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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004448 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Lebanon Crisis 
All papers give extensive coverage to the ongoing Israeli offensive 
in Lebanon, reporting that Israel was aiming to advance its ground 
operations some 30 km deep into the south of the country.  Papers 
criticize the Israeli cabinet for not backing off even in the face 
of reactions to the Qana killings.  Reports claim Israel is 
preparing for an occupation.  They point to the looming humanitarian 
disaster for Lebanese civilians, reporting that thousands of 
Lebanese people living in the south are fleeing to the north. 
 
President Bashar Assad reportedly ordered the Syrian army to raise 
its level of readiness in the face of expanding violence in the 
region.  Papers quote deputy Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres as 
praising Turkey at a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) meeting in 
New York, saying Turkey was the best example of a "modern and 
Muslim" country. 
 
Humanitarian relief organizations operating in member countres of 
the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) met in Istanbul to 
discuss aid for Lebanon and Palestine.  Professor Ekmeleddin 
Ihsanoglu, the OIC Secretary General, qualified Israel's attacks on 
Lebanon as a "crime against humanity," and stated that they gathered 
in order to provide a cease-fire.  Lebanese Ambassador to Ankara 
Habib Siam said at the meeting that Lebanon wanted to take back its 
lands now occupied by Israel, adding that they needed the help of 
the international community to achieve this.  Prime Minister Erdogan 
will travel to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to participate in an 
extraordinary convention of the OIC to discuss the situation in the 
Middle East. 
 
In reaction to the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, 26 lawmakers from 
ruling and opposition parties resigned from the 263-member 
Turkey-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group.  The head of the 
group, AKP MP Vahit Kirisci, said before considering to dissolve the 
group he would call on Israel to halt its attacks. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Lebanon 
Hasan Cemal, writing in the mainstream Milliyet, fears "what will 
happen next" in the Middle East if "diplomacy does not prevail" 
soon: "Is there any chance of stopping Hezbollah's strength? 
Unlikely.  At this point what could be the next step, I wonder.  Can 
Israel attack Iran and Syria as well?  There is no limit to madness 
especially when President Bush is in Washington." 
 
Writing in liberal Radikal Ismet Berkan agues that the power 
struggle in the Arab world is the root of the current crisis: "The 
essence of the issue comes with a question and deserves an honest 
answer: Should Israel continue to exist in the region or should it 
be eliminated?  As long as this question exists there will always be 
a war.  Arab nations should be proactive and prepare a plan which 
envisions peace and stability in the region while respecting 
Israel's right to exist.  The Middle East region will not see peace 
and tranquility as long as some Arab nations directly or secretly 
support the elimination of Israel. Today the Arab world has even 
failed to issue a real condemnation of Israeli attacks against 
Lebanon.  This is because it is about Shiites being killed, not 
Sunnis.  They see the situation as Israel fighting against Iran and 
actually feel content.  There would be no Palestinian problem at all 
by now if this was not about a power struggle in the Arab world." 
 
Commenting in the leftist Cumhuriyet, Oral Calislar warns of "more 
disasters" if western powers don't act to "stop the madness": 
"Because of the methods implemented by Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah 
are becoming the most radical organizations in the world, which 
means the escalation of tension and violence.  Why is this so 
obvious to us but not to the American neo-cons and Israeli 
administration?  It seems that their intention is to spread the war 
as widely as possible and for this purpose Iran will be used as 
 
ANKARA 00004448  002 OF 003 
 
 
another pretext eventually.  President Bush and his administration 
are dragging the entire world into an enormous adventure.  There 
will be more disasters unless some of the western powers can stop 
this ongoing madness." 
 
Assad to Visit Turkey Late August 
Hurriyet reports an official from the Syrian Information Ministry 
said President Bashar Assad and his wife would visit Turkey in late 
August as the guest of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 
 
Iraqi Administration Plans to Shut down PKK Offices 
Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Vatan:  Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar 
Zebari told the Washington Times that his government was preparing 
for serious steps against the PKK.  Zebari was quoted as saying that 
the PKK office in Baghdad called "Ocalan Strategic Studies Center," 
only 500 meters away from the Turkish Embassy, will be shut down 
immediately.  The offices of a number of political parties allied 
with the PKK in Erbil and Sulaymaniya will be shut down too.  "First 
of all they are not Iraqis.  Second, this is not the place for them 
to operate or lobby.  Third, there was a joint message delivered to 
them from Iraqi Kurdistan leader Barzani and Iraqi President 
Talabani, asking the PKK to stop fighting.  We believe that these 
measures will convince everybody that we are in business to fight 
the PKK," Zabari said.  Turkey had increased its warnings to both 
the US and the Iraqi government last week following the death of 
dozens of Turkish soldiers in PKK attacks, and had implied that it 
would launch a cross border operation if there will be no immediate 
and effective steps from Washington and Baghdad. 
 
Gul-Erdogan at Odds over PM Advisors 
Cumhuriyet, Vatan, and Aksam speculate a rift is growing between 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan over Gul's 
uneasiness that advisors to Erdogan such as Professor Ahmed 
Davutoglu and Cuneyt Zapsu were carrying out political contacts with 
foreign ambassadors.  Cumhuriyet says Gul declined to take a leading 
role in the growing crisis in the Middle East, and unlike foreign 
ministers of other countries, he did not visit Lebanon.  Gul, 
apparently hurt by the meetings Zapsu held with top foreign envoys 
in Ankara, phoned Erdogan to ask "who is the foreign minister of 
Turkey -- me or Zapsu?" says Cumhuriyet.  The paper claims Gul had 
come to the brink of resignation.  Vatan says Turkish Foreign 
Ministry (MFA) Spokesman Namik Tan said some ten days ago that the 
MFA, too, learned about the contacts of Zapsu with foreigners from 
the press.  Papers say Davutoglu was sent to Damascus to meet with 
President Assad and Hamas leader Mashal despite objections from the 
MFA.  Vatan claims Erdogan had been annoyed by the Gul remarks in an 
interview with Hurriyet last month in which the FM said he was 
constantly warning Erdogan to keep his temper at meetings with 
foreigners. 
 
Hazelnut Protests Lead to Security Director's Demotion 
Cumhuriyet, Bugun, Radikal and others:  Ridvan Guler, Ordu's deputy 
police chief was reassigned to Ankara after facing accusations of 
failing to act against the demonstrators in Ordu on Sunday. 
Reportedly, he has been appointed as a police inspector, a post he 
previously occupied.  Meanwhile, the main opposition party CHP, 
yesterday accused Prime Minister Erdogan and his aid Zapsu for being 
responsible for the falling price of hazelnuts.  Republican Peoples 
Party (CHP) deputy chairman Kemal Anadol, at a press conference 
yesterday accused the PM and his aid Zapsu by saying "just as he 
created chaos in Turkey's foreign policy, Zapsu is also behind the 
government's hazelnut policies."  The government abandoned a 
farmers' union that purchases hazelnuts at a price fixed every year 
and caused the prices to fall.  If prices go down on the domestic 
market, exporters will make more profit.  All hazelnut traders have 
followed this policy, said Anadol.  Claiming that an AKP deputy or 
Ordu's governor ordered the police chief to disperse the 
demonstrators, Anadol said 'if the chief had done that, many people 
could have been injured.' 
 
 
ANKARA 00004448  003 OF 003 
 
 
TRT "Censors" Polanski's "The Pianist" 
Aksam reports that fearing reaction from the nation, Turkey's public 
broadcaster TRT television canceled a scheduled airing of Roman 
Polanski's "The Pianist" after the Israeli bombing of the Lebanese 
town of Qana which killed 60 civilians.  On Monday, the 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak had criticized TRT for scheduling to 
show "The Pianist," a film depicting the cruelties Polish Jews faced 
during World War II, saying it was "bad timing." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (7 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkey's Supreme Military Council appointed First Army Commander 
General Ilker Basbug as the new Land Forces Commander.  Basbug is 
the most powerful candidate for the post of General Staff Chief when 
the newly-appointed TGS Chief General Yasar Buyukanit retires in 
¶2008. 
 
- Green Line, a coalition of environmental groups, said a huge oil 
slick caused by the Israeli bombing may reach beaches in Turkey, 
Cyprus and Greece.  The 35,000-ton oil spill was caused by an 
Israeli air strike on the Jiyyeh power plant 20 miles south of 
Beirut. 
 
- Environmentalists have been concerned over press reports that the 
asbestos coatings of French aircraft carrier "Clemenso" and Mexican 
ship "Otopan" will be dismantled at a private shipyard near the 
Aegean city of Izmir. 
 
- US Defense News magazine says Turkey is to buy 30 F-16 jets for 
USD 1.5 billion to boost its air defense. 
 
- Turkey plans to hold an auction for the bloc sale of the 
state-owned Halkbank at the end of the year. 
 
International News 
 
- Tel Aviv said Israeli troops would advance about 18 miles into 
southern Lebanon.    Heavy fighting between the Israeli forces and 
Hizbullah militias continue along the northern border with Lebanon. 
Ha'aretz reports Israel will accept a ceasefire to be offered by the 
UN Security Council on Friday. 
 
- Tehran said yesterday's UN Security Council demand for Iran to 
suspend its nuclear activities in a month or face sanctions was 
"illegal." 
 
- Bombings and armed attacks killed more than 50 people in Iraq on 
Tuesday. 
 
- President Bush said Venezuelan President Chavez is "not a military 
threat" but a menace who "undermines democracy." 
 
- Cuba's Fidel Castro has temporarily relinquished his presidential 
powers to his brother Raul over health problems. 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
MCELDOWNEY