TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001080 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 PREL KPAO 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." ANKARA 00001080 002 OF 003 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. ANKARA 00001080 003 OF 003 - 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