ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001763 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, JULY 11, 2007 In Today's Papers Kurdish Mayors Investigated for Praising the PKK All papers report the Interior Ministry has assigned two inspectors to probe allegations that Kurdish DTP mayors Osman Baydemir of Diyarbakir and Ahmet Ertak of Sirnak were engaging in PKK propaganda. In a recent interview with the Brussels-based Roj TV, Baydemir reportedly referred to the PKK as "the armed Kurdish opposition," whereas Ertak told French Channel 24 television station "the PKK supports Kurdish people, and we support the PKK." PKK Attacks Cargo Train Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak and others report a freight train going from Sivas to Erzurum was attacked by PKK terrorists using remote control bombs, which derailed seven cars. No injuries were reported. Papers speculate the actual target of the bomb was the Erzurum Express train, which was due to pass through the same spot two hours later with some 200 passengers. Number of Guns Smuggled into Turkey Soars after US Iraq Invasion Islamist-oriented Zaman cites an article in a police periodical which reports that weapons and munitions smuggled into Turkey from Iraq have increased by 235 percent following the US military intervention in Iraq in 2003. Several armed assassination attempts including the deadly attack on Council of State (Danistay) and the killing of Italian Priest Santoro in Trabzon have been carried out with unlicensed arms smuggled from northern Iraq. In 2006, more than 50 percent of illegal weapons seized were taken in the Turkish provinces on the border with Iraq and Syria, according to the report. Editorial Commentary on Palestine Kamuran Ozbir comments on Iraq and Palestine in the nationalist Ortadogu: "The Gaza strip is a stage for demonstrating the US Administration's double- standard in the name of democracy. If the US really were after democracy, it would not blockade Palestine and cause hunger, but would accept dialog with the Palestinian representatives. Palestinian leaders should understand that Palestinians will never forgive the sale of the political system to foreigners in return for money or power. Even though it sounds unbelievable, the fact is freedom is much more valuable for the Palestinians than food. I hope the parties involved in this game come to understand this fact soon." TV Highlights NTV (6 A.M.) Domestic News - CHP leader Deniz Baykal challenged Prime Minister Erdogan to discuss the presidential issue in a televised debate. - MHP leader Devlet Bahceli has urged voters to give his party enough backing to that they can change the constitution and revive capital punishment when they come to power. - The European Union is to build 17 elementary schools in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir within the scope of a project to support basic education in Turkey. International News - General Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq, told the BBC that fighting the insurgency in Iraq is a "long term endeavor" which could take decades. - Palestinian President Abbas told Italy's RAI TV al-Qaeda is moving into Gaza thanks to the support of Hamas. HAMAS strongly denied Abbas' charges. ANKARA 00001763 002 OF 002 - Cyprus' largest political party, AKEL, left the center-left governing coalition Tuesday after its two coalition partners, centrist DIKO and socialist EDEK, rejected AKEL leader Demetris Christofias as the joint candidate for the presidential election in February 2008. - Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said 17 people, including 12 schoolchildren, have been killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in southern Afghanistan. WILSON