ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001024 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, MAY 1, 2007 In Today's Papers Presidential Debates Continue in Turkey All papers report that the ruling AKP is awaiting the result of the Constitutional Court deliberation on opposition CHP's application for a suspension of presidential election, while the opposition has renewed its call for an early election to resolve the crisis. The court decision is due on Tuesday or early Wednesday. The "rapporteur" for the Constitutional Court has recommended the court reject the CHP challenge to the presidential election, but the recommendation is not binding. Parliament is due to hold a second round of voting in the presidential election on Wednesday. If the voting goes ahead as planned, Gul, the only candidate standing, is expected to win the presidency in the third round on May 9. CHP leader Deniz Baykal, speaking to press yesterday, said it's important that the Constitutional Court deliver "a ruling which would prevent Turkey from drifting into a crisis." Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat, a prominent figure in the ruling AKP, accused Baykal of threatening the high court. Opposition Anavatan Party leader Erkan Mumcu urged Abdullah Gul to withdraw his candidacy without waiting for the high court's decision. "Gul's withdrawal will open the way to democracy," Mumcu told press yesterday. Prime Minister Erdogan appealed for national unity in a television address on Monday night, stressing continuing Turkey's strong economic growth requires stability and peace. Mainstream Vatan says political sources in Ankara cite August 5 as a possible date for early elections, while the AKP believes a poll could be held on July 1 or 8 if preparations are completed on time. After two mass meetings in Ankara and Istanbul in defense of secularism and democracy in Turkey, similar protests are to be held in the Aegean cities of Manisa and Izmir in the first half of May, say papers. Rattled by the military's threat to intervene in the presidential process, say papers, Turkish financial markets recorded their biggest decline in a year on Monday. Editorial Commentary on Turkish Democracy Oral Calislar writes in the leftist-nationalist daily Cumhuriyet: "We have to face reality. Unless Turkey goes through a fundamental system change, the crisis will never end. Turkey's current political system, a product of the September 12, 1980, coup, plays a role in preventing Turkey from becoming a developed, progressive country. It seems the current crisis in the parliament will only be transferred to the next parliament, whatever the composition. In other words, elections under the current system will bring only an interim solution. If Turkey changes its Election Law and Political Parties Law, it can facilitate a solid democracy which also will be a reassurance for eliminating worries about secularism." Sahin Alpay wrote in the Islamist-intellectual daily Zaman: "Secularism requires showing respect for all faiths and treating then equally. It can only be safe under a democratic regime. Expanding freedoms and democracy will help secularism be adopted by the vast majority. The ruling AKP has its share of responsibility for the [April 27] military warning. It was obvious from the very beginning that the presidential election should be carried out through consensus between the ruling party and the opposition, between the civilian and military bureaucracies. It was also obvious that in the absence of consensus, a general election would be necessary. Yet the AKP treated the matter as if it was an internal party issue." Sezer Brings Together Karzai, Musharraf All papers report President Sezer hosted a meeting with Afghan and Pakistan presidents Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf in Ankara on Monday. Karzai and Musharraf issued a joint statement, the Ankara Declaration, which reiterates the two leaders' commitment to ANKARA 00001024 002 OF 003 fighting all forms of "extremism and terrorism through coordinated action." "The two leaders agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties, respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in each others' internal affairs," the declaration said. Karzai and Musharraf also called for concerted efforts to tackle increased poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, underlining its role in spreading drug trafficking and organized crime in the region. Journalists Sued under Article 301 Liberal Radikal reports following an application by Turkish Justice Ministry, a prosecutor in Istanbul has filed under Article 301, the law that makes it illegal to "insult Turkishness," a lawsuit against journalists Lale Sariibrahimoglu and Ahmet Sik for "discouraging Turkish citizens from military service" in an interview in the political weekly magazine Nokta after the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink. Sariibrahimoglu, a senior defense correspondent working for Jane's Defense Weekly and other publications, reportedly discussed the conflict between Turkish military and police in the interview with Sik. Prosecutors also launched another lawsuit under Article 301 against Nokta correspondent Banu Uzpeder for an interview they held on the anniversary of gendarmerie operations against political prisoners. The operations, which occurred about ten years ago, resulted in the killing of scores of political prisoners. Turkish Truck Drivers Abducted in Iraq Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report gunmen from the insurgent "Tawhid al-Jihad" group set fire to 15 fuel trucks on the Samarra-Ramadi highway south of Kirkuk on Sunday and kidnapped all the drivers including two Turks. Over the weekend, two Turkish truck drivers were killed near Tikrit. US Annual Intellectual Property Rights Report Mainstream Milliyet reports 12 countries including Turkey have been listed in the US annual Intellectual Property Rights report as countries under the "priority watch list," for failing to protect producers of copyrighted, patented and trademarked materials, such as movies, music, and computer programs. TV Highlights NTV, 7.00 A.M. Domestic News - Istanbul's governor has enforced a security clampdown around Taksim Square to prevent May Day rallies on Tuesday, rejecting labor unions' request to demonstrate in the city centre. Some 17,000 policemen have been stationed across the city. - Independent MPs Hakki Akalin, Ersoy Bulut and Mustafa Sayar have urged the AKP government to call early polls. - Prosecutor demands 216-year prison sentence for former Housing Minister Koray Aydin accused of rigging state auctions. - CHP MP Inal Baku has resigned from his party and joined opposition center-right DYP. International News - EU term president Germany has called on Turkey to uphold democracy. EU officials said the Turkish government should take into account the democratic protests voiced at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday. - The Financial Times says as Turkey ponders a military incursion into northern Iraq against the PKK, the US warned Ankara to learn a lesson from Israel's "strategic defeat" in Lebanon last summer. - French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Europe and ANKARA 00001024 003 OF 003 France attach special importance to protection of secularism in Turkey. - Five British men with links to al-Qaida have been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of plotting a series of bomb attacks in Britain. WILSON