ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001658 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, JUNE 27, 2007 In Today's Papers TGS Press Tour to Commando School All papers report the Turkish General Staff (TGS) has arranged a press tour related to training given to soldiers fighting against the PKK in southeast Turkey, in an effort to counter charges that the military uses inexperienced soldiers to combat terrorists. On Tuesday, a group of journalists visited Egirdir Mountain Commando School in the Isparta province. Land Forces lieutenant-general Necdet Ozel said the school gave physical and psychological training to 24,000 commandos in the last 33 years. Thus far, 80 of the commandoes have died in fighting with terrorists. Papers report Turkey will buy an unmanned aircraft (UAV) as well as use digital scanners and jammers for fighting against the PKK militants along the border with Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry has drafted a bill that will permit the military to cooperate with GSM operators to block the PKK terrorists using mobile devices to trigger landmine blasts, say papers. International Energy Conference in Istanbul Radikal, Sabah, Milliyet and others: Speaking at the opening session of the "East Meets West: New Horizons in Energy Security" conference organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK) and the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA),Energy Minister Hilmi Guler stressed the importance of the transfer of Caspian natural gas to world markets via Turkey. Guler said "Turkey is trying to prepare itself for the future by generating projects in accordance with its strategic position. The Samsun-Ceyhan project will be finished on deadline, saving the Bosphorus and establishing a profitable route." When questioned about whether a recent agreement between Russia's Gasprom and Italian ENI may bypass Turkey, Guler stressed that each project has its own route and they all have similar feasibilities. "They are not rivals to each other but rather complementary," added Minister Guler. When asked whether the Nabucco project is in danger after the Russian move, Minister Guler said that Nabucco will not face any threat since it has its own identity and that will not have any problems carrying Caspian energy resources to European markets. Judges in Van Investigated Bugun, Milliyet, Sabah, Hurriyet and others: The two suspects of Semdinli case had filed a complaint when two judges from Van Heavy Penalty Court refused to forward the court file to a military court as had been ordered by the Court of Appeals. Ministry of Justice sent inspectors to Van to investigate the Judges. The suspects, members of the military, were found guilty of bombing Kurdish bookstore in the southeastern town of Semdinli in 2005. International Press Reports PKK Active in Northern Iraq Liberal Radikal reports that at the time the Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh and the regional Kurdish administration security spokesman Cabbar Yavar assured Turkey that they have prevented PKK activities in northern Iraq, al-Jazeera TV reports and footage showed the PKK militants training with heavy weapons in the region. Britain's Daily Telegraph also reported that the peshmerge warned a British correspondent passing beyond a checkpoint that they could not guarantee his safety because he was entering the PKK region. Editorial Commentary on the Middle East, Turkey-EU Relations Hakan Albayrak writes in the Islamist-oriented daily Yeni Safak: "Contrary to common belief, Palestine is not heading toward disaster. West Bank and Gaza people have strong brotherly feelings for each other. Moreover the Hamas operation, even though it may seem tragic, prevented more serious tragic events -- like the death of thousands -- from happening. The isolation of Hamas and Israel's favoritism toward al-Fatah will eventually demonstrate the bald fact that Israel is not willing to fully comply with UN resolutions and international law under any circumstances. For instance just wait ANKARA 00001658 002 OF 003 and see if Israel will act in the spirit of reconciliation and agree to leave Eastern Jerusalem to Palestine and to withdraw settlers from the West Bank. Neither of these will happen. Once the illusion about Israel is over, the Palestine reality will be completely undeniable. Panicking about the division of Palestine is a false alarm, and time will prove it." Erdal Safak writes in the mainstream daily Sabah: "Four new chapters in Turkey's EU accession process have been opened. However, the media focused on Sarkozy's blockage of the economic and fiscal policy chapter and brought it up as an indication of how serious the slow down in the process is. Some commentators even went further by suggesting the train has already been derailed. Given some legal and economic facts about Turkey, I tend to disagree with this argument. First of all, the legal basis of the Turkey-EU relationship is the 1963 Ankara Agreement which clearly defines full membership as the final goal. More importantly Turkey is the only country in the Customs Union system not a member of the EU. It is fully against the nature of the Customs Union if the EU stands opposed to economic and fiscal unity. Sarkozy will eventually have to see the truth. Even if he does not, Turkey has a strong card to play -- no customs union if there's no economic union - a situation the EU cannot possibly afford to accept." TV Highlights NTV (6 A.M.) Domestic News - Meteorologists warn that Wednesday could be the hottest day in Turkey in 25 years. Temperatures have climbed above 50 degrees Celsius in some areas and local governors have announced emergency measures, warning people to stay indoors. - One Turkish soldier has been killed in Sirnak and another one in Agri in PKK landmine attacks. Two PKK militants have been killed in the Diyarbakir province. - The Court of Appeal (Yargitay) ruled that according to Lausanne Treaty, the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is a religious body without a legal entity. The Greek Foreign Ministry said the court decision would not change the Christians' perception of the Patriarch. "The ecumenical dimension of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is based on international treaties, the sacred regulations of Orthodoxy, on history and Church tradition," ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said. - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has phoned Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul regarding the release of a German teenager detained over charges of sexual assault of an underage British girl. Gul said Turkey cannot do anything unless the British family pulls back its compliant against the boy. International News - Pope Benedict XVI has appointed French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Vatican's foreign affairs chief from 1990 to 2003, as president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue for relations with Muslims. - A private Armenian school in northern France will be named after the slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned that Afghanistan, the world's main illegal opium producer, is capable of processing the poppy into heroin and morphine on its own territory. - Iran has launched "Press TV," an English satellite television channel to counter the West's influence in covering news. ANKARA 00001658 003 OF 003 WILSON