TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: TURKISH MEDIA REACTION
TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2009

In Today's Papers

Turkey-U.S.-Iraq Trilateral Mechanism Meeting Today in Ankara
All papers: A trilateral meeting between Turkey, Iraq and the U.S.
is taking place today in Ankara. The meeting is being hosted by
Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Mainstream Sabah says during today's meeting, Minister
Atalay will urge the northern Iraqi administration and Baghdad to
take effective security measures at the Makhmur refugee camp and
around it. Prior to today's meeting, there was an evaluation
meeting at the Foreign Ministry yesterday and it was decided that
Ankara would reiterate its demands to northern Iraqi administration
to increase pressure on the PKK.

Elections Break the Barzani-Talabani Political Monopoly in northern
Iraq (Cumhuriyet)
Media outlets report the parliamentary elections held in northern
Iraq "broke the political monopoly of the Barzani-Talabani alliance
over the region," according to leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet. The
two-party ruling alliance - Massoud Barzani's KDP and President
Jalal Talabani's PUK - received 55 percent of the votes for the
111-seat Kurdish parliament while Nawshirwan Mustafa's opposition
'Change (Goran) Party' got 28 percent. A commentary in mainstream
Aksam advises Turkey to "hurry up" and resolve the Kurdish and the
PKK question. Aksam says Ankara should solve its own Kurdish
problem before a new government is established in northern Iraq.
Aksam believes the gains made by Mustafa, a Kurdish nationalist who
enjoys good ties with the PKK as well as with the Kurds in Iraq,
Iran and Syria, added on by the enhanced position of Mustafa, might
lead to a crack in the PUK. According to a deal between the KDP and
the PUK, PUK member Barham Saleh is to become the new Prime Minister
of northern Iraq. Aksam says Mustafa, who "enjoys good ties with
the PKK, might cause trouble in the Kurdish parliament if Saleh
makes a deal with Turkey regarding the PKK question."

President Gul: "Democracy is The Solution to The Kurdish Issue"
Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others: Today's
papers report that President Gul, who earlier stated that good
things would happen regarding the Kurdish issue, said that Turkey
would solve its problems by elevating the level of democracy. Gul
said "Turkey's problems will be solved by us, not others. The way
to do this is to increase democratic standards. When democratic
standards are elevated problems are solved automatically."

Editorial Commentary on Turkey-Iraq-the PKK

Sami Kohen wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "For the first time a
strong opposition emerged from recent elections in northern Iraq.
The leadership of the Goran movement has the potential to change
things in more positive ways especially regarding Kurdish-Arab
tension and Turkey-Iraq dialogue to address the PKK problem."

Enis Berberoglu wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "There is so much
speculation about whether to include imprisoned Ocalan of PKK into
the Kurdish problem solving process. It could had been possible to
talk with someone from the PKK other than Ocalan, had anyone within
PKK dared to be outspoken and be sincere enough to come up with
self-criticism just like Iraqi Goran movement leader did within
PUK."

Mumtazer Turkone wrote in Islamist oriented Zaman: "There is an
effort as well as speculation to name some figures as interlocutors
in order to address Turkey's Kurdish problem. From a general
perspective, everyone and every sensible organization and
institution should be part of the process. Turkey applied an
assimilation policy for years which did not work. And PKK used
violence which did not work at all. At this point a new climate is
needed. This can be possible once the military hands over the issue
to the government and once the PKK hands over it to the political
platform."


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Erdal Safak wrote in mainstream Sabah: "President Gul has made an
important observation by talking about the need for lifting up
democratic standards in Turkey. In order to address the Kurdish
problem properly, we will have to think about education in Kurds'
mother tongue and other related matters. Eventually the efforts for
lifting democratic standards will take us with the need for
Constitutional changes."

Deadlock Solved in Supreme Board of Prosecutors and Judges (Radikal)

Papers report The Supreme Board of Prosecutors
and Judges finally reach a solution to the row between the AKP
government and the judiciary regarding the appointments of judges
and prosecutors to critical places. A co-acting chief prosecutor,
Olcay Seckin, was assigned next to Turan Colakkadi with equal powers
in Istanbul. Mainstream Hurriyet says, "The crisis which has been
going on in the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK)
meeting was solved through compromise," and, "Following Monday's 8.5
hours long meeting decree which assigned 164 judges and prosecutors
gave the impression that a middle ground solution was found for the
Ergenekon probe." Mainstream Vatan notes the following three things
"were rather striking in the aftermath of the decree - the Ergenekon
judges and prosecutors retained their positions, but complaints
filed against them will be taken into consideration, and Olcay
Seckin was appointed as the Chief Co-Acting Chief Prosecutor.

Sabah Steps Back Charges of Modern-Day Slavery against SWT Program

Mainstream Sabah follows up today on yesterday's criticism of the
U.S. Summer Work and Travel Program. Sabah says the U.S. Embassy in
Ankara "denied the allegations" regarding yesterday's claims in the
paper that the program amounted to "modern-day slavery" but the
paper stopped short of correcting the story and instead said, "The
mechanism to deal with problems regarding the Summer Work and Travel
Program is insufficient."

Obama's Men Are on A Peace Plan Tour (Yeni Safak)
Media pay close attention to Defense Secretary Gates' and Special
Envoy Mitchell's visits to the Middle East. In "Obama's Men Are on A
Peace Plan Tour," Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak notes, "Mitchell and
Gates are traveling from Syria to Egypt to Israel regarding the
Arab-Israeli peace plan." Mainstream Hurriyet notes Defense
Secretary Gates told Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, "President
Obama is certainly anticipating or hoping for some kind of a
response from Iran this fall, perhaps by the time of the annual UN
General Assembly meeting in September." Hurriyet says Gates
"implied that the military intervention option against Iran is still
on the table." Mainstream Milliyet notes that after Israel, Gates
went to Jordan and there he stressed that if Iran rejects talks
about its nuclear program, then, "The U.S. will demand an increase
in UN sanctions against Iran. Several papers focus on Gates'
comments as if they are an ultimatum from the U.S. to Iran.
Mainstream Sabah headlines, "The U.S. Wants An Answer from Iran by
September." Islamist-oriented Zaman notes, "The U.S. Gives Iran
Until the End of September." Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet
headlines, "The U.S. Expects An Answer from Iran by October," and
the paper notes, "As Mitchell met with Egyptian President Mubarek,
Gates delivered his message to Iran." Cumhuriyet also notes
Mitchell, after meeting Monday with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak
in Cairo, called on the Arab world "to normalize their ties with
Israel." Mitchell is expected to meet today with the Israeli PM
Netanyahu and the Palestinian head of state, Abbas, reports
Cumhuriyet.

TV News (CNN Turk)

Domestic

- President Gul and PM Erdogan have released statements denying
press reports that they indirectly requested the PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan to work on a settlement in the Kurdish issue.

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- On Wednesday, Turkey's leading business grouping TUSIAD will hold
a meeting with the pro-Kurdish DTP officials.

- President Abdullah Gul is on vacation in Kayseri, and PM Erdogan
in Antalya.

World

- Mirhossein Mousavi said anti-government protests will continue in
Iran, in spite of press reports that pro-reform lawyers and other
activists were being arrested.

- Britain's Guardian says President Obama was ready to support
Turkish mediating efforts in the Middle East.

- The second-in-command of China's Xinjiang region has vowed to
crack down on violence with an "iron hand."

- An Indian court finds two Muslim men and a woman guilty in the
2003 twin bombings that killed 52 people and wounded 100 in Mumbai.


JEFFREY