ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001470 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 MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2007 In Today's Papers Turkish Leaders Condemn PKK Terrorism All papers report that thousands of mourners, including the chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS) Yasar Buyukanit, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, the opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal, and high ranking bureaucrats attended the funeral of gendarme Private Kadir Yalcin, held at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara. Private Yalcin was killed last week in a PKK landmine attack. In a strongly-worded statement released after the killing of three soldiers in Sirnak, President Sezer vowed to take all necessary steps to eradicate terror, stressing that Turkey's rightful struggle will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated. Prime Minister Erdogan called on opposition parties, warning against politicizing funerals of slain soldiers. On Saturday, three Turkish soldiers were killed when PKK terrorists remotely detonated a landmine in the province of Sirnak near the Iraqi border. A major, a lieutenant colonel and a private were killed when the landmine went off as their military vehicle was returning from an operation. In the past month, Turkey has lost 42 of its people to the PKK terrorism, 16 of whom were civilians. Gul on the PKK, Northern Iraq In an interview on the front page of mainstream Hurriyet, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul says Turkey will take all risks in its fight against the outlawed PKK, and denies that there is a lack of communication between the military and the government. Gul claims he has discussed Turkey's plans regarding all scenarios, including a partition of Iraq, in a recent meeting with the chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS),Yasar Buyukanit. Gul adds the newly established "Iraq Working Group" under his leadership, has been facilitating regular meetings between the TGS and Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA.) The FM also notes a recent warning by Buyukanit to the Iraqi authorities that another act of harassment against the Turkish forces in northern Iraq would be "retaliated in kind" was authorized by the Turkish government. "I hope that the message is taken," says Gul. Turkey-Greece Joint Survey Measures Threat Perception in the Two Countries Sabah, Radikal, Bugun Posta: According to a joint survey by Turkey's Bilgi University and Greece's Political Research Institute (KPEE),when asked who is the biggest threat to Turkey, 35% of Turks answered the US, and 25.8% said a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. On the other hand, seventy-seven percent of Greeks consider Turkey as the biggest threat and while only 5.6 worry about Albania. The same survey shows that 63.1% of Turks support EU membership while at the same time 50% believe that the EU's main goal is to divide Turkey. Iraqi FM Zabari Calls on Turkey for Dialog, Al-Sadr Threatens Turkey Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Zaman and others: Following the diplomatic note given to Turkey by Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hosyar Zabari, in an interview with the BBC Arabic service, said that his country is ready to hold talks with Turkey to discuss Turkish concerns about PKK activities. Meanwhile, on a PUK internet site, Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr said that he was against a possible cross-border operation by Turkey, and that in case of an operation launched by Turkey, he would defend the Kurdish people against Turks. Editorial Commentary on US-Russia Semih Idiz wrote in the mainstream daily Milliyet (6/11): "Putin said to the US that American missile defense systems against an Iranian threat should be deployed in Turkey instead of Central ANKARA 00001470 002 OF 002 Europe. This suggestion can only be considered an effort to provoke. Even though the 'threat from Iran' is justification for the need for a missile system, the former Soviet controlled countries want them deployed as a security building measure against Russia. Being aware of this, Moscow is trying to handle the issue with a Cold War-era perspective and Putin's suggestion regarding Turkey is a clear example of this. Moscow wants to slow down Washington's missile shield plans and to damage Turkish-American relations. Putin is counting on the growing anti-Americanism in Turkey as well as the differences in Iran policy between Ankara and Washington. He is also aware of the fact that the Turkish military, behind closed doors, is talking about a possibility of establishing a strategic relationship with Moscow and giving up on Washington. Turkey's strategic location was an advantage for Ankara during the Cold War era. There are signs, however, that nowadays this advantage may be becoming a curse for Turkey." TV News: (NTV, 8 A.M.) Domestic News - A blast caused by a percussion bomb outside a store in the Bakirkoy neighborhood of Istanbul wounded 14 people on Sunday, police said, amid increased worries about PKK violence. - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will pay a visit to Ankara June 11 to discuss the situation in Kosovo with Turkish leaders. De Hoop Scheffer will meet Prime Minister Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and TGS chief General Yasar Buyukanit on Tuesday. - More than 165 candidates, including seven supported by the Kurdish DTP to run independently in July 22 parliamentary elections, have been vetoed by the High Election Board. - A former prostitute who wanted to run for a seat in parliament but was thrown off the election rolls by the High Election Board said she will fight the Board's decision. International News - The convoy of Iraqi Turkmen Front leader Saadettin Ergec was attacked on the Baghdad-Kirkuk road. Ergec was unharmed in the attack, the third in the last 10 days. - Turkish Cyprus leader Mehmet Ali Talat has accused Nicosia of blocking the applications of Greek Cypriots to the commission established to settle property disputes in the north part of the divided island. - Greek daily Elefterotipia reports Athens is to open a consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. - President Bush said in Albania that Kosovo would become independent even if diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving its status in the United Nations fail. WILSON