ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000541 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 FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2007 In Today's Papers Secret Military Memorandum on Media Stirs Debate SIPDIS All papers report the Turkish General Staff (TGS) said on Thursday it had launched an investigation into the leak to the press of a classified memorandum that shows the military keeps a close watch on newspapers and denies accreditation to columnists whose views it dislikes. Mainstream papers and columnists strongly criticized the TGS, warning against efforts to take Turkey "back to 1997." Several papers recall that in 1998, the TGS planted false stories in the media to defame two famous columnists and the head of a human rights organization. Leftist/nationalist Cumhuriyet points out that other state offices do similar evaluations, pointing to the Prime Ministry's press office regular assessment of journalists' positions on the ruling AKP government and even journalists' behavior on foreign trips with the PM. Mainstream Sabah's chief editor Fatih Altayli says another document containing the military's assessment of Islamic media was not leaked, therefore, says Altayli, the TGS views the partial leak as an attempt to stoke tensions between liberal media and the military. AKP Withdraws 'Foreign Doctors Bill' All papers report the ruling AKP government pulled back a draft bill on employment of foreign doctors in Turkey. The Turkish parliamentary commission on health and social affairs removed five provisions earlier vetoed by President Sezer from the bill. Papers expect the bill to be submitted with changes for the approval of a new president after April. Security of Kurdish Politicians Enhanced Intellectual/Islamist-oriented Zaman reports Turkish police have stepped up protection for Kurdish party DTP head Ahmet Turk and Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir amid fears they may be assassinated by Turkish nationalists seeking to ignite ethnic conflicts between Turks and Kurds in the country. Increased US Influence in the Southeast Sabah, Radikal, Hurriyet, Yeni Safak and others: CHP Izmir deputy Oguz Oyan claimed at a press conference yesterday that during a recent visit to the southeast he noticed that the US has been trying to increase its influence in the region. Oyan added that the US had even interfered indirectly in the elections of one province's Bar Association. Iraq Conference Radikal, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet: Foreign Ministry Spokesman Levent Bilman stressed yesterday that following a meeting in Baghdad this weekend, Iraq's neighbors were expected to send their Foreign Ministers to Cairo and then to meet in Istanbul along with representatives from P5 and G-8 countries. Bilman noted that the exact date of the Istanbul meeting and the level of representation have not been set yet. Milliyet cites the Washington Post Jim Hoagland op-ed saying that "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has persuaded Turkey to host a ministerial conference next month that will include Iraq's neighbors, the permanent members of the UN and G-8 countries." Milliyet Washington correspondent Yasemin Congar highlights the fact that this was Turkish FM Gul's initiative, proposed to Rice by Gul during his last US visit. Editorial Commentary on Iraq, Kosovo Tamer Korkmaz observes in the intellectual Islamist-oriented Zaman: "President Bush's new Iraq plan has practically collapsed before it has even been fully implemented. Even though he continues to claim victory, there is the basic fact of the blood of around 700,000 civilian dead bodies. It seems the new Iraq strategy was an attempt to create an illusion for a safe pull-out for American troops. The US does not intend to reverse the course of negative events in Iraq, and obviously hopes to achieve a full-scale withdrawal by the end of ANKARA 00000541 002 OF 003 July 2007." Sami Kohen comments in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "The UN plan for Kosovo will soon be presented to Kosovar and Serbian leaders and later will be discussed at the UN Security Council. However, the paths toward peace still seem tough and thorny. Serbians are rejecting the plan while Albanians call it inadequate. Western nations support the plan while Russia opposes it. If the coming days provide some sort of consensus over the UN plan, and if the UNSC manages to approve it in final form, the Balkans will have an interesting model of 'Balkanization' of their geography. On the other hand, a disagreement on the future of Kosovo will pave the way for instability in the region with radical movements gaining influence and civil war style provocations becoming more likely. Therefore, to ensure a successful passage the international community is working hard to fine tune the UN plan. This Kosovo example may be even a model for the Cyprus issue." TV Highlights NTV (6 a.m.) Domestic News - World media attention has been drawn to continued curbs on freedom of expression in Turkey after Turk Telekom blocked access to YouTube because of videos deemed insulting to Kemal Ataturk. Turkish officials said the offending video is still on YouTube and, therefore, the ban will continue. - In a meeting with Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, the chairwoman of Turkey's influential business group TUSIAD, Arzuhan Yalcindag, expressed concern over a recent barring from parliament of women wearing hats. - In the southeastern township of Cizre, 31 women have been arrested for participating in outlawed protests in support of the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan. - An Ankara prosecutor has launched an investigation against CHP MP Esat Canan for calling terrorists "martyrs of the southeast" at a meeting with Joseph Ralston in the US Embassy last month. - The government will inject 3 billion YTL into the Turkish Atomic Institution for the construction of a nuclear power plant. International News - Illinois Democratic Senator Richard Durbin announced plans to introduce in the US Senate a resolution on Armenian genocide. It is expected to be slightly different than the resolution introduced in the House. - The Cyprus government tore down a wall at the end of the buffer-zone Ledra Street in the divided city of Nicosia. Government spokesman Pasiardes stressed the demolition does not mean opening of the crossing point to and from the Turkish side. Turkish Cypriots removed the Lokmaci footbridge on their side in January. - EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said he sees no reason to expect military intervention in the democratic process of presidential elections in Turkey. - Russia will enter the bidding for procurement of four long-range missile defense systems for Turkey with its S-300 missile. - About 1.5 million Shiite pilgrims have arrived in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala despite fears of fresh bomb attacks. http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ ANKARA 00000541 003 OF 003 WILSON