry. A commentary in yesterday's Financial Times claimed that many messages have been conveyed to Turkey from Europe already to warn the Turks that they are not wanted in the European Union. Maybe, the goals of these initiatives are to force Turkey to abandon its EU aspirations. At this stage, there two questions that should be asked: Will Turkey make adjustments in Article 301 to block the genocide bill? And also, could Turkey continue to walk on its path as if nothing has happened? I think a train crash in Turkey's EU entry drive might offer everyone an opportunity to restart Turkey-EU relations". Ralston Visits Ankara Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Aksam, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others report that the US Special Envoy for Countering the PKK, retired General Joseph Ralston held a two-hour meeting with Turkish counterpart Edip Baser which was joined by officials from the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA,) the Turkish General Staff (TGS,) and the intelligence service MIT. The two envoys discussed a roadmap for combating the PKK. Radikal says the Turkish side raised the issue of the closure of Mahmur camp in northern Iraq. Cumhuriyet reports Ralston told the Turkish side to 'take seriously' the PKK declaration of a ceasefire, pointing to the opportunity for the PKK to lay down its arms. The Turks said the PKK should lay down its arms instead of merely declaring a ceasefire, according to Cumhuriyet. With regard to the absence of the Iraqi envoy Shirwan al-Walily at the talks yesterday, MFA Spokesman Namik Tan said a three-party meeting had not been envisaged during yesterday's Ralston visit. Milliyet claims the Iraqi coordinator had not been ANKARA 00005898 002 OF 003 invited to Ankara in reaction to a recent statement of President Talabani that he had convinced the PKK to declare a ceasefire. Ralston will depart Ankara after meeting with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Thursday. Papers expect the Iraqi envoy al-Walily to accompany the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on a state visit to Ankara next week. At the October 16 talks the sides will discuss the PKK and Kirkuk before the forthcoming 2007 referendum on the status of the oil-rich northern Iraqi city. Buyukanit to Visit Athens Aksam reports Turkish General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit will pay a visit to Athens in November as the official guest of his Greek counterpart Admiral Panayotis Hinofotis. The two generals will discuss the military aspects of confidence building measures on the Aegean and the evolving issue of illegal immigrants in the Aegean Sea. Minister Says Article 301 May be Changed Sabah and Radikal report Turkey's chief EU negotiator and State Minister Ali Babacan said the Turkish government had asked lawyers to work on possible amendments to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. Babacan said Turkey would not move to amend Article 301 before seeing the French parliament's decision about the Armenian genocide bill. The Turkish Justice Ministry, the General Secretariat for EU Affairs, and the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) SIPDIS denied that there were preparations to amend the controversial Article 301 which restricts free speech. Report: Kurdish Education, Investment Needed in Southeast Turkey Yeni Safak reports the main opposition CHP lawmaker Bulent Tanla said in a report he drafted for the EU ambassadors in Ankara that Kurdish education must be allowed in east and southeast Turkey if the region is to be developed into a 'center of attraction' for the Middle Eastern countries. A regional development bank must be established and USD 40 billion of investment is needed over the course of the next 20 years, according to the report. TV Highlights NTV, 7.00 A.M. Domestic News - Turkish troops to be deployed with UNIFIL will depart from the Mersin port on the Mediterranean for Lebanon on October 19. - The Turkish Parliament has approved a bill against money laundering which envisages the establishment of a special board for fighting financial crimes. - The Turkish General Directorate for Natural Disasters has announced that 70 percent of Turkish people live in high-risk earthquake zones. - The new domestic and international flights terminal at Esenboga Airport in Ankara will be inaugurated on October 13. International News - President Bush called for tough sanctions on Pyongyang for its reported nuclear test, asserting the US has no intention of attacking North Korea. - According to a controversial study by Britain's Lancet, the conflict in Iraq has killed 655,000 since the US-led invasion in March 2003. - The Israeli deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said President ANKARA 00005898 003.2 OF 003 Bashar al-Assad of Syria is welcome to come to Jerusalem for peace talks. - Two people were killed when a small plane slammed into a high-rise apartment building in New York on Wednesday. Initial investigations indicated that the crash was not terror-related. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON