ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006757 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 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2006 In Today's Papers Iraqi Court Upholds Saddam's Death Sentence All papers: Iraq's highest appeals court upheld the death sentence for former President Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity and said that he should be hung within 30 days. The decision of the appeals court must be ratified by President Jalal Talabani and Iraq's two vice presidents. Regarding the future of Iraq, columnist Kamuran Ozbir sees little hope for a change in the US policy. Commenting in the nationalist daily Ortadogu, he observed: "There are several indicators that a new chapter could be about to open in the Middle East: a Democratic majority in the US Congress, the resignation of Rumsfeld, and the Iraq Study Group's report. However there is as yet no indication that the Bush administration is softening its stance on Iraq. As the content of the ISG report suggested very clearly, the Bush administration left a mess in Iraq. But this does not necessarily mean a change of Iraq policy in the future. The US policy makers consist of the military and commercial sectors and the lobbies, including the Israeli lobby. Moreover, one of the main reasons for the US presence in Iraq is due to vital long-term American interests, including the control of energy resources as well as decreasing the role of OPEC in the oil market and gaining strategic supremacy over China and Russia in this region. As long as these vital US interests prevail, it is almost impossible for Washington to admit defeat and pull out of Iraq." Religious Leaders Summit in Cyprus Radikal reports that Turkish and Greek religius leaders in Cyprus will visit each other in January. TRNC Religious Affairs Director Ahmet Yonluer stressed that this is a joint decision taken together with the Greek Orthodox bishop Hrisostomos II, as a good will gesture. Parliament Speaker Arinc: "F Type Prisons are Inhuman" All papers report that Speaker Arinc received the family of attorney Behic Asci, who is on a hunger strike to protest 'isolation' in F-type prisons, and argued that in implementation, conditions were "inhuman." Arinc called Behic Asci to end his protest immediately and promised a review of prison conditions in the new year by saying 'if he ends his hunger strike, I want to say that in the first week of January a delegation will work on the issue.' DTP Chairman Ahmet Turk Comments on PKK Hurriyet quoted DTP Chairman Ahmet Turk as saying that if the Republic of Turkey preferred to resolve the Kurdish issue through democratic and civilian methods then they would appeal to the PKK either to sweep the mines that it laid or to tell the whereabouts of the planted land mines. Turk stressed that if the state took a step then the DTP would have stronger influence over the PKK, otherwise their efforts would be fruitless. Editorial Opinion: Iran and the UN Sanctions Sami Kohen commented in the mainstream Milliyet: "Members of the UN Security Council were pleased with the Iran decision as they finally were able to reach a consensus. However they should also be aware of the fact that the decision, even though it came with unanimity, has no practical value. Resolution 1737 talks about sanctions against Iran, but its content and force of application are limited. Sanctions on commercial or economic areas are not part of this resolution. Besides, the Iranian regime has already declared its obvious intention to continue the nuclear program at all costs as it was planned. As a second step, a series of tougher measures can be imposed upon Iran even though it may trigger Iran's harming of international interests via reprisals. Both the US and Israel consider bombing Iranian nuclear facilities as one of the options on the table. But the use of this option will inevitably lead to more serious conflicts and clashes in the world. Given the situation, dialogue seems to be the only rational option; however, the dialogue ANKARA 00006757 002 OF 002 channels have not achieved anything so far. All of this means that the Iranian nuclear crisis presents an obvious impasse and there is no magic way to overcome it. Turkey is very uncomfortable with the crisis. Ankara, on one hand, is trying to improve its relationship with Iran but has declared at the beginning that UN decisions will be obeyed. The latest resolution does not force any commitment from Turkey because Turkey is not a supplier of nuclear technology and materials. As one Turkish official describes it, 'at this point, the resolution does not pose any problem for us.' However there might be new resolutions against Iran or an economic embargo against Iran which may toughen the situation for Turkey as well. " Turkey Heals the Wounds of Indonesia Sabah, Turkiye and others: Asians remembered the 2004 tsunami victims yesterday. Thousands lit candles, visited mass graves and observed two minutes of silence for the victims. National and international media praised the aid granted by Turkey to Indonesia. State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin attended the ceremony during which 700 houses built by Red Crescent were given to their new owners. The British Telegraph noted that everyone agrees that the best houses in Ache are the ones built by the Turkish Red Crescent. TV Highlights NTV (6 A.M.) Domestic News - Yimpas President Dursun Uyar and ten other company officials have been given two-year prison sentences for holding unauthorized public offering - A Retired Colonel has been given five years and ten months in jail for irregularities in military procurement - Ankara-Bolu highway was closed to traffic yesterday as a result of heavy snow International News - A ruptured gas pipeline that burst into flames in Nigeria yesterday as thieves collected the fuel and killed at least 200 people - A powerful earthquake struck off southwestern Taiwan yesterday - A series of car bombings killed at least 44 people in Baghdad yesterday. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON