TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

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SUBJECT: TURKISH MEDIA REACTION
MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2009

In Today's Papers

CHP, MHP Reject Meetings with AKP Government Regarding Their
'Kurdish Initiative'
Media outlets report Interior Minister Besir Atalay requested
meetings with the opposition parties and civic organizations
regarding the AKP government's Kurdish Initiative, but was turned
down by opposition parties CHP and MHP. The CHP's Onur Oymen said
the AKP government should "make public any plans" regarding the
Kurdish initiative. "The AKP wants to make the CHP a partner to its
move; we are out of it," emphasized Oymen. The MHP's Oktay Vural
said his party would definitely not meet with the government at a
time when they "shake hands with the DTP." Government Spokesman
Cemil Cicek said his government has asked for appointments from all
political parties and some prominent NGOs. Cicek said Atalay would
first meet with TOBB on Wednesday, and added that a solution would
be found within Turkey's unitary state structure, report papers.

In another story, leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports that on
September 1, World Peace Day, several political parties and leading
democratic civic organizations have asked permission from the
Istanbul Governor's Office to hold a mass rally in Istanbul, calling
for a solution to Turkey's Kurdish issue.

Editorials on The Kurdish Initiative

Gungor Mengi wrote in mainstream Vatan: "President Gul is making a
big mistake by pursuing the wrong tone and the wrong language. In
order to express his determination to resolve the Kurdish issue, the
president is making accusatory remarks which will offend some
people. This is not the right approach to create an atmosphere for
comprehensive dialogue and reconciliation."

Cengiz Candar wrote in liberal Radikal: "Turkey will start enjoying
immense power both domestically and internationally as soon as it
makes peace with its own Kurds. Solving this problem will give
Turkey momentum for influence in the international arena."

Yavuz Donat wrote in mainstream Sabah: "President Gul is supervising
efforts toward the Kurdish initiative. His determination to act on
this problem comes after a thorough study and analysis. He is very
sure that his moves are backed by the people."

Fehmi Koru wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "Nationalists are
getting upset even when the country's president pronounced a Kurdish
town's name in its original form. There is no reason for anyone to
be concerned. Times have changed. This is a new era where
authoritarian approaches are replaced by democratic practices, and
Turkey is certainly becoming a part of it."

Yuksel Cebeci wrote in nationalist Tercuman: "The Kurdish settlement
is a project initiated by foreign powers as well as by the PKK
itself. When the PKK's imprisoned leader talked about a 'road map'
on the Kurdish problem a while ago, the government rushed to
announce its measures so that Ankara can be ahead of Ocalan. In the
end, the PKK and its sympathizers are imposing their terms and the
government is trying to find a middle way."

FM Davutoglu Visits Baghdad Today
Mainstream Aksam reports Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is
visiting Baghdad today in order to attend high-level consultation
talks related to an earlier three-party anti-terror summit held in
Ankara with the participation of Turkey, Iraq and the U.S. While in
Baghdad, Davutoglu is expected to request the closure of the Makhmur
refugee camp, and to request the right to pursue terrorists and
engage in "direct intervention" against the PKK. Aksam adds
Davutoglu will pay another visit to Iraq at the end of August for
three days, during which he will meet the KRG President Massoud
Barzani in Erbil, and he will also visit Basra, Mosul, Kirkuk and
Tuzhurmatu. Davutoglu will also open the Turkish consulate in
Basra, reports Aksam.

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Family Wants Armenian Singer Buried in Diyarbakir
Mainstream Hurriyet and liberal Radikal report Armenian singer Aram
Tigran, renowned for his songs in Kurdish, has passed away in
Athens. Tigran's family wants the artist to be laid to rest in
Diyarbakir, and is seeking the Turkish government's permission for
the burial. While the family is waiting for a response from the
government, the Diyarbakir Municipality has cleaned the Armenian
graveyard in preparation for the funeral. If accepted, the funeral
will take place in Diyarbakir today; otherwise, the artist will be
buried in Brussels where he was living. Tigran's relatives say the
Turkish government would make a huge symbolic gesture by allowing
the burial.

Good News from the Economic Front (Zaman)
Islamist-oriented Zaman reports, "Good News from The Economic
Front," and notes, "According to figures of Turkish Board of
Statistics, the drop in industrial output slowed down to 9.7 percent
in June. It was 17.4 percent in May. The monthly increase in
industrial output rose to 7.3 percent from 5 percent. Mainstream
Sabah says electricity consumption increased 11.5 percent in July
when compared to June. JP Morgan announced that Turkey's economy
would grow 3-5 percent in 2010. Liberal Radikal reports industrial
output "inspired hope" in June this year by rising 7.3 percent when
compared to May.

Turkey's Nuclear Power Plant Tender to be Finalized in September
(Referans)
Business daily Referans reports Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said
the tender for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Turkey
would be finalized in September. Yildiz noted that the price of
energy was one of the problems in the conclusion of the nuclear
plant project. "The project will be kicked off if we reach
agreement on the price," said Yildiz. Yildiz told a press
conference in Ankara yesterday that the state could take a 15 to 25
percent stake of the plant if price disagreements are resolved. In
September 2008, a Russian-led consortium of Atomstroyexport, Inter
RAO UES and Turkey's Park Teknik was the only bidder of six to
return a final price for a nuclear power station. The consortium
demands the right to sell the electricity generated to the country
at a set price for 15 years.

The "Trigger Line" in Iraq Threatens to Spark New War
Mainstream Milliyet cites British daily The Independent in a report
that U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is "alarmed" by
the prospect of Iraq "splitting apart" just as the U.S. has begun
its troop withdrawal from the country. But Milliyet notes Washington
can also "see the danger of becoming more deeply enmeshed in the
Arab-Kurdish conflict," which kept northern Iraq "ablaze for much of
the last century." The U.S. withdrawal also "frightens the Kurds,
the one Iraqi community that supported the U.S.-led invasion." A
report by the International Crisis Group concluded recently that
"without the glue that U.S. troops have provided, Iraq's political
actors are otherwise likely to fight all along the trigger line
following a withdrawal, emboldened by a sense that they can prevail,
if necessary, with outside help." Mainstream Vatan notes the
northern Iraqi Peshmerge forces have been given, "An Order to 'Fire
If The Iraqi Military Advances,'" as, "270,000 Peshmerge forces,
including women, are prepared," to join a potential conflict with
Iraqi military forces. Islamist-oriented Zaman reports, "Violence
Escalates Prior to Iraq's General Elections," in January 2010 as
"provocations are increasing, as are anxieties that new clashes
could break out between Sunnis and Shiites," and, "Another potential
danger is an outbreak of an Arab/Kurd war in northern Iraq."

Papers also note the violent bomb attacks in Mosul and Baghdad
yesterday indicate an increasingly insecure environment in Iraq.
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet headlines, "Another Bloody Morning in
Iraq." Mainstream Vatan headlines, "The Iraqi People Started Their
Week with Bombs." Liberal Radikal headlines, "Mosul and Baghdad Are
Again A Sea of Blood," as, "Iraq Is On The Brink of An Arab-Kurdish

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War."

Four Alleged Al-Qaeda Confess in Dusseldorf They Would Attack U.S.
Interests
Mainstreams Sabah and Hurriyet report that four militants accused of
plotting devastating bombings against U.S. interests in Germany have
made full confessions to the court in Dusseldorf. Two of the
suspects, Fritz Gelowicz and Daniel Schneider, are German converts
to Islam, another suspect is a German citizen of Turkish origin
Attila Selek and another suspect is Turkish national Adem Yilmaz.
Accused of being the leader of the terrorist cell, Fritz Gelowicz
said that together with Adem Yilmaz, they had training in Pakistan
for three months to learn to use weapons, to prepare explosives and
use them. Gelowicz confessed that their aim was to wage devastation
against US interests. They have been charged with belonging to the
Islamic Jihadic Union in Pakistan terror organization, which is
linked to Al-Qaeda and plotting to stage attacks with explosives.
Sabah notes that during a raid to their cell, the German police had
found 550 kg dynamites and 730 kg of hydrogen peroxide to be used in
making explosives.

TV News (CNN Turk)

Domestic

- The association for the relatives of martyred soldiers say they
have no intention to make peace with the mothers of "murdered
terrorists."

- A famous bookstore in Lefkosa (Nicosia) in Turkish Cyprus has been
set on fire by unidentified attackers.

- JP Morgan Chase says Turkey might report a primary budget deficit
for the first time in ten years.

- In June, Turkey's current deficit dropped by 65 percent to USD 1.9
billion.

World

- On five Greek Cypriot soldiers alleged to be killed by the Turks
in Cyprus, Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman said Turkey should abide
by the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
regarding missing persons in Cyprus.

- Two militants were killed and three police officers wounded in a
Taliban-launched assault on a provincial capital south of Kabul,
Afghanistan.

- Venezuela's Hugo Chavez prepares for a possible confrontation with
Colombia, saying that Bogota's plans to increase the U.S. military
presence at its bases poses a threat to his country.

JEFFREY