VZCZCXRO0062
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #6709/01 3541417
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201417Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0374
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7678
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1830
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1451
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5632
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5358
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2014
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 006709 
 
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, DECEMBER 20, 2006 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Early Election Debates Continue 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and others 
report several groups want an early election before the presidential 
elections in 2007, asking the main opposition CHP to walk out of 
parliament to force the AKP government into early polls.  CHP, 
however, says that support coming from the nation and from 
opposition parties DYP and ANAP was needed for mass resignations in 
the parliament.  It also wants the backing of the business world, 
media, and NGOs.  State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said the 
opposition's aim is to force Prime Minister Erdogan to make an 
announcement about the presidential elections, making him declare 
whether or not he would run for president.  "We are not going to 
fall for that," Sahin stressed.  The extreme nationalist MHP 
chairman Devlet Bahceli expressed strong opposition to Erdogan's 
presidential aspirations, saying "One who berates people speaking in 
a coarse way, a horse trader, cannot become the president of the 
Republic."  Bahceli added that if the new president was to be chosen 
from the existing parliament, his party would do all to review "all 
past mistakes, including concerning the office of the president," 
sending a warning to Erdogan that he will eventually be removed from 
office if he takes the top post. 
 
Water Scarcity Curbs Industrial Production in Gebze 
Sabah, Milliyet, and Radikal report that some 90 industrial plants 
in Gebze near Istanbul are suffering from a lack of water, forcing a 
stop to production.  Workers will have to leave Turkey's most 
important industrial zone, Gebze, due to the shortage of water. 
Milliyet says Turkey's highest-per-capita-income city of Izmit faces 
a risk of endemic diseases, adding water prices have surged in the 
city.  The shortage is due to the abnormally low level of water in 
the reservoir created by the Yuvalik Dam, built and operated near 
Izmit by the British Thames Water company.  The former mayor of 
Izmit, Sefa Sirmen, said he was proud of the Yuvacik Dam, even 
though there is a court decision saying the state had incurred 
losses with its construction.  Sirmen is currently a lawmaker from 
the main opposition CHP and immune from prosecution. 
 
Turkey's Newest Party KADEP 
Sabah, Vatan, Hurriyet and others:  The country's 53rd political 
party was founded yesterday with the Participatory Democracy Party 
(KADEP) presenting its foundation application papers to the Interior 
Ministry.  In a speech after presenting the petition, party leader 
Serafettin Elci said "KADEP is a participatory, libertarian, 
pluralist, secular and a democratic political party, loyal to 
people's rights and freedoms, and rule of law.  The state order 
against a contemporary democratic approach and social structure 
should be changed.  The most acceptable and equitable state model is 
a federal system.  Only a federal system can find a reasonable and 
permanent solution to Turkey's fundamental problem - the Kurdish 
problem." 
 
FM Gul Says Turkey will Continue Homework Despite EU's Suspension 
All papers:  Foreign Minister Gul announced his government's 
approach for the future of Turkey's troubled EU accession talks 
during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry.  Criticizing the 
decision of EU members with carefully selected words, Gul said that 
the EU showed that it lacks a strategic perspective and took a 
decision which was in contradiction with the spirit, long history 
and multidimensional character of Turkish-EU relations.  Asked 
whether Ankara will downgrade cooperation with the EU in strategic 
areas and energy issues, Gul ruled out such an option and stressed 
that despite lack of a strategic perspective on the EU side nowadays 
towards Turkey, Ankara still views its membership process as a 
strategic asset to both the EU and Turkey.  Gul underlined that 
Turkey will never act in an emotional way, and will continue to 
behave with common sense. 
 
Editorial Commentary on the Clashes in Palestine 
 
ANKARA 00006709  002 OF 003 
 
 
Mete Cubukcu comments in the leftist Birgun: "The main reason for 
the ongoing conflict between the two Palestinian groups is the lack 
of a leadership figure like Arafat.  Palestinian organizations had 
similar disputes in the past but managed to reach consensus and 
unite because of Arafat's leadership qualities.  Under the current 
circumstances and given the lack of popular leadership, Palestinians 
- the young generation in particular -- have lost their hope for the 
future.  President Abbas is now offering early election as a 
solution to the conflict, but that will not succeed.  Especially 
after his meeting with Tony Blair and Blair's support for early 
elections, President Abbas will not be able to be escape being 
labeled a man belonging to 'foreign powers.'  Even if Al Fatah wins 
the new elections, existing problems will only be put off to an 
unknown period and differences will only be deepened.  The Palestine 
issue requires a broader perspective for a true analysis.  The 
current Palestine picture cannot be analyzed without considering the 
insincere policies of Arab regimes as well as the injustice and 
biased attitudes of the US and Israel." 
 
Writing in the Islamist-intellectual daily Zaman, Abdulhamit Bilici 
observes:  "It is such a pity to see the clashes between two 
Palestinian groups while the whole nation suffers severely under 
occupation.  The drama of the Palestinian people is so heartbreaking 
that they even get sympathy from some Israelis.  It just does not 
seem right that peoples of the same land with the same religion and 
the same race as well as sharing the same fate are holding guns on 
each other.  The entire world is watching clashes between 
Palestinians instead of clashes between Palestinians and Israelis. 
Feeling despair from the clashes and economic problems, President 
Abbas has called for early elections as a solution.  Whether it can 
bring a solution to the problem is one thing to debate.  More 
importantly we cannot be sure whether elections can be held under 
the current circumstances." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (7 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Visiting Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said he considered 
"the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum 
natural gas pipeline a guarantee of energy safety and stability in 
the region," adding Georgia was also ready to help the construction 
of Kars-Javakheti (Ahilkelek)-Tbilisi-Baku railway. 
 
- Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul discussed on the phone with Prime 
Minister Ismail Haniyah the developments in Palestine. 
 
- Istanbul felt the tremors of an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude, its 
epicenter in the nearby province of Balikesir. 
 
- Turkish journalist and author Ipek Calislar, tried on charges of 
insulting Ataturk in her book about his wife "Latife Hanim," was 
acquitted. 
 
- On Tuesday, the London-based global credit rating agency Fitch 
affirmed Turkey's foreign currency and local currency Issuer Default 
ratings (IDR) at BB minus, and the country's outlook as positive. 
 
International News 
 
- EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn expressed hope to resume 
membership talks with Turkey in the first week of January. 
 
- The Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Israel must take 
advantage of every opportunity for negotiations with Syria, calling 
on the government to hold an emergency meeting on the issue. 
 
- A Libyan court has sentenced six Bulgarian health workers to death 
for deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the AIDS virus. 
 
ANKARA 00006709  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
 
- The Pentagon said in a report attacks in Iraq have risen sharply 
during the last three months, most of them against US troops. 
  Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON