ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002644 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, OCTOBER 25, 2007 In Today's Papers Papers Report Turkish Operations into Northern Iraq The Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports Turkish F-16s bombed four PKK camps in northern Iraq while mainstream Sabah claims Turkish warplanes targeted the PKK's mountain camps as some 300 ground troops, backed by helicopters, move into Iraqi territory. Sabah says Turkish warplanes have been seen flying over the town of Dohuk located at a distance of 40 km to the border. Papers see the activities on the border as "preliminary strikes" before a wide-scale incursion. Yeni Safak says Turkey has asked the US for a map showing the landmine zones in the region. Meanwhile, papers report Turkish forces deploying tanks and artillery repulsed an attack by up to 100 PKK militants on a gendarme post in Hakkari province near the Iraqi border. After heavy clashes, some 30 militants were killed and the terrorists withdrew back into northern Iraq, taking with them an unknown number of dead and wounded, according to the officials. Several papers quote White House spokeswoman Dana Perino as saying, "We continue to urge the Iraqis and the Turks to exercise restraint in terms of escalating tension between the two countries because they agree that the common problem and the common enemy is the PKK, the terrorist organization." Mainstream Vatan emphasizes that for the first time since 2003, Turkey managed to secure the approval of the US and Britain as well as Arab countries for a possible cross-border operation, citing Perino as saying the US could provide "operational intelligence" for Turkey. Papers and television newscasts report that on Wednesday, an Iraqi delegation headed by the minister for national security, Sherwan al-Waili, is to visit Turkey to discuss moves for fighting against the PKK. All-news broadcaster NTV reports Thursday that the northern Iraqi KDP politburo official Imad Ahmad and KDP's foreign affairs chief Safeen Dizayi would be among the members of the delegation accompanying Waili. Talabani Denies Agreeing to Handover PKK Leaders Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report that on Wednesday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani denied telling Foreign Minister Ali Babacan that Baghdad might agree to handover the PKK leaders hiding out in northern Iraq to Turkey. "We have said many times that the PKK leaders are not in the Kurdish cities but in the Kandil Mountains with thousands of their fighters, so it is not possible for us to arrest and hand them over to Turkey," Talabani reportedly said in a statement. Papers claim Talabani had made the offer to Babacan in their meeting in Baghdad earlier this week. "Belly dancers of the Middle East" mainstream Hurriyet slams Talabani as well as Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq, for constantly wriggling out of promises they have made on tackling the PKK. "The Talabani riddle" reads a headline in mainstream Milliyet, accusing Talabani of giving conflicting signals. National Security Council Suggests Economic Sanctions on Northern Iraq All papers report in a six-hour meeting Wednesday, the Turkish National Security Council (MGK) urged the government to impose economic sanctions on "the groups extending support to the PKK." Papers speculate Turks consider moves such as Turkish trucks carryings goods to Iraq will use the crossings on the border with Syria, bypassing the Habur border gate. They also report Turkey was preparing to introduce an informal quota for food exported to northern Iraq. Northern Iraq relies heavily on Turkey for its power, water and food supplies. The ruling AKP earlier said sanctions could include cutting off electricity supplies to northern Iraq and halting or slowing down road traffic at the Habur border gate. Papers believe the measures recommended by MGK will deal a heavy blow to Massoud Barzani who controls the Habur border gate, ANKARA 00002644 002 OF 003 making the Kurdish leader lose gains up to USD 300 million annually. Nationalist Vatan claims Syrian leader Bashar Assad has agreed to exempt Turkish trucks carrying goods through Syria to northern Iraq from transit fees. Editorial Commentary on the PKK-Northern Iraq Gungor Mengi comments in the mainstream daily Vatan: "When al-Qaeda hit the US, President Bush declared to the entire world that, from that moment on, any country supporting or sheltering terrorism shall be considered a hostile regime. Given the situation vis-`-vis the PKK using Northern Iraq its base, President Bush needs to have some empathy. The President set the criteria six years ago for who it calls a friend but the US itself is violating that. The PKK uses the area under US occupation and manages to carry out its terrorist activities without any hindrance. Following the recent attack, when PKK fighters crossed the border and claimed 12 lives, Ankara has reached the "enough-is-enough" point. The US is in an odd situation because it has become like a terrorism-sponsoring country. Currently there is no way of ending terrorism against Turkey unless the US takes determined steps against the PKK and their activities in Northern Iraq." Hasan Cemal observes in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "The US ignored Turkey's fully justifiable requests on the PKK. This has become one of the main reasons behind anti-Americanism in Turkey. One wonders whether the US does not care about losing Turkey. Considering the current events, including the Armenian genocide resolution in Congress and the indecisive attitude against PKK terrorism, it looks like as if the US really wants to lose its ally and destabilize Iraq even more than it is now. Let's hope that President Bush realizes the mistakes and finds ways to correct them soon as possible, because time is also running out for him." Secretary Rice Testifies at the House Foreign Affairs Committee SIPDIS Sabah, Hurriyet, Star, Bugun, Milliyet, Zaman and others: Speaking at the House Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary Rice said "The last 72 hours have been difficult. On Sunday, I talked to Prime Minister Erdogan as well as the Iraqi Kurds. Iraq should not be a place from which PKK terrorists attack Turkey. Both, the Iraqis and the Turks should exert extra-ordinary efforts." Stressing that the Iraqis will close all PKK offices and stop PKK activities in Iraqi territory, Secretary Rice said that the US has a series of measures on the issue and added, "We are starting to take certain measures immediately in order to prevent terrorist attacks from the border." Secretary Rice urged the Congress not to bring the Armenian Genocide SIPDIS Resolution to the agenda because of the current sensitive situation. Meanwhile, during the daily press briefing, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that within the framework of her Middle East tour, Secretary Rice will come to Ankara to hold talks with Turkish leaders before attending the Iraqi Neighbors Conference in Istanbul on November 2-3. Democrat Support for the AGR Decreases Mainstream Sabah and liberal Radikal report that following the strong lobbying of Turkey against it, Democratic members of the US Congress started withdrawing their support for the Armenian genocide resolution. Democratic congressman Brad Sherman, who was among the drafters of the resolution, said that "it is more likely that the resolution will come on the Congressional agenda in January rather than now. We want a vote on the resolution whenever the necessary number is reached." Congressman Steny Hoyer said, "Some members of the Congress changed their mind about supporting the resolution. Let us stand wherever the majority is." TV Highlights NTV Domestic News ANKARA 00002644 003 OF 003 - Wednesday has marked mass rallies in most cities, joined by tens of thousands of Turks, in protest of the PKK's terrorist actions. The largest rally was held in the eastern city of Elazig where some 100,000 protested against terror in a peaceful march. - Kurdish DTP leader Ahmet Turk has urged the PKK to release eight Turkish soldiers abducted in Hakkari province over the weekend. - The Ankara prosecutor has filed a lawsuit against the pro-Kurdish DTP acting party chair Selma Irmak for using the honorific "Sayin" (Mr.) to refer to the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan. - Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said following the recent referendum on constitutional reforms that the mandate of President Abdullah Gul was reduced from seven to five years and the parliament from five to four years. International News - The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved a bill to grant to Turkey three decommissioned US military ships and to sell a fourth at a large discount. - A resolution adopted by the European Parliament contains no references to Armenian genocide claims. - The US military has developed a new program known as the Human Terrain System (HTS) to study social groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US military hires anthropologists for the program. - Wildfires in California cause losses anticipated over USD 1 billion, and force more than half a million people from their homes. WILSON