ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000034 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 TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2008 In Today's Papers President Gul in the US All papers report President Abdullah Gul spoke to Turkish journalists during his flight to the United States. He stated that troubles between the US and Turkey are a thing of the past. "We have restored the atmosphere of trust. The progress concerning the Armenian issue, the new phase in the fight against the PKK, and the developments in Iraq show our troubles are over; a new period has commenced," said Gul. "The US is no ordinary country -- it is Turkey's most important ally. The two countries share the same determination in the fight against terrorism and pursue the same goals regarding Iraq," Gul noted. Gul continued, "Despite our differences over Iraq policies, the US has accepted the importance of Iraq's political unity and territorial integrity. Turkey is the most experienced country in the region; now things have started to develop in the way Turkey wants," emphasized Gul. Gul added that "if the PKK terrorists were taken out of northern Iraq, Turkey's contribution to Iraq would have been '10 times greater.'" Gul recalled that Turkey was the only country that did not shut down its embassy in Iraq during the war. Gul also said Turkey played a major role in the Middle East peace process and Lebanon's democratization. Gul noted that his program in the US was very important, underlining the fact that it would be the first official visit of a Turkish president to the US in twelve years. "Secretary Rice is an old friend of mine, and I've accepted her invitation for breakfast. Vice-President Cheney is very influential, especially regarding energy issues, and I've accepted his request for a meeting. Turkey and the US deal with a number of common issues, including the fight against terror, therefore I will meet with the US Secretary of Defense as well," said Gul. Papers say Gul is expected to discuss Pakistan during his meeting with Secretary Rice today. SIPDIS President Gul will return to Turkey on January 11 after wrapping up his talks in New York. Editorial Commentary on Gul Visit to the US Hasan Cemal wrote in mainstream Milliyet (1/8): "A lot of things can be said about Turkish-American relations, yet both countries believe in the need to maintain good bilateral relations. Despite some ups and downs over recent years, both the US and Turkey have a better appreciation of each other. American policy interests cover vast territory -from the Balkans to the Caucasus to the Middle East. Turkey has an undeniable influence in the region; Washington is now taking Turkey's regional influence seriously. Developments concerning Iran, Iraq, Kirkuk, Syria and Palestine proved that Ankara was right in its assessments. Now Washington is paying more attention to what Turkey thinks. Of course, Turkey and the US do not have identical views on every issue, but their differences of opinions are softening. More importantly, they are learning to live together despite their differences. PM Erdogan's visit aimed at a single goal: a tangible result in the fight against PKK. President Gul's visit to Washington will contribute even more to the momentum established by Erdogan's earlier visit. Both Turkey and the US will revive their spirit of strategic partnership." Rusen Cakir wrote in mainstream Vatan (1/8): "President Gul's visit carries symbolic importance. By welcoming President Gul in Washington, the US administration is acknowledging its mistaken assessment concerning recent Turkish politics. Officials from the very same administration tried to finish off Gul's career because he was held responsible for the parliamentary motion in 2003 that declined permission to American forces to pass through Turkey on the way to Iraq. This anti-Gul campaign was initiated and pursued by Vice President Dick Cheney; we simply do not know whether President Bush was informed about Cheney's endeavors to discredit Gul. In fact, it no longer matters. What matters now is the fact that President Bush is welcoming Gul to his office. Thus Gul's visit to ANKARA 00000034 002 OF 003 the US carries a very symbolic importance." Changes to Article 301 All papers report Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said the ruling AKP government will send a draft of article 301 reforms to parliament this week. Article 301 of the penal code restricts free speech, which the European Union wants changed. The draft suggests replacing the word "republic" with "Republic of Turkey," deleting the provision concerning penalties for violations of article 301 committed abroad, and reducing the maximum penalty under article 301 from three to two years in prison, which can be converted into a fine. The draft also suggests changing "Turkishness" in the first paragraph to "Turkish nation;" meanwhile, "insults on the Turkish nation" will be punished only if malice is demonstrated. Finally, any lawsuit opened on article 301 will be subject to the permission of the Justice Minister, which means prosecutors cannot open cases on their own. The opposition party CHP deputy chairman Suha Okay said that article 301 cannot be lifted, stressing there were similar arrangements in EU countries. MHP Deputy Group Chairman Oktay Vural said parliament should not pass such an amendment. The pro-Kurdish DTP said they support the draft, provided it was in line with international legal norms. Liberal Radikal says most of the proposed changes to article 301 are cosmetic and the article should be abolished altogether. A lawyer told Radikal that provisions designed to protect the state from free speech cannot be described as "reform." Parliament Speaker Toptan on Constitutional Amendments Mainstream Hurriyet reports Parliamentary speaker Koksal Toptan said on CNN Turk that he is feeling uneasy that constitutional amendment talks were reduced to discussions about the turban. He noted that the turban problem cannot be resolved by a new constitution as "no constitution could include a provision saying 'wearing a headscarf is allowed in universities;' such a thing would be against the technique of constitution writing." Responding to a question about whether a new constitution could include a provision on education in Kurdish language, Toptan said "Putting such provisions in the constitution is dangerous and wrong; it could cause divisions and separations." Iran Cuts Natural Gas Supply to Turkey Sabah, Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet, Vatan and others: Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports that Tehran cut off the natural gas supply to Turkey and blamed harsh winter conditions in Iran as an excuse. Russia also reduced the amount of the gas it gives to Turkey. According to papers, Turkey is planning to request liquefied natural gas from Algeria and Nigeria. Mainstream Vatan reports that Turkey has faced this problem with Iran for three years in a row and there is only a nine-day supply of natural gas left in stock. Energy Minister Hilmi Guler requested PM Erdogan to intervene in the issue. Children's Chorus Interrogated for Singing Kurdish March Sabah, Milliyet, Vatan and others: Mainstream Sabah reports that twelve children from Diyarbakir Yenisehir Municipality Chorus were interrogated yesterday by the prosecutor for singing a Kurdish song at the International Culture and Art music festival in the US on October 3, 2007. Vatan says the chorus performed songs in eight different languages at the festival. One of the songs was the anthem of the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq. Youth Detained for Threatening to Assassinate Priest All papers report S. S., a 17-year old boy who threatened to assassinate Agepe Church priest Orhan Picaklar in the Black Sea port city of Samsun, has been captured. Police detained the youth after he called the priest and threatened to kill him. S. S. was released ANKARA 00000034 003 OF 003 after saying he phoned the priest only to scare him and that he was not linked to any organization. TV News: NTV Domestic News - The pro-Kurdish DTP has applied to the Constitutional Court for additional time to prepare its defense in the lawsuit for the closure of the party. - Police detained 19 suspected members of the PKK in Ankara on Monday. The suspects, most of them university students, were allegedly preparing to stage terror attacks against the underground transport system, shopping malls and state buildings in the capital. - Abdulkadir Dilsiz, a high-level PKK official and a founder of Roj-TV, has been captured in the Mediterranean province of Antalya. Dilsiz allegedly traveled very often to Iraq. - Deputy PM and government spokesman Cemil Cicek said Monday Turkish people living in foreign countries will be able to cast votes in general elections, referendums and presidential elections. International News - Barack Obama is the front-runner in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. - Tensions between the US and Iran increased over the weekend. Five assault motorboats belonging to the Iranian 'Guardians of the Revolution' approached and threatened to attack three US warships in the Hormuz strait. - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will brief President Bush on Israel's interpretation of intelligence information on Tehran's nuclear program. - Nechirvan Barzani will be in office for another two years as the leader of the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq. MCELDOWNEY