ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001039

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SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007

In Today's Papers

Turkey Debates Parliamentary Elections Date, Presidency
All papers report Turkey's Parliamentary Constitutional Committee
recommended Wednesday general elections be held on July 22 instead
of June 24 as proposed in a bill by the ruling AKP. The government
is also pushing for a series of constitutional changes that would
allow the people to elect the president for a consecutive two
five-year terms, reduce the government's term from five years to
four and decrease the minimum age for election to parliament to 25.
The bill will be debated in the parliament today. Opposition
Anavatan Party leader Erkan Mumcu expressed "full support" to the
changes proposed by AKP. Opposition DYP leader Mehmet Agar
expressed support as well, saying a decision for early elections
should have been made before the Constitutional Court decision. The
main opposition CHP, however, demands election of the new president
by a new parliament, and not by popular vote.

Prime Minister Erdogan told his ruling AKP group yesterday the new
president should be elected directly by the people. "We will,
through a referendum if necessary, take this issue to the nation to
see that president is elected by direct popular vote," Erdogan said.


The new first round of presidential election will be held on May 6
in the parliament, to be followed by May 9, 12, and 15 if the quorum
of 367 cannot be reached in the first round. Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, the sole candidate standing, said if participation of
367 MPs is not secured in the first voting, the other rounds would
not be held.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener and AKP deputy group chief
Dengir Mehmet Firat said outgoing President Sezer will remain in his
post until a new president is elected, as stipulated by article 102
of the Turkish Constitution.

Editorial Commentary on Elections in Turkey
Derya Sazak wrote in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "Our priority
should be democracy right now. PM Erdogan described the recent
court decision as a 'bullet fired at democracy,' a statement which
does nothing but increase tension. In fact both PM Erdogan's
negative comment on the court decision and the military warning have
cast shadows on democracy, but this can be ended through elections.
The government should refrain from further political maneuvers in
order not to accelerate the crisis atmosphere, and focus on the
elections. The newly elected parliament should elect the new
president. The ruling AKP failed to manage the presidential
election process; let's hope they will manage to carry Turkey to the
elections as soon as possible."

Secretary Rice on Turkish Presidential Developments

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Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Yeni Safak and others report Secretary
Rice said in response to a question on whether the US "feels the
same way" as the EU with regard to the presidential process in
Turkey, "The US fully supports Turkish democracy and its
constitutional processes, and that means that the election, the
electoral system and the results of the electoral system and the
results of the constitutional process have to be upheld. Yes, the
US would be in a similar position."

Baykal Calls for Unity with DSP
All papers report opposition Anavatan MP Suleyman Saribas has tabled
a bill that would allow two or more parties to form alliances in the
parliamentary elections. The main opposition CHP leader Deniz
Baykal told his party group yesterday he wants "unification" with
Zeki Sezer's DSP. "This is not political maneuvering on the eve of
general elections," Baykal said, "Despite only getting one percent
of the vote in the last elections, DSP has a respected institutional
identity in Turkish politics, thanks to their late leader Bulent
Ecevit." Sezer said he would respond to Baykal Thursday after

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discussions with his party members.

Education Minister Visits Buyukanit to Reduce Strains
Hurriyet and Sabah report on Tuesday, Education Minister Huseyin
Celik called on Turkish General Staff (TGS) chief Yasar Buyukanit to
explain that his ministry has no ties with the alleged anti-secular
activities held last month in several provinces to celebrate the
birth of Prophet Muhammad. Celik said inspections were underway
into the anti-secular activities. Celik reportedly told Buyukanit
the TGS should have warned the government instead of posting a
statement on the Internet.

PKK Member Killed, 4 Captured in Mardin
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the
son of Suleyman Anik, pro-Kurdish DTP mayor of Dargecit town in the
province of Mardin, was killed by Turkish security forces during a
raid on a house where four other PKK militants were injured. Police
found three Kalashnikov rifles, four cartridge clips and five hand
grenades in the house.

Editorial Commentary on US 2006 Country Reports on Terrorism
Kubilay Celik wrote in the nationalist daily Tercuman: "The State
Department's annual terrorism report for 2006...is a catalogue of US
mistakes. Let's analyze the report: It was the US which bombed
Afghanistan. It was the US which started a war in Iraq and dragged
the country into a civil war. In sum, the US is the primary reason
for the growing terror in the region, but it sees no harm in blaming
others for that. The US really needs to look in the mirror first
before accusing others. As for the Turkey part of the report, the
PKK was extensively covered, mentioning the fact that the PKK uses
northern Iraq as a headquarters and had spread out to Europe like an
octopus. The terrorist organization was defined as an organized
crime gang engaging in money laundering and human trafficking.
That's very accurate. But the question is why does the US still
wait and do nothing to prevent the PKK's actions? Is it because of
the promises given to the Kurdish groups in Northern Iraq?"

TV Highlights
NTV, 6.00 A.M.

Domestic News

- Former parliament speaker Husamettin Cindoruk said the
presidential crisis has been resolved by the timely intervention of
Constitutional Court.

- President Sezer will hold his weekly meeting with Prime Minister
Erdogan and the chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Yasar
Buyukanit.

- 10th Eurasia Economy Summit is to be held in Istanbul today, with
the participation of 30 countries.

International News

- The confederation of European workers' unions has condemned
violent police intervention during May Day protests in Istanbul.

- The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said
religious freedom is lagging in Turkey.

- Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Turkey's EU accession, a
"historical fact," needs the support of the European public opinion
and the harmony in the country.

- German Interior Ministry gathered together Muslim groups in Berlin
yesterday for a second conference in nine months to tackle growing
alienation between Germans and Muslim immigrants.

WILSON