TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001184 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 THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2009 In Today's Papers Ambassador Jeffrey Follows Up On Obama's Cairo Speech Mainstream Posta carries Ankara Bureau Chief Hakan Celik's interview with Ambassador Jeffrey regarding the Obama administration's outreach efforts to the Muslim world and Obama's approach to relations between the U.S. and Turkey. In "We Have Abandoned Calling (Turkey) Moderately Islamic," Ambassador Jeffrey says, "In his Cairo speech, President Obama stressed that the U.S. has respect for Islam," and "We do not think it is appropriate to categorize a religion by using words like 'moderate.'" In addition, Jeffrey noted, "The PKK problem did serious damage to relations between the U.S. and Turkey," and "I don't know why some in Turkey thought that we supported the PKK," but "We have supported Turkey in its struggle with the PKK since the 1980s." Jeffrey also expressed support for Turkey's democratic reform process, the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia, and the key role that Turkey plays in the region. Interior Minister Meets Opposition and NGO Leaders Regarding the 'Kurdish Initiative' Media outlets report that Interior Minister Besir Atalay met with the leaders of social democrat political party DSP, the Islamist-nationalist BBP and conservative DP as well as the union of chambers, TOBB, in order to discuss his government's 'Kurdish Initiative.' Liberal Radikal reports that on Wednesday, Atalay visited Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the chairman of the union of chambers, TOBB, within the scope of the government's "democratic move" which aims to find a solution to Turkey's Kurdish question. Hisarciklioglu said TOBB's vision was improving rights and freedoms in Turkey to EU standards. "Turkey must have a first class democracy," said Hisarciklioglu. In their meeting, DSP leader Masum Turker reportedly told Atalay, "There should be no U.S. shadow cast over this process," and "We must solve this problem among ourselves." DP leader Husamettin Cindoruk said, "We will support to the end a democratic initiative which is taken under guarantees within the framework of a fresh constitution to be fully democratic and at contemporary standards, and which covers all the citizens of the Republic of Turkey," according to Radikal. Editorial Debate on Government's Kurdish Initiative Mehmet Yilmaz wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "The DTP's, Emine Ayna recently assured that none of the actors in the Kurdish process can possibly be eliminated. She also made it very clear that the PKK and its imprisoned leader Ocalan should be included in the process. This makes one thing obvious: the PKK is determined to sabotage the government's initiative." Yasin Dogan wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "The government will have to be very careful not to rush towards a settlement. First of all this is a procedure which takes time and secondly, any hasty action has the potential to create more problems of other kind. The current initiative does not necessarily mean the problem should be solved at all costs." Sahin Alpay wrote in Islamist oriented Zaman: "As part of the ongoing process, if there is going to be an effort to talk with PKK militants in mountain camps in order to persuade them to return home, there should be an effort to approach imprisoned Ocalan as well. It does not necessarily mean to free him but listen to his opinions instead. Ocalan spent already 10 years in jail and probably had enough time to look back and realize the mistakes of the use of violence." Fikret Bila wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "The ruling AKP made a mistake by excluding opposition parties from the process. In fact there are ways to be found to ensure their engagement. The main opposition CHP's earlier offer on the subject can easily be a starting point for consensus. CHP leader Baykal had said before the ANKARA 00001184 002 OF 003 government's initiative that everything including an amnesty plan could be discussed when and if PKK declares leaving weapons and denounces violence. The government should take this idea as a common platform which can easily bring the three main parties in the parliament and eventually the DTP." Ocalan Will Not Ask For 'Special Treatment' For Kurds in Roadmap (Radikal) Liberal Radikal's main story on page one outlines what could be expected in the anticipated "roadmap" to be announced by the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, based on the recent statements of some Kurdish activists with alleged links to the PKK chief. Radikal says Ocalan was neither going to table "separatist demands," nor demand a confederation, federation or autonomic administrative structure. He will not demand changes in the constitution to assess ethnic identities as the "constituent elements of the Turkish state." Ocalan is not expected to ask for "special treatment" for the Kurds, but will accept "constitutional citizenship" as well as the principle of "equal citizenship." He is expected to suggest the solution lies in "improving democracy and human rights criteria to the European level." Ocalan's roadmap also requests an expanded version of the AKP's "public sector reform law," which was vetoed by former President Sezer, according to Radikal. The AKP Government's First Economic Step for the Kurdish Initiative Mainstream Hurriyet reports that while the debates on the Kurdish move continue the government took the first economic step of the project. State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz announced that three billion Turkish lira will be allocated from the unemployment fund for Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) and Eastern Anatolia Project (DAP). Yilmaz said that the economic measures were more important than cultural and social arrangements in solving the problems of the region. DTP Eruh Mayor: "We Will Announce Ocalan's Road Map in Eruh" Mainstream Vatan reports that Siirt province's Eruh town DTP Mayor Melik Oktay said that he will reveal jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's road map for the Kurdish issue during 'Eruh Nature, Art and Culture Festival' on August 15. Oktay said "Eruh is an important place from the political angle. Therefore, during this process, we will give a big start for the peace from Eruh. This is our target. We want to gather the biggest group of people in here. Ocalan's road map is considered very important among the Kurds and I believe that everyone will be happy to hear it in here." In a related story, mainstream Sabah reports that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's brother Osman Ocalan, who left PKK in 2004 and lives in Suleymaniye province in northern Iraq, said that he finds the Turkish government's Kurdish initiative very positive and he is ready to return to Turkey to contribute in this initiative. Israel Says 'One Minute' To Turkish Mediation With Syria (Vatan) Media carry Israeli Deputy PM Ayalon's statement to Reuters in which he said Israel is no longer interested in conducting indirect peace talks with Syria. Because Turkey had mediated the Israeli-Syrian indirect talks up until late last year, media note that Avalon's statement translated into Israel's 'rejection' of Turkey's mediation. Mainstream Hurriyet headlines, "Israel: Turkey's Mediation Is Finished." Mainstream Haberturk headlines, "Israel Doesn't Want Turkey." Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak headlines, "They Are Rejecting Turkey the Moderator." CNN Turk reports, "Israel Says 'No' To Indirect Talks with Syria," as, "Israel closes the door." Mainstream Vatan calls the move "Israel says 'one minute' to Turkish mediation with Syria," in a reference to PM Erdogan's outburst at the Israeli President during a panel discussion on Gaza at the Davos economic summit earlier this year. Google "Supports" Armenian Genocide Claims Mainstream Vatan and conservative Bugun report that following the pressure by the ANKARA 00001184 003 OF 003 Armenians, Google eliminated the links to the Turkish Association's sites on the internet rejecting the "Armenian Genocide" allegations. TV News (CNN Turk) Domestic - An old man is expelled from the meeting hall in Rize, Erdogan's hometown, when he shouts that the PM was mismanaging the economy. - The chief prosecutor denied media reports claiming there was an investigation into allegations that the CHP accepted funds from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. - Aram Tigran's family will take the remains of the Armenian-Kurdish singer to Brussels as Turkey denied the family's request for burying Tigran in Diyarbakir. - Collective bargaining talks between the government and civil servants will be kick-started August 15. - Returning from a visit to Iraq in which he accompanied Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Industry Minister Zafer Caglayan said Iraq was going to pay its debts to Turkish companies. World - Turkish Red Crescent will reportedly extend food aid to thousands of needy Syrian families. - State Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Wednesday that Turkey and Libya would probably sign a free trade agreement (FTA) in September. - An attempt to set fire to an apartment used by Turks is reported in Bremen, Germany. - Mehdi Kerrubi, a defeated reformist candidate in Iran's disputed presidential election, has called for an investigation into claims that anti-government protesters were raped while in custody. - China will hold the largest-ever tactical exercise involving 50,000 heavily-armored troops moving thousands of miles to test Chinese military's long distance mobility. SILLIMAN