ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001974 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 In Today's Papers President Sezer Meets Party Leaders, Erdogan Consults with Gul, Arinc All papers report after meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan last week, President Sezer is to receive CHP and MHP leaders today. Papers note Sezer has not invited the leaders of DTP, the fourth party group in the parliament, saying the Kurdish MPs entered the parliament as independents, not under their party card. Meanwhile, papers report Erdogan came together with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc Tuesday to discuss ways to compromise with state organs and the opposition on the presidential election. Papers expect Erdogan to ask the opposition to back Gul or pick another name from a list of candidates. Nationalist Writer Ergun Poyraz Court Case Islamist-oriented Zaman and others report on the unfolding case against nationalist Ergun Poyraz, who was arrested for being a member of a terrorist organization, for obtaining secret documents and other charges. During his trial in connection with 27 hand grenades found in a house in Umraniye, Istanbul, he was questioned about the Turkish Land Forces' intelligence archive police found on his computer. Poyraz denied in court any knowledge of the mentioned archive and said that he had written 15 books so far, and since he was an author, he received information and documentation from various sources. Poyraz also claimed that he was approached by the retired non-commissioned officer Oktay Yildirim (who is in jail for possession of the 27 hand grenades) about a year ago to write a book about Yildirim's adventures in the southeast of Turkey. Dossier on Arms Smuggled from Iraq Given to Bush Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports on page one Turkey has submitted to the US a "blue file" containing details 1,283 Sig Sauer, Walter, Glock, and M-16 guns, which had been smuggled into Turkey from Iraq and had also fallen into the hands of the PKK terrorists who crossed into Turkey. The guns were originally ordered by the US for use in Iraq. The US investigation into the issue found out that weapons were sold from arms caches in Iraq. Four of the Americans responsible for the weapons were killed, one after the other, and it was learned that they had millions of dollars of bank accounts. The Glocks used in the assassination of Roman Catholic priest Father Santoro in Trabzon and a high court justice in Ankara also came from Iraq. Turkey is still waiting for a response to the file which was also submitted to President Bush, says Yeni Safak. Plans for Joint US-Turkey Operation in Northern Iraq All papers continue speculation on "Bush's Turkish Gamble," the July 30 Washington Post column by Robert Novak, which claims Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman gave a "secret" briefing to some Congressmen with regard to a joint US-Turkish operation targeting the PKK leaders in northern Iraq. Mainstream Sabah and Milliyet believe the operation plans were leaked by Centcom because the US military does not really want to fight the PKK. Hurriyet claims Hillary Clinton did it due to her anger at Edelman for criticizing in a letter her approach to the war with Iraq. Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet says the source could be a Democrat or Republican figure who doesn't want the US to spoil ties with its sole ally, the Kurds, in Iraq. Papers believe because it was leaked, it was unlikely that the operation would be carried out. Iranian Diplomat on Iran's Nuclear Energy Policy Liberal Radikal interviewed the Iranian Charge d'Affairs in Ankara Golam Reza Bageri on Iran's nuclear energy policy. Bageri said that "Iran had reached a point in nuclear energy development where it is not possible to take a back step and the Western world should agree and learn to live with a nuclear Iran." Bageri added that "IAEA officials have started a new investigation on Iran's nuclear projects and they will soon see that Iran is not doing anything ANKARA 00001974 002 OF 003 illegal. Even though it takes time, a solution will be found to the issue." Bageri also stressed that the natural gas agreement signed between Turkey and Iran is in the US interest as well, and as Iran has the second biggest gas resource after Russia, without using Iran's resources, the regional gas projects would not be able to find enough resources. Editorial Commentary on US Arms Sales to Arabs, a New Turkish Constitution Mehmet Altan writes in the tabloid daily Star: "The recent [Oxfam] report on today's Iraq, which shows that the country is in despair, has coincided with Secretary Rice's trip to Arab countries. Before starting her tour, Secretary Rice announced the sale of weapons worth billions of dollars to the Arab world. She was justifying the sale by claiming that it will not lead to instability. She named Iran as the address for instability in the region. In short, the arms dealers are back on stage again. The arms dealers are causing poverty in the Middle East. Like a vicious circle, poverty leads to crisis, and arms dealers come back in the name of preventing crisis. It seems that the future of arms dealers and the future of the world have an inverse correlation. When we see the end of arms dealers, it will be the bright beginning of humanity." Erdal Safak writes in the mainstream daily Sabah: "Turkey stands before an historic opportunity to make a new constitution compatible with modern standards. The new parliament has a wonderful majority of representation as 85 percent of the voters' choices have places in the new parliament. That means the representatives in the new parliament can act to shape the new constitution for Turkey from a position of strength. Not only the ruling party, but others as well have agreed on the need for a new modern constitution for Turkey. Besides the studies by political party organs, there is a need to hold a nation-wide Constitutional Convention in order to pave the way for new drafts as varied as possible. Turkey seems ready for a new and liberal constitution and it is the time now to make this happen." TV Highlights NTV (7 A.M.) Domestic News - Former deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said he does not share the view of army chief Buyukanit that the April 27 military memorandum had no impact on the parliamentary elections. - Independent candidate Baskin Oran has applied to the European Court of Human Rights, complaining that independent candidates were not on the ballots at the border gates and were denied access to state broadcaster TRT television during their election campaigns. - High Election Board will kick off procedures Thursday for holding an October 21 referendum on presidential election reforms. - Turkey complained in a letter to the UN Secretary General about oil exploration by the Greek Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean. International News - US State Department congratulated in a statement Prime Minister Erdogan and his AKP for their election victory. - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is allegedly facing a revolt from within his party from people led by his predecessor Ibrahim al-Jaafari who want him out of power. - The leader of Iraqi Kurdish region Massoud Barzani warned of a "real civil war" if the central government does not implement Constitutional article 140 on the future of Kirkuk. ANKARA 00001974 003 OF 003 - Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said European leaders wanted to hold accession talks with a democratic Turkey. WILSON