ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001871 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 MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008 In Today's Papers Prime Minister Responds to Business Community's Support for IMF Agreement All papers highlight Prime Minister Erdogan's strong remarks against suggestions from the business community that Turkey seek a credit agreement with the IMF in order to avoid further repercussions from the global financial crunch. The prime minister addressed the issue during a local party branch meeting in Ankara on Sunday. Erdogan said, "We are not going to act under somebody's instruction," in response to calls from domestic business circles, including TUSIAD, to sign an agreement with the IMF. Erdogan continued by saying, "During a crisis, we will not bury the future in darkness by bowing to the demands of the IMF. If IMF officials reach an agreement with us about the budget within a framework of flexibility, then we will go ahead. But if the IMF adopts an approach of squeezing our neck, we'll not accept that, no matter what the price will be." Mainstream Milliyet's front-page banner headline quotes the PM, "Am I Going to Let Someone Tell Me to make a Deal?" Business daily Dunya and Islamist-leaning Zaman both note Erdogan's statements in their banner headlines, which read, "We Will Not Bow to the IMF and Darken our Future." Zaman also claims on its front page, "The IMF is strengthened by the Global Crisis." Mainstream Vatan carries the headline, "Erdogan Sends a Message to the IMF and the Business World." Liberal Radikal reports, "Erdogan Makes an Interesting Statement - "We Will Talk with the IMF, but We Will Not Be Pressured by the IMF." Widespread Protests Regarding Kurdish Rights Organized by DTP All papers report on the continuing protest marches organized by pro-Kurdish DTP all over Turkey. Police are intervening in the marches and detaining protesters because the protests are being staged without the permission of the municipalities. Papers report the theme of this weekend's protests was "Neither Ergenekon, nor the AKP: A Democratic Republic is the Solution." Papers report clashes erupted between demonstrators and the police, as the police attempted to breakup the illegal rallies. Radikal reports "There were clashes in every city where DTP members organized, including Istanbul, Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Siirt, Gaziantep, and Sanliurfa." Many DTP parliamentarians attended the rallies, and DTP leader Ahmet Turk was quoted in papers as saying "Turkey should look for a settlement from within Turkey and not with the help of northern Iraq and the United States." During his party meeting, PM Erdogan reacted to the ongoing demonstrations by blaming the DTP for politicizing ethnic identity. Erdogan said, "The (PKK) terrorist group and its political party (DTP) are unfortunately politicizing identity instead of thinking about ways to serve the region's interests. They believe they can obtain votes through terror and threats, but this approach cannot go on any longer. People are isolating themselves more and more from the terrorist organization." Editorial Opinion on PKK-Kurdish Problem-DTP Closure Case Oral Calislar wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal: "The issue of the southeast cannot only be explained through economic problems and cannot be resolved through a single focus on development. The identity issue is more important than development, which means more democracy is the key. No progress on the Kurdish problem can be achieved unless serious steps are taken toward enhancing democracy. After 25 years, have we still failed to learn this lesson?" Yasin Aktay wrote in Islamist leaning Yeni Safak: "When addressing the Kurdish problem, it is important to recognize the fact that Kurdish identity should be treated separately from the problem of the PKK and terrorism. Certainly, it is important that the ANKARA 00001871 002 OF 003 government makes economic investments in the region, but attention to the issue of Kurdish identity will be necessary in order to finish off the PKK problem." Hasan Bulent Kahraman wrote in mainstream Sabah: The main issue in Turkey is not with the Kurds but with Kurdishness. In many countries with a dominant ethnic group, other ethnic identities are recognized. However, this identity is not a political identity but a cultural identity. For example, the U.S. is a federal state, but America's diverse ethnic groups do not exist in separate autonomous regions. The U.S. system allows ethnic groups to express their identities in public without being politicized. Thus, Turks and Kurds should realize that the issue is not only about the Kurds, but Kurdishness." Taha Akyol wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "Closing the DTP will benefit no one. Everywhere in the world, ethnic nationalist movements have gone through processes where the fanatics and the moderates had to be separated from one another. In each case, the moderates were the ones who ultimately sought solutions. The DTP was established by the political wing of the PKK. If the DTP is closed, the path of the moderates will be fully blocked. Turkey should realize by now that it is wrong to ban political parties." Turkish Airlines Begins Flights to Baghdad Sabah, Milliyet, Vatan, Radikal, Yeni Safak, Hurriyet, Zaman, and others: Turkish Airlines, which stopped its Istanbul-Baghdad flights during Gulf war in 1991, has resumed flights between the two cities. The flights are scheduled to operate three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, reports mainstream Sabah. Tickets are expected to run between 2,000 YTL and 4,000 YTL due to high insurance costs. Four More People Detained in Ergenekon All papers: One person in Ankara and three in Istanbul were taken into custody yesterday within the scope of Ergenekon probe. Islamist-oriented Zaman reports that Merdan Yanardag, who was detained in Ankara and transferred to Istanbul, is known as former Kanal Turk owner Tuncay Ozkan's aide. Yanardag, who who used to host a TV program on Kanal Turk, also served as the editor-in-chief of the pro-PKK Ozgur Gundem newspaper. Tuncay Ozkan's driver and secretary are also among the suspects who were taken into custody. Mainstream Milliyet reports that the chairman of the Baden-Wurttemberg Turkish Society Gokay Sofuoglu claimed that Yanardag was detained in order to prevent his participation at a conference in Stuttgart this week about Fethullah Gulen. General Odierno Visited Turkey Weekend papers: Sunday's mainstream Vatan and Hurriyet reported that the Commander of U.S. forces in Iraq General Odierno came to Ankara to meet Turkish Deputy Chief of General Staff Hasan Igsiz to discuss the fight against terrorism. Mainstream Sabah cites the U.S. Army statement which said General Odierno came to Turkey to meet with Turkish General Igsiz. According to the statement, Odierno promised to give Turkey technical support and continue the intelligence-sharing mechanism in order to prevent new PKK attacks Massoud Barzani Headed to the U.S. News outlets note that Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani is headed to Washington for meetings following his trip to Tehran last week. Leftist Taraf reports, "After completing his meetings in Tehran, Kurdish Regional Government President Massout Barzani will go to Washington to meet with President Bush and watch the elections." Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports "Barzani's meetings in Washington are sending an important message to Ankara," as "first he will meet with Secretary Rice, then President Bush, and then he is expected to meet with the foreign affairs advisors for both Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain." Mainstream Milliyet notes, "Barzani will meet ANKARA 00001871 003 OF 003 officials at the highest levels of the U.S. government." U.S. Strikes Syria. Mainstream Hurriyet reports, "The U.S., For the First Time, Strikes Syria," and connects the incident to a cross-border strike in Pakistan, where "20 people were killed," as "the tension with Pakistan grows." Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports, "Syria's El Dunya television station reports a U.S. helicopter struck a building under construction in the Ebu Kemal region of Syria, close to the border with Iraq." Yeni Safak says those who were killed "were workers constructing the building," and they were "all civilians." Liberal Radikal reports, "Two U.S. helicopters reportedly bombed a building 17 km into Syrian territory," but "the U.S. command has not made any comment about the incident." Islamist-oriented Zaman reports "State-owned official news agency SANA reports that four U.S. helicopters bombed the Ebu Kemal region and killed two construction workers, one father and his four sons." Zaman also reports, "The U.S. accuses Damascus of failing to acknowledge that money and weapons are being supplied to militant groups in Iraq from this border region with Syria." Mainstream Milliyet reports, "Eight civilians were killed by four U.S. helicopters," as "all of those who were killed were construction workers." TV News: CNN Turk Domestic News The Council of Ministers will be briefed by the General Staff today regarding terrorism. Salih Uzun was elected chairman of the ANAVATAN party yesterday. Numan Kurtulmus replaced Recai Kutan as chairman of the Saadet Party. FM Babacan visits Afghanistan. Despite heavy rains in Istanbul this weekend, the Istanbul Marathon was a great success. International News Massoud Barzani will meet with U.S. President Bush and other U.S. officials in Washington on Wednesday. 50 people are reported dead in floods in Yemen. Iranian President Ahmadinejad says he is suffering from simple exhaustion. Israel heads toward early elections after ruling party leader Livni drops efforts to form a government. WILSON