ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 001054 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, JUNE 6, 2008 In Today's Papers Turkey's Constitutional Court Overturns Headscarf Rule All news outlets report Turkey's Constitutional Court annulled a constitutional amendment that lifted the ban on wearing headscarves at universities. The Court's decision concurred with the complaint filed by the opposition CHP and DSP in February, which charged that the headscarf changes were unconstitutional. "The attempt to amend the constitution to lift the headscarf ban at universities has been annulled. This decision is based on articles 2, 4 and 148 of the Constitution; in addition, the execution of the law has been stopped," the Constitutional Court said in a statement on Thursday. "Bad News For The AKP" (Radikal) All media outlets are almost completely focused on coverage of the Constitutional Court's decision to annul the headscarf reforms passed by parliament earlier this year. While the opinions of nationalists and liberals are split, it comes as no surprise that the Islamists are united, almost in lock step, against the ruling. Those who support the Court's decision argue the AKP brought this on themselves and are now paying the price for pushing their headscarf agenda. Those who oppose the court decision call it a judicial coup and an indication that Turkey is moving away from the rule of law and advancement of democratic freedoms. All agree this is a sign the AKP will be closed down. Liberal Radikal carries the headline, "Bad News For the AKP," as "The prosecutor used the headscarf reforms as proof the AKP violated secularism," and since "this will support the prosecutor's argument, the AKP is now likely to be closed." Radikal columnist Murat Yetkin writes, "It was wrong for Prime Minister Erdogan to initiate the debate on freedoms by concentrating on the headscarf." Meanwhile, Ismet Berkan of the same paper declares Turkey is now "ruled by judges," who have "ended parliament's power." Ergun Babahan of mainstream Sabah writes, "The Court violated the Constitution," and "the decision is a clear indication the court will also ban the AKP." Bulent Korkucu of Islamist-oriented Zaman calls the ruling, "a declaration from the Republic of Judges." Mustafa Unal of the same paper writes, "Turkey is becoming a nation of fears and bans," as, "democracy, freedom, and human rights are being carried backwards." Mustafa Karaalioglu of mainstream Star accused the Court of "usurping the authority of the parliament." Leftist Taraf carries the headline, "The Court Shows That Sovereignty Belongs to the Judiciary." Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak carries the headline, "The Court Tramples on the Legislative Powers of the Parliament," in "A Judicial Coup," as "the Court expanded its own powers and changed the characteristics of the regime in Turkey." Conservative Bugun's headline reads, "The Court Ignores the National Will." Mainstream Milliyet says "The court opted for the harshest alternative in the case," and, "observers were expecting the court to reject the opposition's request." Legal experts told Islamist-oriented Zaman the headscarf ruling was "politically motivated" and accused the Court of "violating the Court's legitimacy." Meanwhile, Guneri Civaoglu of mainstream Milliyet writes, "The decision proves Turkey is a secular and not a 'moderately Islamic' country." Oktay Eksi of mainstream Hurriyet agrees with the Court's decision and says, "The Court one more time declared that it will not allow anything to undermine the basic principles of the Constitutional regime, whether directly or indirectly." Yalcin Bayer of the same paper quoted a former judge who said, "This decision should be a lesson to politicians," and criticized the AKP for "labeling the decision 'political.'" Columnist Mehmet Tezkan of mainstream Vatan points out, "The AKP was closed yesterday," and suggests "the Prime Minister should now resign," because, "While the AKP tried to remove headscarf bans, they managed to produce a situation where there will be tighter restrictions against the headscarf." Columnist Rusen Cakir of the same paper notes, "The judiciary is acting like an opposition party," and "This is not the ANKARA 00001054 002 OF 004 way to uphold republican values, secularism, and democracy." Columnist Cengiz Cadar, however, points to Barack Obama's example which shows, "no one can resist the dynamics of change," as "Obama's nomination is more important than the Constitutional Court ruling." On Friday, the AKP board will convene extraordinarily to discuss all options including calling early elections in the face of the Constitutional Court decision, according to papers. Editorial Commentary on Court Decision on Headscarf Reforms "Erdogan's First Political Defeat Came from The Judiciary" Murat Yetkin wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal (6/6): "The Constitutional Court's decision emphasized secularism and referred to the Turkish Constitution's 'unchangeable' articles. Thus, the Court decision sent a message to the government and the parliament that the Court does not want to see any more headscarf-related initiatives. President Gul waited for 10 days before he signed off on the headscarf amendments. At that time, he explained he was waiting for a consensus to be reached among all parties in the parliament, so there would not be a need to change the constitution. Had he sent the proposed reforms back to parliament for a second debate, there would be no headscarf controversy in the Constitutional Court and possibly no closure case against the AKP. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Erdogan has lost this battle, which constitutes the biggest political defeat for Erdogan since the November 2002 elections. This is a political defeat for Erdogan because the headscarf issue was one of his primary strategic goals, and this defeat comes from the judiciary and not the ballot box. Like President Gul suggested at the beginning of this debate, expanding headscarf freedoms at universities was possible through consensus, but Erdogan did not choose the way of consensus. Now he is facing the consequences. It remains to be seen whether the AKP and Erdogan will respond with even more fury. They may attempt new constitutional changes or they may follow Gul's suggestions toward seeking consensus." "Worst Than the 367 Decision" Mustafa Unal wrote in Islamist-leaning Zaman (6/6): "Frankly, nobody was expecting the Court to pave the way for wearing headscarves. But nobody was expecting such a harsh decision either. The Constitutional Court not only shaped the destiny of headscarf-wearing at universities, the Court also put itself a controversial position. Many legal experts interpreted the Court decision as a direct intervention against parliament's legislative power. Some even say that the Court exceeded the limits of its power. With this decision, the Constitutional Court declared its role as protector of the regime, which is similar to the National Security Council. The judiciary makes decisions on behalf of the Turkish people. Oddly enough, the vast majority of Turkish people do not find the decision acceptable. There are some commentaries that compare the decision to last year's 367 decision in which the Court determined the parliament needed a quorum of 367 to elected Gul president. However, I think this decision is worse than that. The headscarf decision will undoubtedly affect the closure case against the AKP in a negative way. The Court decision ignores the national will and ignores the parliament. With this mentality, it is even possible to close the parliament. I am worried about Turkey's future because the Ankara criteria prevails over universal criteria on democracy, freedoms, and individual rights. Step by step, Turkey is becoming a country of fears and bans." Reactions to Constitutional Court's Annulment of Headscarf Reforms All papers covered the reactions to the Constitutional Court decision. "AKP and MHP Fume over Court Decision," reads a headline in the leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet. AKP MP Husrev Kutlu said there was an "oligarchy of judges." MHP leader Devlet Bahceli lashed out at the court decision, saying it was "politically motivated." Bahceli claimed the ruling would accelerate divisions in society. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday's decision was not ANKARA 00001054 003 OF 004 linked to the lawsuit for closing down the AKP. Internal and reactions from abroad could be listed as follows: President Gul paused during his visit to Japan to say, "This is a legal procedure and I don't want to elaborate on it" CHP leader Deniz Baykal stated, "Those who run the country should act with the responsibility of not contradicting the Constitution." AKP Deputy Group Chairman Bekir Bozdag declared, "The court's decision is a political one. This decision is against the constitution." AKP Diyarbakir deputy Abdurrahman Kurt charged, "This is a judicial coup." MHP leader Devlet Bahceli emphasized, "This decision is not based on legal but on political premises. This ruling could accelerate the division in Turkey." Chief of General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit said, "This Court decision is a declaration of what is obvious. We all have to respect legal decisions. Turkey is a secular and democratic state based on the rule of law." Air Forces Commander Aydogan Babaoglu evoked the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings against complaints regarding the freedom to wear the headscarf, adding he expected this outcome. U.S. State Department Press Officer Chase Beamer told papers, "The Constitutional Court decision on turban is an internal matter of Turkey and the decision regarding whether to wear a headscarf or not is a personal choice for women to make." Turkey-EU Joint Parliament Commission co-chair Joost Lagendijk said, "Turkey needs a new constitution for the entire society." EP Turkey Rapporteur Ruijten agreed with Lagenijk when she said, "this decision indicates that Turkey needs a new constitution." Generals Buyukanit and Basbug Comments at "Mideast International Symposium" Sabah, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Hurriyet, Turkiye and others: Chief of General Staff General Buyukanit gave opening remarks at an international symposium on the future of the Middle East organized by the General Staff's Strategic Research and Study Center in Ankara yesterday. General Buyukanit said "Turkey is the only example in the Islamic world with its secular structure. Legal bodies in Turkey will not allow any disruption of this structure. No power will be able to make the Republic and its basic principles bow before them." On Iraq, Buyukanit said "Iraq's territorial integrity is of vital importance to Turkey. If the current structure in Iraq remains, Iraq will be the center of all kinds of instability." On Iran he said, "Iran should only establish a nuclear program based on peaceful purposes." In response to questions from journalists after his speech, Gen. Buyukanit said he opposed the use of the term "moderate Islam" to describe Turkey and said "there are efforts to launch Turkey as a model of moderate Islam. How would we define the U.S. then? Are we going to refer it as "moderately Christian'?" Such a thing is impossible. I remember asking U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney not to define Turkey as moderately Islamic." Meanwhile, speaking at the same symposium, Land Forces Commander General Ilker Basbug said "Turkey is cooperating with Iran on the fight against. Both countries hold coordinated and synchronized operations against terrorists on our respective borders." Rice and Babacan Meet in Washington All papers report Secretary Rice held a joint press conference with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan in Washington. Mainstream Sabah carries the headline, "Our Relations Are ANKARA 00001054 004 OF 004 Excellent," and notes, "Secretary Rice characterized the relations between the U.S. and the Erdogan government as 'excellent.'" Islamist-oriented Zaman carries the headline, "Rice Praises The Government and Emphasizes Democracy," and notes, "Rice rained praise on Turkey." Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet emphasized Rice's comment, "The U.S. hopes Turkey will undertake an active role in the Middle East." In a related story, mainstream Milliyet writes, "Questions Rained on Babacan," as "Babacan faced lots of tough questions from members of the U.S. Congress regarding relations with Armenia, relations with Iran, and the closure case against the AKP." Iraqi Oil Minister: Turkish Companies Can Explore Oil in 78 New Areas Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports Iraq's Oil Minister Huseyin Sehristani said Turkish companies were excluded from oil exploration in the reserves in southern Iraq and Kirkuk due to their "insufficient capacities." Sehristani said tenders would be announced for the newly explored 78 oil beds in Iraq, adding Turkish companies could join the competition over these regions. He also said Iraq would connect its surplus natural gas to the pipelines with Turkey. "We will transport to Turkey Egyptian natural gas via the Arab gas pipeline that terminates in Turkey. We will also carry al-Mansuriye gas on a pipeline to be built parallel to the existing Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline," emphasized Sehristani. TV Highlights NTV Domestic News - The ruling AKP government has submitted the law ratifying 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the parliament. - Ankara prosecutor has initiated an investigation into two journalists for reporting about the wiretapping authorization given to the gendarme, the police and intelligence service MIT. - Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan says Turkey's imports of fuel oil means "importing inflation." International News - President Abdullah Gul, on a state visit in Japan, met the Japanese Emperor Akihito. The Emperor told Gul that Turkey, like Japan, was modernizing while preserving its traditions. Gul opened an Ottoman fashion exhibition in Tokyo later in the day. - The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave Prime Minister Erdogan a phone call Thursday to discuss trade and economic ties, said Russia's Ankara Embassy in a statement. Putin invited Erdogan to Russia. - The U.S. State Department's report on trafficking in persons calls on Turkey to step up efforts to preventing human smuggling. WILSON