Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ANKARA596
2007-03-15 14:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
how-toVZCZCXRO6452 OO RUEHDA DE RUEHAK #0596/01 0741427 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 151427Z MAR 07 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1345 RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7898 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2333 RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1748 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5804 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5556 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2177 RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU RHMFIUU/USDOCO 6ATAF IZMIR TU RHMFIUU/39OSS INCIRLIK AB TU RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000596
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, MARCH 15, 2007
In Today's Papers
AKP Surveys Members' Preferences on New Turkish President
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak and
others report the ruling AK Party sent out a survey to its
provincial organizations asking whom they would like to see as
Turkey's new president. In addition to PM Erdogan, the interviewees
were asked to choose from among members of parliament Besir Atalay,
Mehmet Aydin, Vecdi Gonul, the current defense minister, and Koksal
Toptan - all AKP members whose wives do not wear headscarves. Those
polled were asked questions such as how they would react to Erdogan
becoming the new president and whether they thought Erdogan's
presidency would have a positive impact on national stability. The
survey will be expanded to reach thousands of AKP officials.
DTP Petition Rejected Due to Use of the Letter 'W'; Raids on Party
Offices Continue
Liberal Radikal reports the Diyarbakir Governor's Office has
rejected a petition from Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP regarding
activities during the upcoming Nevruz festival, due to the fact that
"Nevruz" was spelled "Newruz," using a "w," a letter not used in the
Turkish alphabet, but used in the Kurdish alphabet.
Radikal also points to ongoing legal action and police raids against
the DTP, reporting police raided a party office in the eastern
province of Tunceli on tips that DTP members were in touch with the
PKK before the forthcoming Nevruz celebrations later this month.
Police detained five DTP members, also seizing explosives and secret
documents in the homes of suspects, says Radikal.
Editorial Commentary on Turkey's Iraq Policy, Iraq Meeting in
Baghdad
Writing in the intellectual Islamist-oriented daily Zaman, Sahin
Alpay breaks down Turkish Iraq policy into three main areas:
"First, the preservation of Iraq's territorial integrity as well as
preventing a civil war; second, the assurance that the revenue of
Kirkuk oil belong to all Iraqis and Kirkuk is a city for all ethnic
groups; and finally the prevention of the PKK from using Northern
Iraq as a base. All of these are justifiable and legitimate goals.
However, reaching those goals via military means is not a rational
approach nor is it sensible. Ankara has to use politics and
diplomacy to realize its goals on Iraq. One of the most important
things about that is to engage in a dialogue with all sides of Iraq,
particularly with the representatives of the Iraqi Regional Kurdish
Administration. It is also required that Iraqi Kurds should be able
to see that their interest lays in a dialogue with Turkey, and be
willing to talk to Turkey to make a settlement on the issues.
Washington on the other hand, should be a facilitator for realizing
an agreement between Turkey and the Regional Kurdish authority,
which will also help the US restore its image here in Turkey."
Sami Kohen commenting in the mainstream daily Milliyet, highlights
the importance of the recent Iraq neighbors meeting in Baghdad:
"Iraqi neighbors, the permanent members of the UNSC and
representatives from three international organizations have agreed
on and supported the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national
unity of Iraq. At first glance it may be seen to be a statement of
the obvious. However, given the particular situation of Iraq, this
agreement has special importance because it has a binding effect for
every country. The international commitment regarding the
territorial integrity of Iraq also provides a warning message to
those acting with separatist aspirations, including the Iraqi
Kurdish leaders. Another important outcome from the Baghdad meeting
was the support for Iraq's struggle against terrorism. The
declaration also calls for measures to end border violations by
terrorist suspects, which should be considered as including border
violations from Northern Iraq into Turkey as well. These are all
important commitments and I hope that they do not stay only on
paper."
ANKARA 00000596 002 OF 002
Armenian Resolution Could be Postponed for One Year
Hurriyet cites US Congress sources in saying that the vote in
Congress on the Armenian genocide resolution could be postponed
until next year. The paper quotes a source in Congress as saying
that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will determine the final decision on the
resolution. The source says there is a strong pressure from the
White House, but on the other hand, Pelosi promised such a
resolution to Armenians before the elections. The report explains
that some Congress members close to Pelosi object to the resolution
being brought to the agenda for national security reasons and that
the passage of the resolution will definitely draw Turkey's reaction
in an election year. That is why, the source concludes, Pelosi might
decide to wait until next year to bring the issue before the House.
MFA Denies Reports on Direct Flights between Yerevan-Van
Milliyet, Sabah and others: MFA Spokesman Levant Bilman said
yesterday that he does not have any information about a possible
direct flight between Yerevan and Van in order to bring Armenian
officials to the opening of the Armenian Church on Akdamar Island in
Van, scheduled for March 29. Meanwhile, MFA sources said that the
direct flight option came on the agenda of the technical group
meeting last week as an alternative to highway transportation.
TV Highlights
NTV, 6.00 A.M.
Domestic News
- The Turkish National Security Council (MGK) monthly meeting will
be held on April 9 or 10, earlier than scheduled, to avoid
coinciding with the presidential elections between April 16-26.
- Istanbul lawmaker Goksal Kucukali resigned from Motherland Party
(ANAP),dropping the number of his party's seats in the parliament
to 20. If one more lawmaker resigns, ANAP will lose the required
number to form a group in the parliament. The distribution of seats
in the Turkish parliament is, AKP 354, CHP 153, ANAP 20, DYP 4, SHP
1, HYP 1, GP 1, Independent 10, and Vacant 6.
- President Sezer has vetoed the appointment of five Turkish Foreign
Ministry deputy undersecretaries because he had not been consulted
on the appointments beforehand.
- Prime Minister Erdogan is resting at home because of back pain
problems. Health Minister Recep Akdag denied Erdogan had a hernia,
saying the prime minister is suffering from muscle spasms.
International News
- The Greek Cypriots refused to comply with an EU decision for
launching direct trade with Turkish Cyprus.
- Iran said 207 militants of the Kurdish terrorist organization
PEJAK have been detained in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran.
- Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran would
respond militarily in the face of a US attack to disrupt Tehran's
nuclear program.
- Several hundred protesters burned American flags in Mexico City to
protest the visit of President Bush.
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON
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, MARCH 15, 2007
In Today's Papers
AKP Surveys Members' Preferences on New Turkish President
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak and
others report the ruling AK Party sent out a survey to its
provincial organizations asking whom they would like to see as
Turkey's new president. In addition to PM Erdogan, the interviewees
were asked to choose from among members of parliament Besir Atalay,
Mehmet Aydin, Vecdi Gonul, the current defense minister, and Koksal
Toptan - all AKP members whose wives do not wear headscarves. Those
polled were asked questions such as how they would react to Erdogan
becoming the new president and whether they thought Erdogan's
presidency would have a positive impact on national stability. The
survey will be expanded to reach thousands of AKP officials.
DTP Petition Rejected Due to Use of the Letter 'W'; Raids on Party
Offices Continue
Liberal Radikal reports the Diyarbakir Governor's Office has
rejected a petition from Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP regarding
activities during the upcoming Nevruz festival, due to the fact that
"Nevruz" was spelled "Newruz," using a "w," a letter not used in the
Turkish alphabet, but used in the Kurdish alphabet.
Radikal also points to ongoing legal action and police raids against
the DTP, reporting police raided a party office in the eastern
province of Tunceli on tips that DTP members were in touch with the
PKK before the forthcoming Nevruz celebrations later this month.
Police detained five DTP members, also seizing explosives and secret
documents in the homes of suspects, says Radikal.
Editorial Commentary on Turkey's Iraq Policy, Iraq Meeting in
Baghdad
Writing in the intellectual Islamist-oriented daily Zaman, Sahin
Alpay breaks down Turkish Iraq policy into three main areas:
"First, the preservation of Iraq's territorial integrity as well as
preventing a civil war; second, the assurance that the revenue of
Kirkuk oil belong to all Iraqis and Kirkuk is a city for all ethnic
groups; and finally the prevention of the PKK from using Northern
Iraq as a base. All of these are justifiable and legitimate goals.
However, reaching those goals via military means is not a rational
approach nor is it sensible. Ankara has to use politics and
diplomacy to realize its goals on Iraq. One of the most important
things about that is to engage in a dialogue with all sides of Iraq,
particularly with the representatives of the Iraqi Regional Kurdish
Administration. It is also required that Iraqi Kurds should be able
to see that their interest lays in a dialogue with Turkey, and be
willing to talk to Turkey to make a settlement on the issues.
Washington on the other hand, should be a facilitator for realizing
an agreement between Turkey and the Regional Kurdish authority,
which will also help the US restore its image here in Turkey."
Sami Kohen commenting in the mainstream daily Milliyet, highlights
the importance of the recent Iraq neighbors meeting in Baghdad:
"Iraqi neighbors, the permanent members of the UNSC and
representatives from three international organizations have agreed
on and supported the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national
unity of Iraq. At first glance it may be seen to be a statement of
the obvious. However, given the particular situation of Iraq, this
agreement has special importance because it has a binding effect for
every country. The international commitment regarding the
territorial integrity of Iraq also provides a warning message to
those acting with separatist aspirations, including the Iraqi
Kurdish leaders. Another important outcome from the Baghdad meeting
was the support for Iraq's struggle against terrorism. The
declaration also calls for measures to end border violations by
terrorist suspects, which should be considered as including border
violations from Northern Iraq into Turkey as well. These are all
important commitments and I hope that they do not stay only on
paper."
ANKARA 00000596 002 OF 002
Armenian Resolution Could be Postponed for One Year
Hurriyet cites US Congress sources in saying that the vote in
Congress on the Armenian genocide resolution could be postponed
until next year. The paper quotes a source in Congress as saying
that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will determine the final decision on the
resolution. The source says there is a strong pressure from the
White House, but on the other hand, Pelosi promised such a
resolution to Armenians before the elections. The report explains
that some Congress members close to Pelosi object to the resolution
being brought to the agenda for national security reasons and that
the passage of the resolution will definitely draw Turkey's reaction
in an election year. That is why, the source concludes, Pelosi might
decide to wait until next year to bring the issue before the House.
MFA Denies Reports on Direct Flights between Yerevan-Van
Milliyet, Sabah and others: MFA Spokesman Levant Bilman said
yesterday that he does not have any information about a possible
direct flight between Yerevan and Van in order to bring Armenian
officials to the opening of the Armenian Church on Akdamar Island in
Van, scheduled for March 29. Meanwhile, MFA sources said that the
direct flight option came on the agenda of the technical group
meeting last week as an alternative to highway transportation.
TV Highlights
NTV, 6.00 A.M.
Domestic News
- The Turkish National Security Council (MGK) monthly meeting will
be held on April 9 or 10, earlier than scheduled, to avoid
coinciding with the presidential elections between April 16-26.
- Istanbul lawmaker Goksal Kucukali resigned from Motherland Party
(ANAP),dropping the number of his party's seats in the parliament
to 20. If one more lawmaker resigns, ANAP will lose the required
number to form a group in the parliament. The distribution of seats
in the Turkish parliament is, AKP 354, CHP 153, ANAP 20, DYP 4, SHP
1, HYP 1, GP 1, Independent 10, and Vacant 6.
- President Sezer has vetoed the appointment of five Turkish Foreign
Ministry deputy undersecretaries because he had not been consulted
on the appointments beforehand.
- Prime Minister Erdogan is resting at home because of back pain
problems. Health Minister Recep Akdag denied Erdogan had a hernia,
saying the prime minister is suffering from muscle spasms.
International News
- The Greek Cypriots refused to comply with an EU decision for
launching direct trade with Turkish Cyprus.
- Iran said 207 militants of the Kurdish terrorist organization
PEJAK have been detained in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran.
- Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran would
respond militarily in the face of a US attack to disrupt Tehran's
nuclear program.
- Several hundred protesters burned American flags in Mexico City to
protest the visit of President Bush.
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON