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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002746 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
MONDAY, MAY 15, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Controversy Over Turkey's New President 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and 
others:  The main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said 
that early elections should be held prior to the election of 
Turkey's new president by the parliament in 2007.  "The 
existing parliament is not fit to choose the new president, 
who will determine the future of Turkey for seven years," 
Baykal said.  Former President Suleyman Demirel continued 
his criticism of the ruling AK Party's policies, stressing 
in today's Radikal that it would be difficult for Erdogan, 
who had a "credibility problem," to become Turkey's new 
president at a time of heated debates over headscarves and 
secularism.  "The new president must be chosen by the 
Turkish people in a two-stage election system.  Only 17 
million out of the total 41 million votes are represented in 
the current parliament, which means that some 60 percent of 
the national will is not represented.  It will be difficult 
for Erdogan to become president when he has not been able to 
erase the suspicion that he is concealing an Islamic 
agenda," Demirel said. 
 
Armenian, Greek Lobbies Campaign to Block US Missile Sale to 
Turkey 
Aksam, Star, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak:  Armenian and Greek 
lobby groups have joined forces in the US Congress in an 
effort to block a planned sale of cruise missile systems by 
the Pentagon to Turkey.  The Pentagon's Defense Security 
Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on April 28 that it had 
notified Congress of the intended sale to the Turkish Air 
Force of 50 AGM-84K air-to-ground SLAM-ER missile systems. 
According to the press reports, 4 US Congressmen with close 
ties to the Armenian and Greek lobbies have signed a letter 
in opposition to the proposed sale. 
 
Turkish Company's First Oil Well in Northern Iraq 
Aksam, Sabah:  The first oil well belonging to a Turkish- 
Canadian joint venture began operations in Taq-Taq in 
Northern Iraq yesterday.  The Turkish 'General Energy' and 
Canadian 'Addax' companies arranged an official ceremony 
yesterday for their joint venture.  The Northern Iraqi 
Kurdish region's Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his 
deputy, Omer Fettah, attended the opening ceremony.  The 
Turkish-Canadian joint venture is planning to establish two 
other drilling sites in the same area before the end of this 
year.  The total capacity of the three oil wells combined is 
expected to reach 20,000 barrels daily. 
 
New Regulation on Minority Foundations in Turkey 
Hurriyet and Radikal report that the Turkish government is 
taking steps to resolve one of the major obsacles on 
Turkey's path toward the European Unon - the issue of 
minority foundations.  A drft list approves 161 groups as 
foundations that will be authorized to collect donations.Hurriyet says that concerns about missionary activities 
might increase following the release of the regulation, but 
should not block efforts to find a solution to the 
controversial issue. 
 
Tuzmen, Sahin, Sener Face Charges of Misconduct 
All papers report that State Minister Kursad Tuzmen's hotel 
and other expenses were paid by the Istanbul-based CNR 
Holding Co during an official trip to Paris in 2003.  During 
his stay in Paris, Tuzmen allegedly lobbied in support of 
CNR, an international fair organizer.  Tuzmen defended 
himself, saying that he had been the victim of a "political 
slander campaign."  Hurriyet broke the story over the 
weekend, implying a secret relationship between Tuzmen and 
Ms Ceyda Erem, the owner of CNR.  Meanwhile, Saturday's 
 
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Radikal ran a front-page story charging Deputy Prime 
Minister Ali Sahin and State Minister Abdulatif Sener with 
malfeasance for allegedly accepting racehorses for 100,000 
YTL (approximately 70,000 USD) from a group lobbying the 
government to decrease the share taken by the state in 
earnings from horse races.  Both ministers responded on 
Sunday that they had agreed to pay 5,000 to purchase the 
horses.  Monday's Hurriyet reports, however, that Minister 
Sener now intends to return his horse to its previous as a 
result of the media scrutiny. 
 
Turkey Blocks Release of Gitmo Captive Kurnaz 
Hurriyet cites the German Focus magazine in claiming that 
Turkey's intervention in the talks between the US and 
Germany regarding the case of Murat Kurnaz, had delayed the 
release of the Turkish captive held in Guantanamo Bay 
prison.  Turkey will reportedly send an investigation team 
to Guantanamo. 
 
Editorial Comments: 
 
"The Freedom Contradiction in the White House" 
Washington-based Ali Aslan wrote in the Islamist- 
intellectual Zaman (5/15):  "The appointment of a former 
army general as CIA director has intensified the current 
debate in the US about civilians being isolated from 
intelligence agency oversight. The administration's overall 
tendency is to limit individual rights using a militarist 
and security dominated approach.  All Americans with common 
sense are worried about the protection of their individual 
rights, as the war on terrorism is a long-term process.  The 
current situation in the US represents a clear contradiction 
in the administration's policies:  as basic freedoms at home 
are being limited due to security paranoia, the Bush 
administration claims to be on a mission to bring freedom to 
the entire world, including the Middle East." 
 
"US-Turkey and Iran" 
Washington-based Yasemin Congar wrote in the mainstream 
Milliyet (5/15): "The US and Turkey are engaged in a new 
phase of bilateral dialogue regarding the Iran issue. 
Washington at this point is convinced that Ankara does not 
want an Iran with nuclear weapons.  However, this does not 
necessarily mean that Iran will no longer be a thorny issue 
between Turkey and the US.  First of all, the Bush 
administration continues to hold out military action against 
Iran as a possibility.  Secondly, upcoming developments in 
the UN Security Council are of concern to Ankara.  If the UN 
Security Council overcomes its differences and manages to 
unite on the Iran issue, Washington may launch an initiative 
to form a coalition of the willing against the Iranian 
regime.  American officials are clearly saying that if and 
when this happens, the US will try to include Turkey and the 
EU in the coalition.  Both of these possibilities are enough 
to irritate Ankara and have the potential to put Turkish- 
American cooperation on an uneasy footing." 
 
 
TV News 
(NTV, 8.00 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
- Prime Minister Erdogan said at the 'Developing Eight' (D- 
8) summit talks in Bali that if they join forces, the D-8 
countries could become important actors in the international 
arena. 
 
- The trial of the 16-year old suspected killer of Andrea 
Santoro, the priest murdered at the Santa Maria Church in 
the Black Sea city of Trabzon in February, will begin on 
 
ANKARA 00002746  003 OF 003 
 
 
Monday morning. 
 
- The Turkish Parliament is to discuss this week the social 
security bill vetoed by President Sezer. 
 
International News 
- Six bomb attacks claimed 35 lives in Baghdad on Sunday. 
 
- A Hartford Courant report says the US is sending mentally 
unstable conscripts to Iraq because of a shortage of 
soldiers, a practice that has led to high suicide rates 
among troops.  These soldiers, most of who take anti- 
depressives, wander around at the frontlines "like time 
bombs." 
 
- President Ahmadinejad said that Iran is ready to hold 
talks with all countries except Israel. 
 
 
 Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
  http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON