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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000429 
 
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 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Barzani on the PKK, Kirkuk 
All papers report Massoud Barzani, president of the regional Kurdish 
administration, told Turkey's NTV that it would be out of the 
question for his administration to fight against the PKK in northern 
Iraq.  Barzani welcomed Ankara's initiative to establish dialogue 
with the Iraqi Kurdish leaders.  He rejected the allegations that 
the regional administration supports the PKK:  "Rest assured that 
the PKK presence in the Kandil region is not dependent on our 
approval.  It is not easy to control this remote region.  General 
Buyukanit knows the difficulties and the conditions in the region 
better than many people.  He should not expect us to confront the 
PKK militarily."  Barzani reiterated his thesis that Kirkuk is a 
Kurdish city, the people of Kirkuk have waited patiently, and the 
referendum to determine the status of Kirkuk will not be put off. 
He maintained that external intervention in Kirkuk will worsen the 
situation.  Independence is the Kurds' natural right, Barzani said, 
stressing that the Turks, Iranians, and the Arabs should "get used 
to" that idea. 
 
Turkey Wants to Host Iraq's Neighbors Meeting 
Sabah, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet and others report Turkey wants 
to host the 12th meeting of Iraq's neighbors, in which 
representatives of the US, EU and UN will also participate. 
Cumhuriyet says Ankara wants to revive Iraq's neighbors' meetings 
mechanism, with the next gathering to be held at the "technical 
level" in Iraq in the second half of March, to be followed by a 
high-level meeting in Istanbul.  Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan 
denied yesterday press reports that he was planning an official 
visit to Iraq in March. 
 
Court Sentenced DTP Leaders 
All papers report that Ankara 9th Heavy Penal Court sentenced DTP 
leader Ahmet Turk and his deputy Aysel Tugluk to 18 months in prison 
on charges of distributing party materials in the Kurdish language 
and praising jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.  Turk and Tugluk may 
not be able to run in the general elections since article 76 of the 
constitution and article 11 of the Election Law stipulate that those 
who are sentenced to imprisonment for a term of more than one year 
shall not be elected to Parliament. 
 
Meanwhile Yeni Safak reports that former DEP deputies Leyla Zana, 
Hatip Dicle, Selim Sadak and Orhan Dogan who stayed in prison for 10 
years on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization will join 
the DTP at an extraordinary party convention tomorrow in Ankara. 
The four Kurdish activists will be working on the party 
administrative board. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Anti-PKK Operations in Europe 
Kubilay Celik writes in the nationalist Tercuman: "The operations on 
February 8 against PKK networks in European countries were met with 
joy in the Turkish media. However, there are now enough indications 
to prove that this was only a cosmetic and false action.  France, 
for instance, arrested 14 PKK members, and 8 of them are now free. 
Among those released are the Europe chieftain of the PKK and the 
accountant.  Just watch -- you will see other releases in other 
countries as well.  Consider the crimes they were arrested for: 
financing terror, organized crimes, money laundering and drug 
trafficking. Anyone who commits these kinds of crimes goes to jail 
for years.  But it was not the case this time!  The only thing that 
remains is for us to continue to listen to the lies from the US -- 
that they are pressuring Europe to cut off the PKK's financial 
resources and getting results." 
 
Turkish Hizbullah Members Sentenced to Life 
All papers report 20 members of Turkish Hizbullah have been given 
life sentences for killing 38 people in southeast Turkey in the late 
1980s and early 1990s, targeting mostly Kurds during fighting 
between Turkish security forces and the PKK.  Another two defendants 
 
ANKARA 00000429  002 OF 003 
 
 
were sentenced to 16 years due to their young age when the murders 
were committed.  The case lasted 13 years. 
 
Sarafyan Proposal for a Joint Research on the Armenian Issue 
Commentator Ismet Berkan, writing in Radikal expressed hope that 
contacts between Gomidas Institute's Ara Sarafyan and Turkish 
History Institution's Yusuf Halacoglu might constitute a first step 
for establishing a historians committee between the two countries. 
Berkan referred to a letter from Sarafyan who proposed the following 
steps for the joint research: 1. The Gomidas Institute would present 
to Halacoglu documents showing that what had happened in Harput in 
1915 and that this was not a simple exodus but harassment, massacre 
and genocide; 2. Halacoglu would present them documents on how the 
exodus in and around Harput was implemented and how each family was 
moved from one place and settled in another; 3. Sides would study 
whether the exchanged documents were credible.  They would see what 
the similar points or differences were.  Later all these documents 
would be available for whoever wanted to study them. 
 
Berkan stressed that the important point was that historians from 
both sides would begin to study documents.  He also predicted that 
this process would allow Turkey to take a deep breath in the 
international arena. 
 
Srebrenica Massacre was Genocide 
All papers report the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled 
that the death of 8,000 Bosnians in Srebrenica was "genocide" but 
that the Serbians were "not directly responsible."  Turkish papers 
react to the decision, with Cumhuriyet quoting Srebrenica Victims 
Association in Turkey as saying, "Once again, Europe has shown that 
it's against Muslims."  A headline in the conservative/intellectual 
Zaman reads, "The Justice of The Hague: 'Genocide' Committed in 
Bosnia, but Serbia is Not Responsible."  The Islamist-oriented Yeni 
Safak says, "Genocide Committed in Srebrenica, with No One 
Responsible."  The liberal/intellectual Radikal says in a headline, 
"The Hague Blatantly Clears Belgrade of Genocide."  Mainstream Sabah 
reports thousands of Bosnians react to the decision blocking their 
way to file lawsuits for compensation. 
 
Erdal Safak comments in the mass appeal Sabah:  "The events of 1995 
were an ethnic cleansing which the ICJ also defined as genocide. 
This is compatible with the decision of the International Penal 
Court earlier, whdovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, 
the commander of the militia.  All of this clearly is enough for 
more than 3,500 people to turn their graves.  This is the justice 
coming from big powers, if you can call it justice." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 6.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will visit Turkey from February 
27-March 2 to meet with President Sezer and Prime Minister Erdogan 
as well as address the AKP MPs in the Parliament. 
 
- Two suspects detained in connection with the murder of Armenian 
journalist Hrant Dink have been released. 
 
- The Turkish High Election Board again plans to ink voters' thumbs 
in the general elections to ensure they do not cast multiple 
ballots. 
 
 
ANKARA 00000429  003 OF 003 
 
 
- Tehran has warned Ankara not to re-export Iranian natural gas to 
third countries. 
 
- Turkey's Finansbank said it will go by the official title Credit 
Europe Bank as of March 1, 2007. 
 
International News 
 
- Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in Kabul Turkey will increase 
its troops to 1,000 from 825 with the NATO-led force ISAF in 
Afghanistan in April. 
 
- Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev joined a ceremony to mark the 
15th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.  Armenians have killed 
more than 600 civilians in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly in 
February 26, 1992. 
 
- Iraq's Shia vice president Adel Abdul-Mahdi has escaped an 
assassination attempt with bruises. 
 
- The London-based Minority Rights Group International said minority 
groups in Iraq are facing desperate conditions, a barrage of 
attacks, and the threat of being forced out of their homeland. 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON