VZCZCXRO3872
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #6043/01 2920915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 190915Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9516
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7528
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1482
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1243
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5516
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5233
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1898
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 03 ANKARA 006043 
 
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, OCTOBER 18, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
The US - Organization of Islamic Conference to Cooperate 
Zaman reports that Undersecretary Nicholas Burns said in a letter to 
the Turkish Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, that the US wanted 
cooperation and dialogue with the OIC.  Burns met Ihsanoglu on the 
sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, and 
expressed an interest in launching joint projects with the 
prestigious Muslim organization.  Ihsanoglu said a first such joint 
project could be a conference on rising 'Islamophobia' organized by 
the OIC and to be held at Georgetown University in 2007.  Burns 
promised he would look into the project, according to Zaman.  In the 
letter he later sent to Ihsanoglu, Burns also mentioned 'cultural 
exchange' programs for Muslim academics to visit the US for 
consultations. 
 
Erdogan Faints, Rushed to Hospital 
All papers report Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was rushed to 
hospital on Tuesday after fainting possibly due to his keeping the 
Muslim fast during Ramadan.  Doctors said Erdogan's blood sugar 
level fell because of his fasting and extreme exhaustion.  Erdogan 
has had a busy schedule in the past few weeks, visiting the United 
States, Britain and Saudi Arabia.  Erdogan was released after 
spending nine hours in the hospital. 
 
All papers report that while Erdogan lay unconscious in the back 
seat, his driver panicked and accidentally activated the car's 
automatic locking mechanism.  The doors closed, trapping Erdogan 
inside for eight minutes.  His guards eventually took him into the 
hospital after breaking the armored glass with a sledgehammer. 
Papers strongly criticize the 'awkwardness and unprofessional 
conduct' of the PM's guards, saying it was a 'security scandal.' 
 
EU-Turkey 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others 
report Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, after returning from the EU 
Troika meetings in Luxembourg, said that the mood of the talks was 
different from that of previous ones.  Gul said Turkey would watch 
the implementation of the controversial Article 301, and would make 
amendments if necessary.  Cumhuriyet expects the EU to release a 
tough message at its December meetings if Turkey fails to take 
forward steps on allowing Greek Cypriot traffic into Turkish ports 
and airports.  The paper quotes unidentified sources who predict 
that the negotiations with Ankara might be suspended.  Meanwhile, EU 
Commission Turkey representative Hansjorg Kretschmer said 'There 
will be no train crash in Turkey's EU membership process,' noting he 
was confident a compromise will be reached concerning Cyprus. 
Kretschmer also said the French adoption of an Armenian 'genocide' 
bill should not be used as a pretext to legitimize Article 301 
restricting free speech.  Kretschmer also underlined that the 
position of the civilian authority vis-`-vis the military was one of 
the most difficult issues Turkey has to resolve. 
 
Bush Opposes a Divided Iraq, Hosts 'Iftar' Dinner 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others 
report President Bush told Fox News that he would reject any 
disintegration of Iraq along ethnic and sectarian lines.  'The Kurds 
will then create problems for Turkey and you have got a bigger mess 
than we have at this point,' Bush said.  Papers also report the 
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed opposition to dividing 
the country. 
 
Several papers report President Bush hosted, for the sixth time, an 
Iftar dinner at the White House for the diplomatic representatives 
of Islamic countries and the leaders of the Muslim community in the 
United States.  Secretary Rice also took part.  The majority of the 
terror victims around the world have been Muslims, said the 
President at the Iftar. 
 
ANKARA 00006043  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Zabari Suggests 'Dialogue' to Solve the PKK Problem 
Cumhuriyet reports the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zabari told 
the northern Iraqi daily Nwe that under existing conditions, it was 
not possible for the US or Iraqi forces to fight against the PKK, 
since such a move would require a relocation of security forces from 
south and central Iraq to the north of the country.  'Our priority 
now is to end the ongoing violence in Iraq,' said Zabari, stressing 
that dialogue was preferred instead of military action to resolve 
the PKK problem.  Zabari also noted that the Mahmur camp in northern 
Iraq would not be closed, and that 'not a single' asylum seeker 
would be extradited, unless they want to go back. 
 
Editorial Commentary on North Korea 
 
Columnist Zafer Atay thinks that the North Korean regime will be 
very careless about international sanctions.  He wrote in the 
economic-politic Dunya: "The unleashing of North Korea's nuclear 
program through the recent nuclear test once again brings to light 
some peculiarities about this country.  This very poor country is 
ruled by Kim Jong-Il, who calls himself 'Marshall' even though he 
never served in the army.  North Korea maintains diplomatic 
relations with a very limited number of countries, and North Korean 
diplomats serving abroad are usually subject to deportation because 
of their involvement in drug and arms trafficking.  The recent 
nuclear test by North Korea drew angry responses from all over the 
world, including China and Russia -- Iran was the only exception. 
Iran hopes that if North Korea gets away with its nuclear program, 
this will benefit Tehran's desire to maintain its own nuclear 
weapons program.  The fact of the matter is that international 
sanctions, including an embargo, cannot deter the North Korean 
regime.  The Kim Jong-Il regime does not even care about feeding its 
own people.  Therefore they think that nothing can harm them as long 
as the North Korean army remains powerful.  And military action 
against North Korea will not be an easy thing to do either, because 
the country possesses intercontinental ballistic missiles." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (7 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) warned that a Turkish boycott 
of French products would not be helpful in the short term, and would 
lead to troubles in the long term. 
 
- The mayor of the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, Osman 
Baydemir, attended a conference on 'EU and the Kurds' in the 
European Parliament, calling on Ankara to share its authority with 
local administrations. 
 
- Two suspects throwing eggs at Prime Minister Erdogan during a 
visit to Mersin have been given 14.5 months in prison, and seven 
others have been given eleven-month prison sentences. 
 
- An Istanbul court kicked off the first hearing of Noam Chomsky's 
Turkish publishers, charged under Article 301 for 'insulting the 
Turkish identity and the Republic' in the Turkish translation of 
'The Manufacture of Consent' written by Chomsky and Edward S. 
Herman.  The prosecutor asked for prison sentences of up to six 
years for the publisher and translators.  Defense counsel said the 
publisher and translators cannot be held responsible for the views 
of the authors. 
 
- An OECD report urges Turkey to reduce the minimum wage, increase 
retirement age to 65, and cancel the payment of retirement 
compensations. 
 
- US Citigroup Inc. has agreed to buy 20 percent of Turkey's Sabanci 
 
ANKARA 00006043  003 OF 003 
 
 
family-owned Akbank for USD 3.1 billion, in a deal seen as a 
'strategic partnership.' 
 
International News 
 
- The British Independent described Turkey as 'a prize slipping 
away' for the EU. 
 
- EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso's spokesman said the 
view of Barroso that Turkey cannot be expected to become a member in 
less than 15 to 20 years was not new. 
 
- About 500 Sunni Arab tribal representatives said at a meeting in 
Kirkuk they were committed to the unity of Iraq, demanding the 
immediate release of Saddam Hussein. 
 
- President Bush has signed controversial legislation authorizing 
tough interrogation of terror suspects and opening the way for 
trials before military commissions, calling it a vital tool in the 
war on terror. 
 
- Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said Muslim immigrant women 
should not be totally 'hidden' behind veils if they want to 
integrate and become part of Italy's future. 
 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON