VZCZCXRO3380
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #5671/01 2711413
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 281413Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9055
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7474
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1377
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1160
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5469
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5189
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1843
RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU
RHMFIUU/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 04 ANKARA 005671 
 
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 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 
 
 
ISSUE FOCUS: 
US Special Envoy for Countering the PKK Joseph Ralston Meets the 
Press in Washington 
 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Radikal, Zaman, Yeni Safak and 
others report on comments made by US Special Envoy for Countering 
the PKK, Joseph Ralston at a press conference in Washington 
organized by the Foreign Press Center. During the conference, which 
New York press joined via teleconference, General Ralston ruled out 
any talks with the PKK and "stressed several times" that he was not 
a "PKK coordinator, but a special envoy." 
 
Ralston said he would submit a report to President Bush before his 
meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan on Monday on his contacts in 
Turkey and Iraq, declining to give further details.  Vatan reports 
Ralston said he was not planning to meet with the representatives of 
Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP.  Milliyet quotes Ralston as saying 
that there were plans to close down the Mahmur camp in northern 
Iraq.  The US envoy reiterated that he would not rule out any option 
against the terror organization, adding military action should be 
the last resort. 
 
On recent remarks made by Iraqi President Talabani that the PKK 
would declare a ceasefire soon, Ralston said that a ceasefire was 
possible only between two states, and noted that the PKK did not 
have such a status.  "I didn't even imply a ceasefire," Ralston 
underlined, adding that he, however, would welcome a PKK decision to 
lay down its arms and renounce violence.  With regard to the 
three-party mechanism between Turkey, Iraq and the US, he said 
"Three-party cooperation is necessary, otherwise none of the sides 
in the mechanism can succeed in this struggle." 
 
Left-leaning/nationalist Cumhuriyet editorializes that the 
approaches of Turkey, Iraq and the US to the issue "do not overlap," 
adding it is unclear when and where talks would be held.  Talabani's 
recent statement that the PKK would lay down its arms indicates the 
Iraqi president has been in contact with the terrorist organization, 
according to Cumhuriyet.  All-news channel CNN-Turk quoted Ralston 
as extending condolences to the families of the victims of PKK 
terrorism.  Ralston also told the press he would pay another visit 
to Iraq soon.  Several papers expect Ralston to visit Ankara again 
in mid-October. 
 
Columnist Mustafa Balbay argues in Cumhuriyet that the word 
"coordination" may have a different meaning to Iraq and the US: 
"There are three fronts in countering PKK terrorism: Turkey, Iraq 
and the United States.  If we look at the Turkey angle, we see only 
the ruling AK Party's willingness to establish a coordination 
mechanism with the US without even thinking of going through already 
existing state bodies.  It is valid to ask how many AKP members 
sincerely and seriously believe that this mechanism will actually 
defeat terrorism.  As for the Iraq angle, there is no further 
comment needed following the recent remarks of Talabani, which 
clearly proved that he and Barzani have established a working 
coordination link with the PKK.  Given the fact that Talabani made 
his recent remarks in Washington, we can see the workings of the 
relationship between Iraq and the Washington administration as well. 
 The US envoy Ralston is going to visit Ankara in mid-October unless 
there is a last minute change in the schedule.  The PKK terrorist 
acts during the last two weeks have already proved that special 
coordination cannot be a way of ending terror.  Most likely pro-PKK 
circles in Turkey will start promoting propaganda that the 'PKK is 
laying down its arms' and ask for Turkey's positive response to it 
on the eve of Ralston visit to Ankara.  In the end, Ralston will 
turn to Ankara officials and say that you have to listen to domestic 
voices related to the PKK issue.  That's how we will end up seeing 
'very coordinated progress' on the PKK." 
 
In the Papers: 
 
 
ANKARA 00005671  002 OF 004 
 
 
Reaction to Iraqi President Talabani 
All papers: Justice Minister Cemil Cicek responded strongly to the 
statement of President Talabani that his country would give a sharp 
response to those meddling in Iraqi internal affairs, calling 
Talabani a "bootlicker" without naming him, and saying that until 
recently Talabani himself used to ask Turkish officials to meddle in 
Iraqi affairs.  Foreign Minister Gul said Talabani's remarks were 
inappropriate and advised Talabani to pay more attention to what he 
says in public "because in the end, once the US pulls out, we two 
will have to live as next door neighbors."  Characterizing 
Talabani's remarks as "ugly,"  PM Erdogan said "I hope he corrects 
his mistake." 
 
PM Erdogan's Visit to the US: 
Writing in the liberal-intellectual Radikal, Murat Yetkin predicts 
that the upcoming speeches by newly installed Chief of General Staff 
Buyukanit and President Sezer may overshadow PM Erdogan's meeting 
with President Bush:  "The European press has already started to 
interpret the Turkish Land Forces Commander Basbug's remarks as a 
sign of challenge to the ruling AKP.  Observing the domestic 
developments, we can hardly deny that the military's emphasis on the 
threat of religious fundamentalism will grow even more as the 
presidential election gets closer.  Now the upcoming speech by the 
Turkish Chief of the General Staff is on the list of things to 
watch.  Interestingly enough Chief of General Staff Buyukanit will 
deliver his address to the War Academy live on television the very 
same day as PM Erdogan's meeting at the White House.  It is again 
most likely that the tone as well as the content of his messages -- 
which for sure will be PKK, secularism, and the ultra-religious 
threat -- will cast a shadow on the Bush-Erdogan meeting.  Let's not 
forget that President Sezer will deliver his speech at the 
parliament on October 1, a day before General Buyukanit.  The 
picture after both speeches will certainly be an unhappy one for the 
Prime Minister who will be hearing them in the US." 
 
EU Parliament Approves 'Tough' Turkey Report 
All papers:  The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a 
progress report on Turkey by a 429 to 71 vote, with 125 abstentions. 
 The report, which is not binding but recommendatory, urges Ankara 
to accelerate reforms especially on free speech, religious rights, 
minority rights, civilian-military relations, women's rights, labor 
unions, cultural rights and independence of the judiciary.  It 
recommended the new anti-terrorism law not to include restrictive 
elements against basic rights and freedoms, and called on Turkey to 
amend articles 216, 277, 288, 301, 305 and 318 of the Turkish Penal 
Code (TCK) claiming that they are open to interpretation.  The 
report also asks Turkey to drop the ten percent election threshold, 
enabling a broader representation, including Kurdish parties, in the 
Turkish Parliament. 
 
Addressing the Economist roundtable conference in Istanbul on 
Wednesday, Prime Minister Erdogan stressed that Turkey's membership 
is vital for the EU if the bloc wants to become a global power. 
Erdogan noted that Turkey would not accept new membership criteria. 
Turkey's chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan said positive changes have 
been introduced into the report, adding that in the future Turks' 
sensitivities should be considered. 
 
All papers also report ahead of general elections, the political 
parties in the Netherlands have removed three Turkish candidates 
from their lists for their refusal to recognize the Armenian 
genocide. 
 
 
Eker Allegedly Went to the US to Meet with Gulen 
Cumhuriyet cites a Haberturk TV report which claimed Prime Minister 
Erdogan had sent Turkish Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker to the 
United States to convey messages to Fettullah Gulen, the Turkish 
sect leader who has been living in Pennsylvania for the past eight 
years.  The paper claims Erdogan wanted to better ties with the 
 
ANKARA 00005671  003 OF 004 
 
 
influential Gulen community in Turkey before the forthcoming general 
elections.  Zaman, the conservative newspaper close to the Gulen 
group reports the Turkish Agriculture Ministry said in a statement 
yesterday that Eker did not hold any talks outside his official 
program, either in Pennsylvania or during other legs of his visit to 
the US from September 13-21.  "Minister Eker met with Pennsylvania 
Farming Minister Dennis Wolf, paid visits to Mason Dixon Dairy Farm 
and Land'o'Lakes Dairy as well as taking part in the All American 
Dairy Show," said the statement. 
 
"Diyanet" Says Pope's Statements Not Sufficient 
Sabah reports Turkish Religious Affairs (Diyanet) released a 
statement denying that their chief Professor Ali Bardakoglu told 
Italy's La Republica that recent statements by Pope Benedict XVI had 
been "sufficient," eliminating all concerns.  "Bardakoglu merely 
responded to a question about whether the upcoming papal visit to 
Turkey would be a safe one by saying that Turkey, a secular 
democracy, had hosted several religious leaders in the past, and 
that Turks' hospitality did not leave room for such concerns," said 
the statement. 
 
British Artist to be Expelled for Criticizing Erdogan 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, and Cumhuriyet report Turkish authorities 
refused to extend the residency permit of Michael Dickinson, a 
British collage artist who had been living in Istanbul for 20 years, 
after he was detained earlier this month for depicting Prime 
Minister Erdogan as a dog in a cartoon.  Dickinson was asked to 
leave Turkey by September 30.  Dickinson said no one in Britain 
would have been expelled for such a drawing, and called on Erdogan 
to learn to tolerate criticism as he was the prime minister of 
Turkey. 
 
Minority Foundations to be Given Back Assets 
Milliyet, Radikal and Cumhuriyet report a draft submitted by the 
ruling AK Party to the parliament envisages assets which had been 
confiscated in 1974 be returned to non-Muslim minority foundations. 
The draft includes provisions for allowing foundations to open 
branches abroad, and to accept donations at home and abroad.  One 
hundred seventy-seven of the immovable assets are churches, chapels 
and synagogues.  The opposition CHP opposes the draft, saying it 
violated the Lausanne Treaty. 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 7.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Osman Baydemir, the mayor of the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir 
has been acquitted in a lawsuit for allowing the use of municipality 
ambulances at funerals of  PKK terrorists. 
 
- Amnesty International released a statement expressing "dismay" at 
news reports that another court case has been launched against 
Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink on charges of "insulting 
Turkishness" under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. 
 
- Five militants who had defected from the PKK and taken refuge with 
the KDP in northern Iraq have been extradited to Turkey.  The 
defectors claimed almost 70 percent of the PKK members had left the 
organization. 
 
International News 
 
- The head of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, Nechirvan 
Barzani, threatened that Kurds might "reconsider" their voluntary 
union with Iraq if the Baghdad government does not withdraw claims 
on the oil resources in northern Iraq. 
 
- German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble hosted a "Conference on 
 
ANKARA 00005671  004 OF 004 
 
 
Islam" in Berlin that brought together the federal government and 15 
representatives of the 3.2 million Muslims in Germany. 
 
- US troops in Iraq are accused of killing seven members of the same 
family and a neighbor in a mortar attack during an operation in 
Baquba. 
 
- Gunmen killed 10 civilians near a Sunni mosque in Baghdad at the 
time of fast-breaking dinner yesterday evening. 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
MCELDOWNEY