VZCZCXRO5025
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #3641/01 1711435
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201435Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6722
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7290
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0829
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0886
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5344
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5046
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1664
RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU
RHMFISS/USDOCO 6ATAF IZMIR TU
RHMFIUU/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU
RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003641 
 
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 
TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Court Sentences Semdinli Suspects 
All papers report two Turkish non-commissioned officers in the 
jandarma, Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz, were sentenced by the Van 
criminal court to 39 years and 5 months each for last year's bombing 
of a bookstore in Semdinli in which one person was killed.  The 
court convicted Kaya and Ildeniz on charges of homicide, forming an 
armed gang and attempted murder.  The attack prompted riots in the 
mainly Kurdish region and a parliamentary inquiry that followed the 
unrest said the military may have orchestrated the attack to stir up 
trouble in the region in an effort to justify tougher methods in the 
fight against the separatist PKK.  The case has focused attention on 
Turkey's so-called deep state allegedly made up of nationalist 
elements of the military and judiciary.  In April, a prosecutor was 
sacked after he accused the Commander of Land Forces, General Yasar 
Buyukanit, of organizing an illegal group during his tenure in the 
region.  The case will go to the court of appeals. 
 
FM Gul at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Meeting 
Hurriyet, Radikal and others:  Addressing the OIC Foreign Ministers 
Conference in Baku, Gul said that Islamic countries need to make a 
comprehensive effort to implement reforms.  Reform in the Islamic 
world is a necessity, not a suggestion, Gul added.   Gul called on 
the OIC members for a more effective effort for the solution of the 
Cyprus issue.  Gul told his Iranian counterpart Mottaki that the 
incentive package prepared by the five permanent members of the 
United Nations Security Council is the last chance to find a 
solution to the nuclear standoff.  Gul, reportedly, conveyed a 
message to Mottaki that Turkey, as a neighbor of Iran, favors a 
diplomatic solution to the crisis and will continue to exert efforts 
in line with this position. 
 
Radikal reports that, while in Baku, FM Gul was received by 
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.  The meeting focused on 
Kars-Tbilisi-Javakheti (Ahilkelek)-Baku railway project.  Gul 
stressed that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia should come together to 
overcome several difficulties about the project.  Aliyev highlighted 
the importance of the inclusion of Kazakhstan in the pipeline 
project while the two leaders were discussing Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan 
oil pipeline. 
 
DTP (Democratic People's Party) Invites ETA and IRA to its 
Convention on June 25 
Milliyet, Yeni Safak: Preparing for its first Ordinary congress, the 
DTP included politicians, NGOs, authors and members of the ETA and 
IRA's political wing in its invitee list.  IRA and ETA are still on 
the terrorist organizations list of the US and the EU.  Deputy 
Chairman of DTP Alaattin Erdogan said that the Basque issue in Spain 
and the Northern Ireland issue in the UK have begun democratic and 
peaceful processes toward resolutions.  Edrogan further explained 
that as the Kurdish issue is similar to these countries' problems, 
the DTP wanted to hear about examples for dialog directly from their 
representatives. He added that the DTP believes that their 
contribution to resolving the Kurdish issue could be important. 
Both parties, reportedly, accepted the invitation and are going to 
send their representatives. 
 
Diplomatic Traffic 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is to attend the "Paris Pact 
Initiative Ministerial Meeting" in Russia June 26-28 while he 
accompanies President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on his state visit to 
Moscow from June 28-30.  Gul announced earlier that he would travel 
to Washington on July 5.  Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar 
Zebari and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director 
General Muhammad al-Baradei are also expected to visit Turkey in 
July, with the latter coming to Ankara on the 6th for a three-day 
visit. 
 
 
ANKARA 00003641  002 OF 003 
 
 
Top Business Group Urges 12 Years of Compulsory Education 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman and others: 
The influential Turkish businessmen's group TUSIAD has issued a call 
for education reform in its report, "Education and Sustainable 
Growth--The Turkish Experience," proposing that compulsory education 
should be extended to 12 years (from the current eight years) and 
that the curriculum should be revised.  TUSIAD Chairman Omer Sabanci 
said Turkey was well behind other nations in developing human 
resources.  "Turkey's economy has the potential to maintain 7 
percent growth between 2006-2020, if investments are boosted in 
addition to the ties between productivity and human resources," he 
emphasized.  The report also calls for the reform of higher 
education, demanding competitive and creative universities.  The 
World Bank's Education Sector Study (ESS) had said in April that 
Turkey's education system needs comprehensive reform from top to 
bottom. 
 
 
Editorial Comment: Palestine, Israel and Arab Leaders 
Omer Taspinar, writing in Radikal, argues that, contrary to what 
logic might tell us, finding a solution to the Israel-Palestinian 
problem is against the interests of many Arab leaders:  "Once a 
Palestinian state is established, many authoritarian Arab regimes 
will find themselves in a very difficult position. The States of 
Palestine and Israel living in peace side by side poses a potential 
threat to Arab leaders.  If and when this happens, Arab public 
opinion will naturally focus on in-house issues, such as oppressive 
and incompetent regimes.  In the absence of a Palestinian problem, 
Arab regimes will undoubtedly face growing pressure for 
democratization.  In a nutshell, the continuation of the Palestinian 
issue means prolonged rule for Arab dictators, so they don't 
genuinely desire that a solution be found." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (8 a.m) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkish Cypriot "Prime Minister" Ferdi Sabit Soyer said Greek 
Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni's "European United Cyprus Plan" was 
a tactical step aimed at easing Athens' troubled policy on the 
island. 
 
- Ankara has to meet the requirements of the European Court of Human 
Rights by June 22 to solve the issue of disputed Greek Cypriots' 
properties in the north of the divided island. 
 
- Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus is to arrive in Ankara on 
Tuesday at the official invitation of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer 
on a two-day visit to discuss bilateral ties as well as regional and 
international topics. 
 
- Moody's Vice-president Kristin Lindow said Turkey's credit rating 
would not be pulled down. 
 
International News 
 
- An insurgent grouping tied to al-Qaida's Iraq branch claimed 
responsibility for the abduction of two US soldiers and four Russian 
diplomats in Iraq, in statements posted on the Internet. 
 
- The US and Iraqi forces sealed off the Sunni rebel town of Ramadi 
by setting up new checkpoints on all the entry and exit roads in a 
bid to eliminate the insurgents. 
 
- The chief prosecutor in the Saddam Hussein trial has demanded the 
death penalty for the ousted Iraqi president and two other 
defendants. 
 
 
ANKARA 00003641  003 OF 003 
 
 
- US, Japan reacted strongly to reports claiming North Korea was 
preparing to test the long range Taepodong-2 nuclear missile.  White 
House Spokesman Tony Snow said if Pyongyang carries on with the 
test, there will be "appropriate retaliation." 
 
- Sources close to Prime Minister Andres Fogh Rasmussen said the US 
has been pressing Denmark to close the Copenhagen-based Kurdish 
broadcaster Roj TV. 
 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON