ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001415 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, AUGUST 8, 2008 In Today's Papers Mortar Attack on Military Barracks in Istanbul All news outlets report on Thursday, three people were injured in three explosions that shook the Uskudar neighborhood on Istanbul's Asian side, with witnesses saying unidentified assailants hurled hand grenades at a municipality building. Police found empty mortar shells in the nearby Karacaahmet Cemetery and concluded the attack might have actually targeted the Selimiye military barracks, the headquarters of the First Army. Police said the four shells that had been fired did not reach the barracks because the mortar was old. Three of the shells exploded inside the cemetery and one hit a garbage truck about 500 meters from the Selimiye Barracks. Eyewitnesses said explosives were hurled from inside the cemetery at the rear of the municipal building, and that two people on a motorbike fled the scene. Three municipality workers were slightly injured in the attack. Mainstream Sabah says yesterday's terrorist attack on the army barracks was "unanticipated," and claims the PKK perpetrated the attack. Analysts speaking to the press expect an increase in the terror attacks on military targets. A column in the Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak says: "I thought about the tragic attack in Istanbul's Gungoren neighborhood when I heard about the four mortars fired at the Selimiye Barracks. These bombs confuse us, just like the Gungoren attacks. Those who perpetrate these attacks certainly do not miss their targets; but they do not hit either. Could this be a sign of anything? No one will be convinced if this incident is covered by claiming 'the PKK did it.'" PKK Claims Responsibility for Explosion at BTC Pipeline All papers report the outlawed PKK has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's explosion at the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which is still ablaze. The explosion occurred at one of the pump stations near Erzincan in eastern Turkey. A source at the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (Botas) said the oil flow will take at least two weeks to restore. Some officials claim it may take three months to fix the damage. The spokesperson for British Petroleum said on Thursday after the explosion the oil consortium it leads in Azerbaijan started diverting crude slated for the Ceyhan port on the Mediterranean to other routes, including the Georgian port of Supsa. "We are considering alternative routes," said BP's spokesperson in Azerbaijan. Before departing for the blast site, Energy Minister Hilmi Guler told the press, "We will not put out the fire in order to avoid environmental damage, and we expect the fire will continue for one or two more days, depending on how much oil is left in the pipeline." Islamist-oriented Zaman reports fixing the pipeline could take about four months, adding Turkey's loss from the damage amount to USD 350,000 a day. TUSIAD Criticizes Gul's Rector Appointments All papers report Turkey's elite business grouping TUSIAD criticized the latest rector appointments by President Abdullah Gul Thursday. TUSIAD said institutions have the legal right to exercise their power, but added that this power displays the problematic structure of High Education Board (YOK). "Politics must be taken out of educations," said TUSIAD, adding Turkey needs to restructure its higher education system. On Tuesday, Gul's appointments sparked strong reactions from academics, as 36 of them, including deans, resigned from three universities. AKP's Sozen Wants Places for Worship in Schools Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the ruling AKP deputy chairperson Edibe Sozen has drafted a bill for "protection the youth" in which it is proposed that places of worship be set up in schools. Sozen said the draft was similar to the German Youth Law introduced in 2003. "We aim to protect the youth in the public field. We are not interfering in private issues," she said, adding places of worship in schools were designed for minorities in Turkey. She added opening places for worship ANKARA 00001415 002 OF 003 would be an issue depending on school administration rather than a legal responsibility. Also according to the draft, pornographic publications will be sold, in sealed envelopes, to the minors below the age of 18 only after their ID numbers and signatures are taken. Opposition CHP lawmaker Canan Aritman strongly criticized the draft, saying the true aim was laying the grounds for a "religious state," noting "Before places for worship, we must open computer, language, and biology labs in schools; the way to make our youth world citizens passes through such laboratories and not worship places." Editorial Commentary on President Gul's Rector Assignments "Gul's Name is AKP..." Mustafa Balbay wrote in leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet (8/8): "President Gul took sides with the AKP on his recent rector assignments. He allowed the High Education Board (YOK) to prepare a real list of recommendations to his liking so that he wouldn't have to make many changes when the time came for the actual appointments. If the President, whose main duty is to maintain stability between state institutions, could take sides on such an issue, then no one can stop the AKP administration from acting however they please. Many people wonder why former President Sezer wasn't criticized in the past for his rector assignments since he acted like President Gul as well. President Sezer's appointments might seem similar to President Gul's but, in reality, but the content is not the same because Sezer believed that politics should not enter the universities, which is why he rejected the rector candidates who were involved in politics. However, while deciding on the assignments, President Gul did not take sides with science or the benefit of the state; instead he openly sided with the AKP. It seems that President Gul is trying to resolve the turban issue through his appointment of rectors. More turban-supporting rectors in the universities will mean free turban use in the universities. Once turban is allowed in the universities, more extremist demands will follow. Even President Gul will be disturbed by these demands. Is there a way to balance this situation? Today is the day for scientists, who support only science in the universities, to raise their voices." "The Rector Assignments" Fikret Bila commented in mainstream Milliyet (8/8): "Former President Sezer also assigned rectors who did not win a majority of votes in their universities, just like President Gul did during this year's rector assignments. What is strange, though, is that those who criticized President Sezer in the past are not criticizing President Gul now. The reason for this difference is the different political approaches of the leaders. As a matter of fact, it is the system that should be criticized. Science should not be under the custody of politics. Universities should adopt a system to administrate themselves. Under the current system in Turkey, it is not possible for a candidate to become rector if he or she contradicts the views of the President and/or YOK, even if he or she gets the majority of votes from their universities. The independence of the universities can be achieved by changing the selection process for university rectors. Rectors should be elected only by the university academicians. Because selections by YOK and ultimately by the President override the university elections, university elections for rector are rendered meaningless. Thus, Turkey has delayed efforts to properly reform its higher education system." TV News: CNN Turk Domestic News - CHP deputy group chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu said President Gul's appointments of university rectors was an attempt to avenge the annulment of headscarf reforms. ANKARA 00001415 003 OF 003 - Opposition CHP has applied to the Constitutional Court for the annulment of a legal regulation for the sale of property to foreigners. - Turkey will host a Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit from August 18-21 in Istanbul. Controversial Sudanese President Al Bashir will attend the conference. International News - Iranian security forces have killed 11 PJAK terrorists and captured 17 others in Salmas, Merivan and Hoy-Kotur regions. - The Wall Street Journal reports radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr intends to disarm his powerful Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization. - The United States and Russia agree to work jointly to end the fighting in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region. WILSON