TURKISH MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000976 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, JULY 9, 2009 In Today's Papers President Abdullah G|l Approves Bill Allowing Prosecution of Military Officers in Civilian Courts All papers: Today's papers give extensive front-page coverage to the President's approval of the controversial draft bill. Mainstream Milliyet's headline reads "A Conditional Approval for The Civilian Judiciary" and reports that President Gul approved the amendments in the Criminal Procedures Law that allows the trial of the military officers at civilian courts. However, Gul asked the government to make further arrangements to eliminate the concerns of the military. The Presidential Palace said that the legislation was in line with the EU Accession Partnership Document. Opposition Parties CHP and MHP criticized Gul's approval of the bill and announced that they would appeal to the Constitutional Court. Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet says, "The President approves a law that opens the path to prosecuting military in civilian courts and at the same time makes demands for new regulations." Leftist Taraf headlines, "Approval from Gul for A Civilian Revolution." Mainstream pro-government Sabah headlines, "A Conditional Approval to A Critical Law," while Islamist-oriented Zaman headlines, "The President Approves Judicial Reform." Editorial Commentaries on the President's Approval of the Controversial Draft Mehmet Yilmaz wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "President Gul considered both EU and EHRC regulations when he decided to approve the bill. It looks like we'll be European too. But the controversy is, the 'EU' is used like a magic word for the AKP government. Sometimes they use EU regulations, sometimes they don't. They don't use EU regulations when they try children for throwing stones at police, when charging people with being a member of a terrorist organization and when they're damaging our historic heritage by building bridges and dams. They remember the EU regulations only when it gives them t he opportunity to corner the military. How sincere is such a government regarding EU reforms?" Ismail Kucukkaya wrote in mainstream Aksam: "President Gul's decision to approve the bill for the trial of army officials by civilian courts is no surprise. The opposite would have been a surprise. While giving a nod to the reforms, President Gul demanded extra adjustments to address the objections of the military. He used this formula for the second time. Earlier he had demanded additional regulations to tackle the controversy about headscarf reforms. Now all eyes are turned to the Constitutional Court." Erhan Basyurt wrote in conservative Bugun: "This decision is a significant step for Turkey's democracy. Even a general will be tried in a civilian court. Now there's less possibility to see 'action plans' and 'piece of papers'. And it's a positive contribution to the EU accession period. We'll see what's next with the Constitutional Court's decision." Gungor Mengi wrote in mainstream Vatan: "With this latest approval, President Gul once again proved that he is not objective. Asking the government to make additional adjustments to address the concerns of the military carries no importance. The constitution gives the President the right to veto draft laws or to send them to the Constitutional Court to recall. President Gul couldn't do what an objective president needs to do. Now, the Constitutional Court will take charge." Murat Yetkin wrote in liberal Radikal: "Political and military relations will move into a different direction with the President's approval of this law. Most probably this will be a stressful period for relations between the military and the political circles. After the stress test has passed, things will settle down. " Sedat Ergin wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "In a real democracy, a PM has no right to criticize the media for taking a closer look at ANKARA 00000976 002 OF 003 tensions observed at party conventions. If the Prime Minister tells journalists not to meddle in AKP conventions, then the regime in Turkey should be branded as 'a fake democracy' or as 'an autocracy.' This is an expression of his desire to control the media. The ones who limit the authority of the military under the guise of democratization should first respect the freedom of the press. Then we could believe in them." Somali Pirates Hijack Turkish Ship Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet and Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak report that pirates hijacked a Turkish cargo ship on route from Saudi Arabia to Jordan in the Gulf of Aden. The ship has 23 crew members. Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said that two Turkish frigates "Gediz" and "Gaziantep" were following the ship. DTP Statement on the Incidents in Sincan Mainstream Hurriyet reports that the mainly Kurdish party DTP issued a written statement and deplored the massacre of the Uighurs in Xinxiang. The DTP noted that Turkey also faced similar problems in conflicts regarding the rights of Kurdish people. The DTP's statement asked Turkey "to draw the necessary lessons from the incidents in the Uighur Autonomous Region." Streams of Turkish Blood Are Flowing (Ortadogu) Media continue to feature flashy, front-page stories condemning the Chinese government and sympathizing with the Uighurs in Xinxiang's continuing ethnic clashes. Far right Ortadogu's headline "Streams of Turkish Blood Are Flowing," brings the tragedy in Xinxiang home by reminding its readers the Uighurs are ethnically Turkish. Liberal Radikal notes in its banner headline, "Lynching Everywhere," that "Young Uighurs are being beaten to death and the police just watch." In, "Guts And Sticks Against the Chinese Military," mainstream Hurriyet notes the Uighurs don't stand a chance in defending themselves against the Chinese military as they are outnumbered "three hundred to one" by the Chinese troops that have been deployed to the region. Leftist Taraf quotes the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in the front-page banner headline, "We Will Execute the Demonstrators," and the paper notes, "20,000 Chinese soldiers and military will institute martial law." Mainstream Sabah carries the front-page headline, "Here Are the Uygur Executioners," next to a photo of a group of Han Chinese men armed with sticks. The article says, "After murdering hundreds of Uighurs, the Chinese announce they will begin executions." Mainstream Vatan says "The world is not reacting to the massacre because of the fear of China's economic and nuclear power." Liberal Radikal headlines, "The World Condemned Iran, But Is Silent Toward China." Meanwhile, Islamist-oriented Zaman quotes Prime Minister Erdogan in the headline, "End The Brutality in Xinxiang," and the PM said, "Turkey will bring this issue to the attention of the U.N. Security Council." Thus, Zaman concludes, "Reactions from Turkey are snowballing." Al Qaeda Plans Europe Attacks Media pay close attention to reports that Al Qaeda terrorists may have entered countries in the Middle East and Europe in order to carry out terrorist attacks. Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports in "Al Qaeda Is Preparing For Attacks," that "the DEBKAfile website, which is known to be close to Israeli intelligence, has reported that between 15 to 20 Al Qaeda trained in Pakistan and Algeria have secretly entered countries in the Middle East and Europe." Mainstream Haberturk reports in "Al Qaeda Is Planning to Attack THY (Turkish Airlines) Flights," that "Intelligence sources indicate the terrorists were bound for England, Turkey, Germany, France, Italy, and Egypt," and "The first warning came in Turkey on July 3rd when a red alert was issued for THY flights to the U.S. and to Tel Aviv." Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak notes in "The CIA Warns" that "Al Qaeda was planning to carry out attacks like 9/11 by blowing up planes in midair in countries including Turkey." ANKARA 00000976 003 OF 003 TV News (CNN Turk) Domestic Q One worker died in a Tuzla Shipyard fire. As many as 126 workers have died in recent years due to hazardous working conditions at the shipyard. Q According to the Turkish Board of Statistics, Industrial production fell by 17.4 percent in May 2009 Q TOBB Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said now is the time to encourage production rather than investments in Turkey World Q Greek Cypriot FM Kyprianous says Turkey will have to face political consequences for its failure to meet its obligations towards the Greek Cypriots by the end of the year. Q A strong earthquake with a 6.1 magnitude on the Richter scale has jolted a sparsely populated region in northwestern Greenland. Q A Saudi Arabian court issued verdicts against 330 members of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom's first known terrorism trials."JEFFREY