ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002643 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, OCTOBER 24, 2007 In Today's Papers Turks Express Anger at Funerals of Soldiers Slain by PKK All papers report that on Tuesday, 12 Turkish soldiers killed by the PKK terrorists in Hakkari over the weekend were laid to rest, sparking an outpouring of public anger in towns and cities across the country. Tens of thousands of people attended the demonstrations waving Turkish flags, carrying placards and shouting slogans condemning the terrorist PKK and also cursing the Kurdish administration of northern Iraq for sheltering the terrorists. Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports government officials attending the funerals were also protests of protests. Some 300 students clashed with PKK supporters on a university campus in the Aegean city of Izmir where demonstrators carried placards saying "America killed our soldiers" and "the US is behind the PKK," reports Cumhuriyet. "Let this be the last," says a banner headline in mainstream Milliyet above a picture of grieving relatives at Tuesday's funerals. Meanwhile, Turkey's broadcasting watchdog the Radio and Television High Board (RTUK) said on Tuesday it had banned all broadcasts inside the country regarding the deaths of 12 soldiers at the hands of the PKK. The RTUK, acting on a government request, said news about the deaths "hurts the psychology of society and creates an image of the security forces as weak." Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet says the government is resorting to censorship to cover up its failure to tackle the PKK terrorists. Papers speculate that the government, discomfited by anger on display at funerals, banned broadcasts about the deaths. Papers Speculate on Turkish Iraq Incursions All papers report Government spokesman Cemil Cicek said Turkey was carrying out operations in Iraq's north in coordinated air and ground operations, declining further elaboration. Tabloid Aksam says Turkish F-16s dropped bombs on the PKK camps some 30 km inside Iraq over the weekend after the attacks that killed 12 soldiers. Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak claims 8,000 Turkish soldiers have advanced some 50 km into northern Iraq and are attacking Kurdish camps. The claims have not been independently verified. Nationalist Vatan claims President Bush told President Abdullah Gul over the phone that US forces in Iraq may launch air strikes against the PKK camps, adding they may also send special forces to hunt out the terrorists. Papers report Secretary Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Milliband called for a solution to be found within SIPDIS the trilateral mechanism of Turkey, Iraq and the US. Papers and television newscasts also quote State Department Iraq Coordinator David Satterfield as saying that the Kurdish regional administration's condemning of the PKK attacks was good but not enough, and that "action is needed now." Mainstream Hurriyet speculates Turkey will get intelligence information from the US on the location of the PKK targets in the region to ease US concerns that American soldiers and the Kurdish peshmerge might be targeted by Turkish assaults. Editorial Commentary on Possible Turkish Iraq Incursion Kubilay Celik writes in the nationalist daily Tercuman: "The possibility of a Turkish cross-border operation against the PKK has activated the international community. We keep receiving warnings about not harming civilians or advice not to even do it. Those countries had better remember the Israeli and US examples. Israel has been bombing Palestine for years without listening to anybody's advice and without even making a distinction between civilian and military targets. The US, despite the UN, attacked Iraq without any real reason. What Turkey wants to do is to eliminate the PKK terrorists in their shelters. However what we get is opposition from the international world. This is something that even goes beyond a double standard." Sami Kohen writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "Although ANKARA 00002643 002 OF 003 belatedly, the US finally felt the need to end the PKK presence in Northern Iraq by working together with Turkey. Turkey wants the closure of PKK camps, termination of PKK activities and handing over of the leadership to the Turkish authorities. The question is whether Americans and Iraqis are ready to achieve these goals, including the use of force. As the Turkish PM mentioned, there are speculations about some joint operations, including the sharing of intelligence and team work of Turkish and American forces. If this mechanism is facilitated, there might be no need for Turkey's unilateral military operation. A joint military operation is also a requirement of international obligations against terrorism. Turkey has always been part of international solidarity against terrorism, such as in Afghanistan. And now is the time for Turkey's allies to show the same attitude toward Turkey." Foreign Minister Babacan Meets Iraqi Leaders in Baghdad All papers report that on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani after his meeting with Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad. In a joint news conference, Zebari and Babacan said they agreed to prevent the PKK from "poisoning" ties between Iraq and Turkey. "The Iraqi government is determined to cooperate with the Turkish government in order to resolve the border problem through direct talks among the major sides involved in this matter," Zebari said. Babacan said Turkey was not willing to undermine its relations with Iraq for the sake a terrorist group. He noted several such issues would be discussed at the Istanbul ministerial meeting of Iraq's neighbors next month. Babacan has presented six concrete demands to Baghdad -- stop the PKK militants using the Iraqi territory, halt logistical support for them, block all its activities, limit its freedom of movement, arrest its leaders and hand them over to Turkey, and shut down the PKK camps. Talabani, speaking to reporters in a joint press conference with Babacan, said it was made clear to the PKK that they should either lay down their arms or leave Iraq. The Iraqi President said Iraq understands Turkey's fight against terrorism and that they will extend Turkey all assistance possible in its fight against terrorism. Following his meeting with Talabani, Babacan also met Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Prime Minister Erdogan in London All papers: PM Erdogan and his British counterpart Gordon Brown met for one hour and signed a "Strategic Partnership Document" in London on Tuesday. Erdogan and Brown held a press conference after the meeting. At the press conference Erdogan said that "unfortunately, there are some European countries extending financial support to the PKK. Turkey may start an economic embargo against Iraq since they do not put an end to the existence of the PKK in Northern Iraq. Turkey waited long enough for the US-backed Iraqi government to deal with the PKK in Northern Iraq. However, the trilateral mechanism did not work and we cannot wait forever. We can use the authorization for a cross-border operation at any time." British PM Gordon Brown, in return, urged Turkey for restraint and said "We support Turkey's bid to join the European Union and are on Turkey's side in the fight against terrorism." EU Ambassadors' Meet with DTP Members Hurriyet, Milliyet, Turkiye, Vatan, Sabah, Radikal and others: Ambassadors of EU countries held a lunch with Kurdish party DTP group chairman Ahmet Turk, deputy group chairman Fatma Kurtalan and Diyarbakir deputy Akin Birdal. The Ambassadors urged DTP to put distance between themselves and the PKK and refer to them as terrorists. TV Highlights NTV Domestic News ANKARA 00002643 003 OF 003 - Interior Minister Besir Atalay, attending a meeting of the interior ministers of Iraq's neighbors in Kuwait, has called on Baghdad to implement effectively the Turkey-Iraq agreement for fighting against terror. - Israeli Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer, in Ankara on an official visit, said Israel will not meddle in problems between the Turks and Kurds, and urged the sides to resolve problems through dialogue. - Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP deputy Aysel Tugluk has warned against the rise of ethnic nationalism, saying measures should be taken to reduce strains. - On Wednesday, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul visits the Netherlands to take part in a meeting of defense ministers of NATO member states. International News - The Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargisyan voiced hope that the US Congress will pass a resolution declaring the mass killings of Armenians in 1915-16 as genocide, but added his country is not lobbying on the issue. - The New York Times says Washington should make a serious effort to broker a political agreement between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan. - A report from the Italian small-business union Confesercenti says the Mafia is now Italy's biggest "business," earning more than 90 billion Euro a year and committing 50 crimes every hour. - The municipality assembly in Pristine, Kosovo has agreed to recognize Turkish as one of the official languages of the city. WILSON