TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001157 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 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. ANKARA 00001157 002 OF 003 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 ANKARA 00001157 003 OF 003 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