ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006696 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 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2006 In Today's Papers Erdogan in New York All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York that Iran and Syria "fully agree on the protection of the territorial integrity of Iraq, therefore, any possible division of Iraq is not something that Turkey, Iran or Syria would view positively," while commenting on his recent visits to Tehran and Damascus. Agreeing with the Iraq Study Group's assessments, Erdogan said carving up the country "would increase the level of civil war that is taking place." Erdogan complained that a UN-sponsored plan to reunite Cyprus has been "shelved" despite the fact that Greek Cypriots rejected the plan in a 2004 referenda, with Turkish Cypriots and Ankara backing the blueprint. Responding to a question, Erdogan said Turkey is composed of "many ethnic groups who live together harmoniously." "I am a Turk from the Black Sea region, my wife is an Arab from Siirt, but there is no problem," he said. Erdogan meet with the recently elected UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for half an hour at a meeting closed to the press. He also met with President Clinton to discuss Cyprus, Turkey's EU process, and the shape of things in Iraq. 'Suleymaniye Incident' from an American Viewpoint The mainstream Hurriyet follows up on yesterday's reporting of comments made by a Turkish commander involved in the July 4, 2003, incident in which US troops briefly detained a group of Turkish special forces in the northern Iraqi town of Suleymaniye. The unidentified "US team leader" told Hurriyet that two US special teams of over 60 troops raided the Turks' headquarters after "bribing the Arab-looking watchmen hired by Turks," detaining the soldiers inside the building. Turkish troops didn't have time to react, said the US leader. He noted that the raid was conducted because the US had learned that the Turkish troops were to take part in a plan to assassinate the newly elected Governor of Kirkuk. Editorial Commentary on Elections in the Middle East Hakan Celik writing in the tabloid Posta, warns that hoping for reform in Iran based on the recent election results is "unrealistic": "The results of the recent Iranian elections for the Municipal Councils and the Assembly of Experts seem to have strengthened hopes that reformists in Iran are prevailing. This interpretation stems merely from the fact that Rafsanjani has a reputation for being a moderate reformist. However, his election victory is not good enough to believe that the reform winds are blowing in Iran, mainly because of the strength of the mullah regime. The Islamist regime in Iran has powerful roots. Seeing Ahmedinejad soften his fundamentalist attitude due to an election outcome is unlikely to happen. Ironically enough, Ahmedinejad is gaining more strength from the tension with the Western world. Given the facts, hoping for a reform process in Iran is not realistic at this point. " Commenting on the prospect of early elections in Palestine, Sami Kohen writes in the mainstream Milliyet: "Palestine President Abbas considers an early election to be a way of getting rid of political tension and conflicts. However Hamas thinks entirely differently, Prime Minister Haniyah included. The current ceasefire is not a guarantee and the ongoing armed tension is not a good sign either as the election debate now becomes one of too many conflicts in Palestinian politics. All of this is about a power struggle and ideological war between Hamas and Al Fatah. In the end, the poor Palestinian people pay the bill while the two sides fight with each other continuously. In addition to that, the Palestinian people have been suffering from the economic embargo for a year. Let's assume that early elections were held in the end and Hamas became the winner again. What would happen then? Would Palestine be able to establish political stability? Would the economic embargo be lifted after the elections? This poses a serious impasse for the Western world, the defender of democracy. British PM Tony Blair, just like President Bush, has said in Palestine that the struggle in ANKARA 00006696 002 OF 002 the Middle East goes on between the extremists and the moderates, adding that moderate forces have to be supported. The fact of the matter is that ballot boxes do not always come up with moderate figures. What happens if extremists win a democratic election?" DTP Members' Peace March to Ankara Radikal and Milliyet report that the peace march Democratic People's Party (DTP) started from Diyarbakir, ended in Ankara yesterday. TGNA Speaker Bulent Arinc refused to give an appointment to the group led by DTP Vice Chairperson Aysel Tugluk and Diyarbakir Mayor Baydemir. DTP leader Ahmet Turk gave a speech saying that both the premier and the parliament speaker are insensitive and indifferent to their efforts for permanent peace in the country. TV Highlights NTV, 6.00 A.M. Domestic News - Monday's anti-terror board meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul discussed strategies for combating terrorism in 2007. - The co-founder of Atlantic Records, music industry legend Ahmet Ertegun was laid to rest in Istanbul after passing away in New York last week at age 83. - Opposition CHP lawmaker Mehmet Sevigen sparked a controversy in the parliament by saying Prime Minister Erdogan had no right to become president because he was given a 10-month prison sentence for violating forest regulations during his time as mayor of Istanbul. - Representatives of several Turkish NGOs and human rights organizations sent letters to Prime Minister Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Arinc demanding the abolishment of F-type prisons. International News - The latest "Eurobarometer" poll shows support for EU accession in Turkey has dived to 54 percent. - Iranian President Ahmadinejad reportedly has suffered a "decisive defeat" in nationwide elections last week. - Disturbed by the recommendations by the Iraq Study Group to put off a Kirkuk referendum, Kurdish parliament members have warned that any postponement could drag northern Iraq into chaos. - British Prime Minister Blair has met Palestinian president Abbas, backing Abbas' call for new elections after rival parties Fatah and Hamas faced a political deadlock. - The fifth round of six-nation talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program begins in Beijing, following a 13-month impasse. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON