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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006294 
 
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, NOVEMBER 6, 2006 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Bulent Ecevit Dies 
All papers report former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, 81, died at 
military hospital in Ankara late Sunday after nearly six months in a 
coma following a stroke.  President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said "The 
Turkish nation will always respectfully remember his service to the 
country."  PrimeMinister Erdogan said "Our sorrow is deep ovr the 
death of Ecevit who served our country s a politician and 
statesman."  The main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said in a 
statement "Ecevit was a leader and a teacher.  It is the end of an 
era."  Baykal, who is in Chile to participate in a meeting of the 
Socialist International, said he will cut short his trip after he 
heard about Ecevit's death, and return to Turkey. 
 
Ecevit, who served four terms as Turkey's Prime Minister, has become 
the target of fierce criticism in the recent years, but his 
refinement and honesty have never been questioned, papers comment. 
Ecevit's funeral will be held on Wednesday. 
 
Saddam Sentenced to Death by Hanging 
All papers report the deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and six of 
his former top aides have been found guilty of ordering the killing 
of 148 Shiites in the town of Dujail in 1982 and have been given a 
sentence of death by hanging for crimes against humanity.  Yeni 
Safak says Saddam's defense counsel called the sentence "an election 
gift for President Bush."  Papers quote President Bush as saying the 
ruling, "a milestone for Iraq," was "a great success for Iraq's 
young democracy."  Papers also report the decision will divide Iraq 
further, with the Shiites celebrating in Baghdad's Sadr City and 
thousands of angry Sunnis protesting in Saddam's birthplace of 
Tikrit.  Sabah says Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) officials are 
concerned that the ruling could lead to an increase in Sunni-Shiite 
tensions. 
 
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Sunday Turkey attached 
importance to the unity and political integrity of Iraq.  Gul said, 
"The Iraqi people suffered a lot.  Millions of people died both 
because of the meaningless wars during the period of Saddam and the 
wars with Iran and Kuwait.  It is wrong to think that whether the 
confusion would end if Iraq splits up, it will only make Iraq enter 
into chaos". 
 
Calling the verdict controversial, Gungor Mengi in the mass appeal 
Vatan believes that an international tribunal would have been more 
suitable for the Saddam case:  "The death sentence for Saddam 
Hussein comes from an Iraqi court under a Kurdish chairman.  The 
verdict serves basically as a thank you note for President Bush on 
the eve of the Congressional elections.  Had President Bush at least 
showed some respect to the international norms [by allowing an 
international tribunal] during the trial process of Saddam Hussein, 
the verdict would not be that controversial even if it ended up a 
death sentence.  The path to the gallows for Saddam Hussein will 
also be the spark for a civil war in Iraq.  The danger is so grave 
that even the brutal dictator Saddam Hussein felt obliged to call 
for alm in Iraq." 
 
Mehmet Barlas noted that the dmise of Saddam "will not pave the way 
for a US exit" from Iraq in the mass appeal Sabah:  "Unlike the 
Milosevic trial which was conducted by a special tribunal at The 
Hague, Saddam was tried by an Iraqi court in the midst of the 
American and British occupation of the country.  In the end, there 
is a precise verdict that Saddam will be hanged in a month.  On the 
other hand, the demise of Saddam will not pave the way for the US to 
exit Iraq.  Moreover, Saddam's death will not unite the members of 
different sects in Iraq which are killing each other every day. 
Saddam will be gone soon.  As a matter of fact, he was morally dead 
following the killing of his two sons anyway.  When it comes to the 
Iraq issue, President Bush is also dead in the political sense." 
 
 
ANKARA 00006294  002 OF 003 
 
 
Comparing Saddam Hussein's crimes and President Bush's mistakes 
after the occupation of Iraq, Oral Calislar argued in the 
leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet: "Saddam was a brutal dictator and 
his regime was the facilitating factor for the foreign intervention. 
 Everybody at that time believed that the US intervention was 
something good because the alternative was an Iraq with a merciless 
dictator.  Supporters of the American invasion believed that the US 
would bring democracy to the region through invasion.  In the end, 
Saddam was sentenced to death by a court established by the 
invaders.  Whether he will really be executed is something to be 
seen.  Yet the death sentence basically comes for a massacre 
committed by Saddam Hussein.  One wonders who is responsible for the 
massacres which have been going on during the last three years. 
President Bush dragged his country as well as the entire world into 
a very dangerous adventure by paving the way for colossal massacres 
in Iraq.  The hanging of Saddam will take Iraq to another bloody and 
fearful period.  The ongoing situation even puts Saddam into the 
victim role, which adds another pessimistic note to the world's 
future." 
 
Erdogan Signals Change to Article 301 
Prime Minister Erdogan said at a meeting with the representatives of 
various NGOs on Sunday that Article 301 does not contradict EU 
regulations.  Erdogan met NGOs including Turkish Union of Chambers 
(TOBB) and trade unions confederations Hak-Is and Turk-Is.  "We are 
studying several options for how we can handle Article 301 in 
harmony with the spirit of the EU-oriented reforms," Erdogan said, 
without elaborating.  Radikal reports Erdogan had asked the NGO 
representatives to table concrete proposals for amending the 
article.  Dailies comment that Erdogan had ruled out changes to 
Article 301 last week, but that in a last-ditch effort to soften the 
upcoming EU Commission progress report on Turkey, he signaled the 
article could be amended.  Papers expect the EU report to be 
released November 8 to say Turkey needs to boost the rights of 
women, of the Kurds and non-Muslim religious groups, and rein in the 
military. 
 
Secularists Demonstrate against AKP 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report 
that 12,000 Turks marched in the capital Ankara over the weekend to 
protest against the rising Islamist influence under the ruling AKP 
government.  During the rally named "People's March for the 
Republic," the demonstrators representing 112 NGOs shouted "Turkey 
is secular, will remain secular" and "Independent Turkey" and 
protested against PM Erdogan's AK Party.  Among the protesters were 
several retired army generals and officers.  Sener Eruygur, the head 
of the secular Kemalist Thought Society and a former army general, 
suggested that Erdogan had ambitions to become Turkey's next 
president.  "There are plans to occupy the sublime presidential 
office," Eruygur said, "We will not allow that." 
 
Baykal Calls for Early Polls 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, and Radikal report the main opposition CHP 
leader Deniz Baykal, in Chile to participate in the Socialist 
International meetings, said Turkey urgently needed to go to early 
elections.  Baykal lashed out at Prime Minister Erdogan for telling 
the press that CHP lawmakers have asked the AKP members not to hold 
early polls because they were in a financially difficult situation. 
Baykal said, "It is the PM himself who is afraid of early elections. 
 Our position is clear -- Turkey must go to early elections before 
the presidential elections. 
 
 
TV News: 
(NTV, 7.00 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Prime Minister Erdogan said press reports about flash floods that 
killed 39 people in southeast Turkey last week had been 
 
ANKARA 00006294  003 OF 003 
 
 
"exaggerated." 
 
- A tent village will be set up in the southeastern Sanliurfa for 
people hit by floods and 200 new houses will be set up in Batman. 
 
- Following his talks in Lisbon, Turkey's chief EU negotiator Ali 
Babacan said Portugal had reiterated support for Turkey's EU 
membership. 
 
- Turkey's ruling AKP will hold its party convention on November 11 
in Ankara. 
 
- Turkey is to buy 17 S-70B Seahawk helicopters from Sikorsky 
Aircraft. 
 
International News 
 
- Two Hamas militants have been killed in an Israeli missile attack 
on a group of Palestinians in northern Gaza Strip. 
 
- Richard Perle, a leading proponent of the US-led invasion of Iraq, 
said devastating dysfunction within the Bush administration has 
turned the US policy in Iraq into a disaster. 
 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON