TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001130 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, AUGUST 4, 2009 In Today's Papers Erdogan Signals He'll Meet the DTP at a 'Suitable Time' Papers report that in a meeting with his ruling AKP lawmakers yesterday, Prime Minister Erdogan stressed that Turkey had to solve the Kurdish question to "move forward." Erdogan underlined Turkey had to work out its own solution, and said his government was going to hold talks with all civic organizations and parties to discuss the issue. On the sharp criticism fired by the MHP's leader Devlet Bahceli against the ruling government's Kurdish initiative, Erdogan said there would be no point in holding discussions with the MHP that sees the Kurdish initiative as a "separatist move" and an "act of treason." Erdogan, however, signaled that he was ready to hold a meeting with the DTP "at a suitable time." Erdogan said that earlier he had refused to meet the DTP because the request for appointment came at a time when ten Turkish soldiers were killed in a PKK attack. Mainstream Vatan says Erdogan gave the message that dealing with the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan was "out of the question." Editorials on Turkey's Kurdish Question Mehmet Barlas commented in mainstream Sabah: It really seems that it is more convenient for Turkey to launch initiatives to produce new issues rather than resolve issues. Turkey has a full list of unresolved issues and has an addiction to problems. While other countries are resolving their problems one by one, we are still searching for a solution to the Cyprus issue after 35 years. The re-opening of Halki Seminary and the headscarf issue also have been on our list of unresolved issues for a long time. And now, there is the Kurdish issue. If the governing AKP was the opposition party, I am sure, they would reject the government's initiative for the Kurdish issue. Because, in this geography, the political parties cannot survive without unrecoverable problems. And always, in the end, governments place unresolved issues on the shelf by saying there is no sufficient public support." Enis Berberoglu wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: In the past, Turkey's path could be changed only by military coups. But now, we can hear the steps of a civilian coup regarding the Kurdish issue. It is not satisfactory for some that Turkey end the war in the mountains. For them, Turkey should protect the Kurds in the region as well. Against who? Against Arabs and Iranians. Moreover, there is another responsibility planned for Turkey, which is to find secure ports for Kurdish and Arab oil. Until today, military coups were approved by the U.S. However, the military cannot be used in the search for a solution of the Kurdish issue. Instead, this time a civilian coup will be tried. The U.S.' loyal ally the Turkish military will be suppressed and the U.S.' other loyal ally sect (cemaat)forces will be sent to the front. The warriers of this new coup will be elected from those detained in the Ergenekon case while the police and tax officials will be able to suppress all kinds of opposition. Gungor Mengi wrote in mainstream Vatan: In order to resolve the Kurdish issue, the disarmament of the PKK should be accepted. Any initiative in the region to establish a separate nation will not only harm the republic of Turkey but, at the same time, it will be a huge trap for the Kurdish origin citizens of this country. Fikret Bila questioned in mainstream Milliyet: What happened to "Ataturk's Model" for a solution to Kurdish issue? Interior Minister Besir Atalay's "Turkey Model" will not bring about a solution but will accelerate the disintegration of the country. That is what the DTP and the PKK have been demanding. It is not possible to believe that this process will strengthen the Turkish Republic's national and political unity. Cengiz Candar wrote in liberal Radikal: MHP leader Bahceli should not reject the AKP government's Kurdish initiative, which brings hope to millions of people in the country for internal peace. ANKARA 00001130 002 OF 003 Ihsan Dagi wrote in Islamist-oriented Zaman: It is time to openly discuss the proposed solution for the Kurdish issue. To be able to do this, Turkey should trust itself and its people first. Putin Due to Discuss Important Topics in Ankara on Thursday (Haberturk) Mainstream Haberturk reports Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will pay a one-day state visit to Turkey on August 6. The paper says Putin was expected to discuss the nuclear plant tender of a Turkish-Russian consortium, problems in finding new gas suppliers for the Nabucco pipeline project, the Blue Stream-2 project, developments regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and the customs problems between Turkey and Russia. Turkish Stock Markets Returning to 'Old, Better Days' (Hurriyet) Papers report that Turkish stocks rallied after a government auction Monday raised a quarter of the funds needed to repay the country's debt this month. The benchmark IMKB-100 index of the Istanbul Stock Exchange gained more than 4.6 percent. On Monday, the U.S. Dollar was trading at around 1.461 Turkish Liras, having lost 0.6 percent against the lira since Friday's closing. Mainstream Hurriyet's webpage quotes three top bankers as telling Fortune Turkey that an era of 'supervised finance' is beginning in the world, noting that Turkey has learned much from its own 2001 crisis. "There may be a return to the Genoese-style banking, but then there will be another crisis. Leave the capitalists alone and the capitalists will run to crisis, because they have an appetite and they want more," said one banker. Turk Detained in Northern Iraq Was Awarded $300 Million in Contracts (Vatan) Mainstream Vatan reports on its front page that Deniz Turkkan, a Turkish businessman who was detained in Suleymaniye in northern Iraq by U.S. Special Forces in 2003, was awarded $300 Million in contracts with the U.S. government, including the reconstruction of the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan. New 'Kardak' Tension in the Aegean (Vatan) Mainstream Vatan warns of a "new Kardak (Imia) crisis," saying Greece has "owned" Karaada, an islet near the Greek island of Meis, and one km off Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Vatan says the Dogan Media Group-owned Kanal-D television reported last night Greece has set up a station and a watch tower in the island, and also deployed a warship to the region. According to the Paris Treaty, the island is not under any particular ownership, and is closed to settlement. A week ago, the Greek press had reported 'A thousand Greek commandos were deployed to the islets,' but the reports were denied by the Greek military, says Vatan. China Warns its Nationals to Exercise 'Caution' in Turkey (Aksam, Zaman) Mainstream Aksam and Islamist-oriented Zaman report China's Foreign Ministry has warned its nationals to be "cautious in Turkey." In a webpage statement over the weekend, the ministry advised Chinese residents and organizations in Turkey to "avoid populous areas and sensitive sites as much as possible," saying some Chinese people and groups have received threats. Relations between Turkey and China were affected after violent clashes between the local Muslim Uighurs and the dominant Han Chinese community in capital Urumqi last month. Rasmussen "Extends An Olive Branch To Muslim Countries" (Zaman) Media outlets highlight the positive messages that new NATO Secretary-General, former Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen sent to Turkey and other Muslim nations on his first day on the job. Islamist-oriented Zaman headlines, "On The First Day as NATO Secretary General, Rasmussen Extended An Olive Branch to The Muslim world," and the article notes, "Rasmussen said he will invite leaders of Muslim countries to NATO headquarters in order to have consultations together." Mainstream Milliyet writes in "A Warm ANKARA 00001130 003 OF 003 Message from Rasmussen," that, "The NATO Secretary General hopes to have close cooperation with Muslim countries," and he said he hoped "to fulfill the commitments he made to Turkey before he was appointed to the post." Mainstream Vatan reports Rasmussen said, "Eliminating the obstacles blocking cooperation between the EU and NATO is one of his priorities," adding that, "this would be the main issue he will discuss during his upcoming visits to Turkey and to Greece." In a related story, Mainstream Milliyet notes "Former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, has been appointed to head NATO's Committee of Wise Men." Iran Awaits Khamenei's Order for Nuclear Bomb (Milliyet) Papers note with concern a report from the British outlet The Times indicating Iran will be capable of making a nuclear bomb within six months, according to an order from the country's religious leader Ali Khamenei. Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet headlines, "The Rope of the Nuclear Program is in Khamenei's Hands," and reports, "Iranian researchers could implement an order to produce an atomic bomb in one year - the first six months will be spent enriching the necessary uranium and the next six months will be spent producing nuclear warheads." Mainstream Sabah headlines, "One Year is Enough for Iran (To Create) A Nuclear Missile." Gates and Mullen's "Secret Afghanistan Meeting in Europe" (Zaman) Islamist-oriented Zaman reports U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen had a "secret" meeting over the weekend in Europe with the top commanders in Afghanistan. The meeting was held at a military base in Belgium to discuss troop levels and security issues in Afghanistan. CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal, NATO EUCOM General James Stavridis, U.S. Department of Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy and senior military advisor David Rodriguez were among the U.S. officials who attended the meeting, says Zaman. TV News (CNN Turk) Domestic - The 'Kurdish Initiative' planned by the government includes new regulations regarding children facing trial for throwing stones at the security forces. Under the current regulations, prosecutors demand up to 25-year prison sentences for such children, while members of terror organizations are given up to 5.5-year sentences. - In Adana, police detained 14 suspected PKK members, including two women. The pro-Kurdish DTP has denounced the detentions. - A man, armed with a knife, attacked and forced a Protestant missionary to kiss the Turkish flag in Istanbul yesterday. World - A government spokesman said in Berlin that Chancellor Angela Merkel will not send a customary letter of congratulation to Iran's reelected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his inauguration due Wednesday. - A Turkish cargo ship was attacked by pirates off Nigeria. Two crew members were injured. - Malaysia plans to use Turkey as a jumping board for exporting palm oil to the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. JEFFREY