ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002039 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 THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2007 In Today's Papers AKP Names Parliament Speaker, Presidential Situation Still Unclear All papers report the ruling AKP named Koksal Toptan as its candidate for parliamentary speaker on Wednesday. Toptan, a lawyer by profession, is known to be a moderate who does not have an Islamic background and whose wife does not wear the Muslim headscarf. He has served in several previous governments as minister of education and of culture. Initial reaction from opposition parties was positive, with CHP leaders welcoming Toptan and expressing hope he will not act as a ruling party speaker and will be fair to all sides. MHP also said Toptan was experienced in politics and will be a parliament speaker highlighting compromise and tolerance. MHP, however, nominated former finance minister and public broadcaster TRT director Professor Tunca Toskay as its candidate for the post. The Turkish Parliament will elect its new speaker on Thursday. Meanwhile, mainstream papers continue to speculate regarding the next president of Turkey. Vatan, Hurriyet, Radikal and Cumhuriyet expect Erdogan to continue to press Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to withdraw from the presidential race. Some AKP members, however, predict turmoil in the party if Gul is forced to step aside. Papers report MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli said at a group meeting of his party yesterday the presidency must be an office based on "democratic compromise." Bahceli said Turkey faces a fresh political crisis if Gul runs again for president. The Aftermath of Maliki's Turkey Visit Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others express doubt in the wake of the Turkey visit of the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that the Iraqi PM will be able to stick to the anti-terror pledge he made in Ankara. Cumhuriyet warns that if Turkey and Iraq fail to sign an anti-terror agreement in two months, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed earlier this week in Ankara will become void. An optimistic Zaman believes the MOU lays the ground with regard to combating terrorism, as the PKK was named a "terror organization" for the first time in a document between Iran and Turkey. The paper also notes that with the signing of the MOU, the likelihood of a Turkish military incursion into northern Iraq has diminished at least until next year. Radikal claims that Turkey turned down a Maliki request that amnesty for PKK militants be put in the anti-terror deal, and instead insisted on concrete measures such as cross-border operations and extradition of terrorists. Editorial Commentary on Maliki Visit Erdal Safak writes in the mainstream daily Sabah: "The MOU, signed by Turkish PM Erdogan and Iraqi PM Maliki, reconfirmed the previous three agreements between the two countries, namely the 1926 Ankara Agreement, the 1946 Friendship and Good Neighborhood Agreement and the 1989 Legal and Judicial Cooperation Agreement. In referring to those three agreements, Turkey has committed itself to not interfering in Iraq's internal affairs, and reiterated its commitment to Iraq's territorial integrity. In other words, the new MOU implies that Ankara has assured Iraq it would not interfere in any of Iraq's internal matters, from the Kirkuk issue to the oil law. In exchange for that Iraq committed to the pursuit of PKK members as well as to their capture and extradition. Realization of this commitment requires actual support from the Iraqi Kurdish region, i.e. the support of Barzani. The fact of the matter is, at this point, Turkey has to establish contact with Barzani one way or another in order to have the agreement be actually implemented. By continuing with the current policy - recognizing Baghdad as the sole authority -- Turkey cannot get beyond receiving 'we are sorry for the PKK attacks, but there is nothing we can do' messages from Baghdad." Semih Idiz writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "Our diplomats call it a success while some observers call it a cosmetic effort ANKARA 00002039 002 OF 003 with no tangible result. The truth about the Maliki visit lies somewhere in between. It would be unrealistic to expect that Maliki, given the political turmoil in Iraq, would make immediately binding commitments about the PKK. Moreover Maliki and his party clearly stood against a cross-border operation which means Turkey is facing a solid 'no cross-border operation' bloc consisting of Iraq, the US and Iran. On the other hand, with the Maliki visit, Ankara and Baghdad reached common ground regarding the characterization of the PKK. Whether Barzani will accept this characterization is another question. In any case, Ankara now has a diplomatic instrument to use as a basis toward a comprehensive cooperation agreement against terrorism. It would be realistic to expect the US to push Iraq for a comprehensive anti-terrorism agreement. Also, the Maliki party did not leave empty handed. One of the articles of the MOU indicates that Turkey and Iraq will not interfere in each other's domestic affairs. It is obvious that Iraqi Kurds and their supporters will read this article as Turkey's commitment not to interfere in the Kirkuk issue." Congressman Shays Visits MFA Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet and others report Congressman Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut) met in Ankara yesterday with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, after which he said that a recent anti-terror deal between Turkey and Iraq made it clear that the PKK is a terrorist organization, and Turkey has a right to take any necessary action with a neighbor that is tolerating terrorist activity. Shays, however, stressed that it is to the advantage of Iraq, Turkey, and the US to work this out collectively rather than one country taking "unilateral action." FBI's Fuentes Visits Turkish Police Chief "FBI Thanks Turkish Police," says a headline in the Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak, reporting Thomas V. Fuentes, the head of FBI's International Operations, paid a visit to Turkish Security Director-General Oguz Kaan in Ankara yesterday. Fuentes reportedly praised the work of Turkish police in capturing Atilla E., a Turkish hacker arrested within the frame of operations against al-Qaeda. Fuentes said the American public welcomed the hacker's arrest, according to Yeni Safak. Mayor Gokcek Blamed for Water Crisis in Ankara All papers point to the water shortage in Ankara, criticizing Mayor Melih Gokcek for failing to take timely measures despite the fact that he had been warned a couple of years in advance before drought hit the capital. Water distribution was interrupted in Ankara on Tuesday until Friday midnight when a main water line burst, causing floods which damaged more than 100 shops and houses in the Yenimahalle district. State Water Works (DSI) director said Mayor Gokcek had been warned about approaching water problems in 2002 and 2004, in letters which said construction should start for a nearby dam in Isikli to bring water to Ankara. Gokcek allegedly refused saying the dam's estimate cost of around USD 250 million was high, but later spent hundreds of millions on city roads and also imported trees worth USD 500 million. Cumhuriyet reports hospitals in Ankara halted surgeries except for emergency cases due to lack of water. Papers also report water levels fell down to 26 percent in the dams around Istanbul as well. TV Highlights NTV Domestic News - Energy Minister Hilmi Guler told the press after meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart Natiq Aliyev that the amount of oil flowing through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline has reached 1 million barrels a day. ANKARA 00002039 003 OF 003 - Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan plans to visit Washington at the end of this month as the official guest of State U/S Nicholas Burns. - The Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture estimates the cost of drought to Turkey is 5 billion Turkish Lira. - A German teenager on trial in Antalya on charges of sexual abuse of a 13 year-old English girl was ordered to remain in custody pending the next session of his trial in September. International News - The Greek radio and television board has decided to close down King FM Radio broadcasting in Turkish in Western Thrace. - Pro-Greek US congressmen have introduced a bill in the Congress asking Turkey to end its military presence in Cyprus. - President Peres anticipates US and European support for a peace proposal according to which Israel will promise a Palestinian state on territory equal to 100 percent of the West Bank and Gaza. - The Dutch extreme right leader Geert Wilders has called for the Koran to be banned in the Netherlands. Wilders claimed the Koran was "a fascist book which called for violence". MCELDOWNEY