TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

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TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU PREL KPAO
SUBJECT: TURKISH MEDIA REACTION
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009

In Today's Papers

PKK Landmine Kills Six Soldiers in Hakkari
Media outlets report that at 23:40 Wednesday night, six soldiers
were killed and 11 others wounded when a landmine exploded in
Cukurca town in Hakkari province near the border with Iraq. The
remote-controlled blast occurred when a military vehicle carrying
soldiers ran over a landmine believed to have been planted by the
PKK. Papers report the Turkish military said that right after the
attack, F-16 fighter jets that took off from Diyarbakir and attacked
a "crowded group of the PKK terrorists in the region of
Avasin-Basyan" in northern Iraq.

The pro-Kurdish DTP leader Ahmet Turk released a statement
expressing "deep regret" about the death of the soldiers. Turk said
those supporting a democratic settlement to the Kurdish question
meant people had to "take their fingers off the trigger." Liberal
Radikal notes Turk used to criticize the army for ignoring the
ceasefire declared by the PKK. Yesterday's statement, however, was
different, says Radikal, quoting Turk: "The killings must stop in
order to clear the way for politics. We will not be able to solve
our problems while the killings continue." Mainstream Hurriyet
reports analysts said Turk's condolences came swiftly and might
suggest that the DTP does not want to undermine the political
efforts aimed at ending the conflict. In "Nasty Attack on A
Historic Opportunity for Peace," mainstream Vatan writes "the PKK
martyred six soldiers at a time when Turkey's president, its
government and opposition were taking 'historic steps' to end
terror." Mainstream Sabah strikes a similar tone, and quotes
analysts as saying the deadly attack came in the aftermath of the
words of President Gul that there was a "historic opportunity" for a
settlement in the Kurdish issue and the statement of CHP leader
Baykal that the PKK "could be granted amnesty if it agrees to lay
down its weapons."

Hurriyet and the leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet carry a statement by
the U.S. Ankara Embassy, which denounces the attack. Hurriyet
reports the statement reads, "We will continue our cooperation with
Turkey against PKK terrorism. We are also encouraged by the
constructive statements by Turkish leaders calling for an end to
violence and a commitment to resolve differences through peaceful
means."

'44-Year Lease' Article Removed from AKP's Mine-Sweeping Bill
Media outlets report the AKP government stepped back in the face of
objections coming from the opposition to a controversial draft for
sweeping the landmines along the border with Syria. On Thursday,
the AKP government withdrew the bill in order to resubmit it to the
parliament again on Tuesday, with the article allowing the land to
be leased for 44 years after the sweep is done. Mainstream Hurriyet
says PM Erdogan has approved the changes to the bill.

Meanwhile, CHP Leader Deniz Baykal said, "The lands should be
allocated to local people to improve the regional economy. The
territory can be turned into a haven of agriculture under the
state's guidance."

Editorial Commentary on the Debate on Sweeping Landmines

Yalcin Dogan wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "The landmine-sweeping
bill did not even get support from the ruling AKP members. The
deliberate refusal to attend the parliament's debates forced the
Prime Minister to reevaluate the situation, which ended up sending
the bill back to the commission process."

Taha Kivanc wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "It was wrong
from the beginning to allow the use of territory for 44 years. It
was also wrong to put pressure on members of the parliament by
imposing the bill's content. Now the best thing is to separate the
mine sweep and the use of land since the bill has been sent back to

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the parliamentary commission. The use of the cleaned land should go
to one of the local firms anyway."

Fikret Bila wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "Let's hope, even though
belatedly, the government has realized the fact that the
mine-sweeping bill was improperly composed. There is a constant
talk about the opposition being an obstacle in the passage of the
bill, but fact of the matter is that it was not supported by a
significant number of AKP members either. One thing is very clear:
If the revised bill separates mine sweeping and permission for the
land for farming, support from the opposition parties is ensured."

Murat Yetkin wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal: "The ruling AKP
made a mistake by insisting and imposing the terms as described in
the poorly drafted mine-sweeping bill. Despite the lack of support
from its members, the AKP continued to force the debates. The whole
thing indicates a second political wound for the PM after the local
election results."

Pro-Kurdish DTP Drafts New Constitution
Mainstream Vatan reports Turkey's main Kurdish opposition party DTP
was drafting a new constitution in an effort to contribute to the
resolution of the Kurdish question. The draft prepared by DTP
includes demands for "democratic autonomy" and "education in the
Kurdish language." It also brings changes in the structure of
institutions like the High Board of Judges and Prosecutors, the
Higher Education Board (YOK) and the NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
(MGK).

Dervis Advises Turkey to Strike Deal with the IMF
Mainstream Hurriyet reports the Brookings Institute deputy chair
Kemal Dervis told the Forum Istanbul meetings on the global economic
downturn that Turkey needs short term measures to revive domestic
demand and long term measures aimed at creating a strong financial
structure. On a question regarding whether Turkey could attain
medium-term fiscal discipline without the IMF, Dervis stressed the
importance of striking a deal with the IMF,"The IMF has significant
amount of funds, which are in high demand. It'd be good if Turkey
used those funds. A constructive and forward-looking agreement
should be made which takes Turkey's existing conditions into
consideration."

Meanwhile, papers report State Minister Ali Babacan sent a "message
of confidence" to the business world, saying "Even if the IMF funds
arrive, we will not loosen fiscal discipline."

YOK Increases Theology Students by 115 Percent (Hurriyet)
Mainstream Hurriyet reports Turkey's Higher Education COUNCIL (YOK)
board has increased the capacity of theology faculties by 115
percent for the next education year, moving up the existing number
of 2680 theology students to 5620. State universities were given a
15 percent increase while foundation universities were allowed a 20
percent increase.

The Eastern Mediterranean Heats Up (Cumhuriyet)
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports "The Greek Cypriots' latest
diplomatic maneuver could create serious tensions between the U.S.
and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean." The paper says that the
Greek Cypriots' decision to allow a U.S. company to explore for oil
and natural gas "violates international and could lead to a
confrontation between the U.S. and Turkey," as "the area off the SW
coast of Cyprus is within Turkey's maritime jurisdiction."

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued today a statement on
the issue and said the following: "Such efforts from Greek Cypriot
Administration are not compatible with the ongoing comprehensive
negotiation process. These actions have a potential to cause
tension and exhibit a lack of legality, which also damage the
Turkish Cypriot people's equal rights and interests on the island's
natural resources. It was registered by the UN that Turkey has

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fundamental rights and interests on sea fields located 32016'18" of
the East Longitude. Naturally Turkey will maintain these rights.
Under this framework, it is our hope to see actions with common
sense to avoid tension-causing during the ongoing negotiation
process."

Editorial Commentary on Turkish-American Relations

Sami Kohen wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "Istanbul's Bahcesehir
University is hosting a conference on Turkish-American ties, an
event organized by the university's Center for American Research.
There are vast variety of issues, from Iraq to Afghanistan to the
Caucasus and the Middle East,that the two countries engage in close
cooperation. From a general perspective, there are many
similarities between Turkish and American foreign policy lines
especially with the Obama administration's priorities. However
certain differences come up when details and strategies are
concerned. Cooperation between Turkey and the U.S. will continue to
go smoothly until one of these differences becomes a point of
crisis. The Iran nuclear issue, for instance, is subject to be
problematic in the days ahead. Most likely Washington will work on
sanctions against Iran through the United Nations before the end of

2009. It remains to be seen how Ankara will respond to that."

Israel Rebuffs the U.S. (Milliyet)
Media note Israel has not heeded Secretary Clinton's call to halt
the construction of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land in the
West Bank. Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet headlines, "A Gamble from
Israel to The U.S." and reports, "Despite the Obama administration's
call to end the spread of Israeli settlements, settlement
construction continues." Liberal Radikal agrees in, "Israel Is
Gambling with The U.S.," and notes, "While Obama is receiving
Palestinian Leader Abbas, Israel is gambling with the U.S. by
continuing to construct Jewish settlements in the West Bank."
Leftist Taraf headlines, "The U.S. Says 'Stop' to Israel," and
reports, "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that she
wants Israel to stop constructing settlements on Palestinian land,"
but "The Israeli government said they would continue with the
settlements until the peace talks."

Iraq Abuse Photos Show Torture, Rape
Media outlets report former U.S. general Antonio Taguba told
Britain's Daily Telegraph that graphic images of rape and torture
are among the photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse that President Obama's
administration does not want released. Mainstream Sabah carries the
headline, "Censor to Rape Photos." Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet
and mainstream Hurriyet quote Taguba, who oversaw the U.S.
investigation into the abuses at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, as
saying he "agreed with Obama's decision not to release the
pictures." Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak and Zaman report according
to the Telegraph, the new photos depicted "much more serious abuses
than previously documented" in Abu Ghraib. Liberal Radikal quotes
the general as saying "it's enough to describe the photos as
horrendous."

TV News (CNN Turk)

Domestic

- 72 civic organizations in the predominantly Kurdish city of
Diyarbakir released a statement in support of the statements of
President Gul regarding the Kurdish issue, and urged the PKK to
support the peace process.

- On Thursday, 35 were detained in anti-PKK operations in five
provinces including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Manisa and Van. The
offices of public workers union KESK and education workers' union
Egitim-Sen have also been searched in connection with the
investigation.


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- The Chief of the military General STAFF (TGS),General Ilker
Basbug is visiting the U.S. as the official guest of Admiral Michael
Mullen; Basbug will also attendance the American Turkish COUNCIL
meetings in Washington.

- On Friday, President Abdullah Gul will travel from Kyrgyzstan to
Tajikistan on the last leg of his tour of Central Asia.

- The Turkish Central Bank says there were improvements in economic
indicators over the recent months.

World

- U.S. seismologists say the nuclear bomb detonated by North Korea
this week was about five times more powerful than the country's 2006
test.

- French President Sarkozy cancels his June 2 trip to Sweden,
allegedly in reaction to the support Swedish FM Carl Bildt gives to
Turkey's EU membership.

- Muslim migrants in Greece will rally to press the police and the
related ministry to apologize for a recent incident when a policeman
defaced a Koran.

- UNSYG special advisor on Cyprus Alexander Downer says there were
no plans to change the structure of the UN peacekeeping force in
Cyprus.

- The UN labor agency ILO says the ranks of the unemployed could
swell by 50.4 million worldwide this year because of the economic
downturn.

SILLIMAN