ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002290 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, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 In Today's Papers Erdogan's New Government Wins Confidence Vote All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan's new cabinet won a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday with 337 lawmakers voting for the government and 197 against. "Our principle will be not to discriminate against any of our citizens and to spread justice to all regions," Erdogan told deputies after the vote. Parliament now goes into recess until October 1. President Gul Hosts State Reception All papers report President Abdullah Gul hosted a state reception in the presidential palace Wednesday with the participation of cabinet ministers, members of parliament, and top judiciary officials as well as foreign mission chiefs. The military top brass and opposition CHP did not attend. The military was represented by General Erdal Ceylanoglu, the officer in command of the tanks that hit the streets in Sincan, Ankara in 1997, when the military ousted the government led by Islamist Necmettin Erbakan. Some papers comment the attendance of Ceylanoglu was a message to the AKP government. Meanwhile, leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports that during a call on Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan on Wednesday, President Abdullah Gul denied press reports claiming he would visit the US this year. Gul reportedly said he would travel to the US next year to attend the UN meeting which will discuss Turkey's temporary membership in the UN Security Council. Turkish-British Foreign Ministers Meet All papers report Foreign Minister and Turkey's chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan met yesterday with visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Miliband informed Babacan on the security situation and latest developments in Iraq, and promised continued support for Ankara's EU membership drive. Miliband said Turkey's EU accession was important especially in areas like energy and security. He also stressed that the victory of democracy in the recent political crisis in Turkey made the country much stronger, say papers. Peres Receives Turkish-Israeli-Palestinian Businessmen Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal and Zaman report Israeli President Shimon Peres received Wednesday the members of a Turkish-Israeli-Palestinian business gathering "Ankara Forum." Rifat Hisarciklioglu, whose Turkish Union of Chambers (TOBB) heads the Forum, said "When we had the first meeting in Ankara two-and-a-half years ago, we couldn't convince Israeli and Palestinian businessmen to even to get on the same van." The sixth meeting of the forum on Tuesday agreed on plans to establish a joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park in the West Bank and a permanent office in East Jerusalem. Forum representatives also met with the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now the Quartet's special envoy in the Middle East, in Jerusalem where Blair was visiting as part of a 10-day Middle East tour. Blair praised the initiative and offered help if needed, say papers. The Ankara Forum's primary objective is to foster economic cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, such as the 2006 transformation of the Erez Industrial Park into a Palestinian industrial free zone. Al-Qaeda Operation in Germany Sabah, Hurriyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet and others: Papers report that three people - one of them a Turk -- were arrested in Germany during a security operation. Mainstream Milliyet says that German police has been following the three suspects for all of last year after spotting them watching the US Ramstein base closely. Reportedly, the two German and one Turkish suspects have had training in a terrorist camp in Pakistan and police found 730 kg of hydrogen peroxide in 12 cans in the houses of the suspects. Reports say they were planning to attack Ramstein base and Frankfurt airport. ANKARA 00002290 002 OF 003 Barzani on Alleged Shelling by Iran and Turkey Zaman, Cumhuriyet, Hurriyet, Sabah and others: During his speech at the Kurdish Parliament Iraqi Kurdish leader Mesud Barzani criticized Iran's shelling of Northern Iraq and said "In the area shelled by Iran there were no PKK or PJAK members. Turkey, Iran or any other country should not think that Iraq doesn't have any support." Islamist-oriented Zaman reports that Barzani stressed that Kurds won't be able to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey and Iran through violence and reiterated that the Kurds won't give up their rights, but the problems should be resolved trough dialogue not by violence. Editorial Commentary on Iraq Soli Ozel writes in the mainstream Sabah: "The presence of British forces in Iraq after the reduction seems like symbolic support for the US troops - just so they will not feel alone. The US, on the other hand, is heading toward facing the truth after having an additional 30,000 troops added to its presence. There is credible information that the upcoming report by General Petraeus on Iraq will not be positive. Nevertheless the US troops managed to ensure security at least in certain areas by cooperating with Sunni tribal leaders. Yet the other side of the truth is that there is ethnic cleansing in certain areas also. Given the current circumstances, the Iraq situation, in the fifth year of war, has come back to the point where it started. The Bush administration will not be able to shape Iraq policy in the way it wanted in the new period to come. Under growing domestic pressure, the withdrawal of American forces will likely begin as the time for presidential elections gets closer." Yilmaz Oztuna writes in the conservative-nationalist Turkiye: "President Bush's high praise for Iraqi President Talabani during his surprise visit to Iraq is an indication of some American plans to manipulate the Kurds. The US is apparently moving toward the idea of leaving Iraq after condensing its presence down to a few military bases. The other biggest occupation force, the UK, has already left Basra which made the city very open for Iranian manipulation. Iran is still dreaming of a Greater Iran, which would include Southern Iraq in its territory. The Iranian army is active and engaged in the north and the eastern part of Iraq and even managed to spread its influence in the Talabani-controlled areas. We don't know what really happened to the Greater Middle East Project -- Ms. Rice used to be very keen on reshaping the world map in this region. In fact the boundaries were shaped by the UK at that time but mistakenly. The US was very keen on the correction through Pax Americana, but there seems to be no talk about it any longer. Given Iran's intentions for expansion, the new period will definitely focus on the borders and states." TV Highlights NTV Domestic News - Police in the eastern province of Van seized 947 kg of hashish which belongs to a PKK member known with the code name Mahir. - The deans of Turkey's law faculties are angered at being excluded from the preparation work of the new constitution. The Istanbul Bar of Lawyers accused the AKP for carrying out constitutional reforms merely to solve its own problems. - The Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) said in a report 25 people have been tortured or abused at Beyoglu police station in the heart of Istanbul since the beginning of the year. A Nigerian refugee, Festus Okey, died while in custody in the same police station. - Anders Lindblad, Ericsson's General Director in charge of Turkey ANKARA 00002290 003 OF 003 and Israel, said Ericsson's 3rd IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) center in the world would be founded in Turkey. International News - Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders Papadopoulos and Talat met in the presence of UN Secretary-General's Special Cyprus Envoy Michael Moller in the buffer zone Wednesday, without making progress in re-launching stalled peace talks. The two leaders have reportedly agreed to meet again in the coming days to move forward toward comprehensive negotiations. No major breakthrough was expected in yesterday's meeting because of the Greek Cypriot elections in February. - EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini said more EU-wide anti-terror measures were needed because the threat of terrorism in the 27-nation bloc remains high. - Former head of Rusneft, Mikhail Gutseriev, wanted in an international search, has allegedly been discovered in Turkey. - Iran hanged 21 men Wednesday in the latest round of group executions over the past few months. 1