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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000644 
 
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, MARCH 21, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Leaders Call for Common Sense as Turkey Prepares for Nevruz 
All papers report on the eve of the Nevruz Festival.  President 
Sezer called Tuesday for "common sense" for all, warning against 
"provocations" during the festival.  "The importance of friendship, 
love, and tolerance is emphasized with Nevruz," Sezer said.  Prime 
Minister Erdogan told his party group meeting yesterday, "Nevruz is 
a day of joy.  Those who want to turn it into a day of mourning will 
not be able to disrupt our brotherhood," calling on all to "be 
careful."  Papers report the website of the Turkish General Staff 
(TGS) carries, for the first time, a message for the Nevruz 
celebrations, reading, "Happy Nevruz holiday, we wish it will bring 
peace and love."  Papers also report the Interior Ministry warned 
all 81 Turkish provinces against provocations, ordering the 
authorities to allow only Turkish flags during celebrations.  The 
Diyarbakir Governor's Office has allowed celebrations in the city 
center, banning, however, placards and posters other than the 
Turkish flag.  Papers say Kurdish party HAKPAR was denied permission 
to hold a rally in the city, and lawyer Eren Keskin of the Human 
Rights Association (IHD) was detained when she came to the city to 
participate in celebrations. 
 
Donors' Contribution to Iraq Low 
The Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports the fifth donors' committee 
meeting of International Iraq Rebuilding Fund, which ended in 
Istanbul on Tuesday, did not produce the expected results.  Iraq's 
Planning and Development Minister Ali Baban said they could only 
collect USD 10 million from Iraq's neighbors, far below the expected 
amount of USD 40 million.  Baban stressed Iraq's neighbors should do 
more. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Iraq War Anniversary 
Sami Kohen writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet:  "It is 
difficult to imagine and understand that the US, in its superpower 
capacity, failed in Iraq.  Even though the military portion of the 
Iraq operation went successfully, the political situation went just 
the opposite and led the country to the point of civil war.  One of 
the primary reasons for this failure stems from the fact that the US 
could not comprehend Iraq.  As author of the book Understanding 
Iraq, Professor William Polk noted the US shaped a strategy for Iraq 
without understanding the country's characteristics.  The US either 
failed to comprehend the social, historical and cultural nuances of 
Iraq or got them in the wrong context.  There has been a chain of 
mistakes during the last four years, including the dissolving Iraqi 
army, torture scenes from prisons, oversight of sectarian 
differences and many others.  At the current stage, the Iraq exit 
strategy does not necessarily resemble the exit from Vietnam.  It 
has to be a safe and sound way formed by United Nations." 
 
Mete Cubukcu writes in the leftist daily Birgun:  "After four years 
of occupation, Iraq has reached the 'words are not enough' point. 
The consequences of the Iraq occupation will definitely not be 
limited to Iraq and will spread to the entire region.  Nobody can 
make an assessment about Iraq's future any longer.  And the US is 
completely helpless -- the most recent plan as put out by President 
Bush has already collapsed.  Not only is the plan collapsing but the 
US army is collapsing as well.  The US army has never been so cruel 
in its history.  The Iraq occupation is like a polluted environment 
which covers all of us." 
 
Turkey Won't Sign Kyoto 
The liberal Radikal reports Ankara responded to the EU pressure to 
sign the Kyoto Protocol by saying that if it is a party to the 
agreement, Turkey will have to close its coal-operated power plants, 
which will deal a huge blow to economy.  "In order to change our 
energy policy and turn to renewable energy sources, Turkey needs USD 
20 billion," Ankara told the EU through the Turkish Environment 
Ministry.  The ministry data says the Turkish annual per capita of 
 
ANKARA 00000644  002 OF 003 
 
 
carbon dioxide emissions is 3.3 tons, far below the 11.1 tons of 
OECD members and 9 tons of EU countries.  Turkey, however, with its 
population of 70 million, ranks 13th among the countries with the 
highest green gas emissions, and tops the list of the countries 
which have increased gas emissions the most, says Radikal. 
 
Increased Tension in Cyprus between Government and Military 
Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Radikal and others:   The tension 
between Turkish Cypriot "Prime Minister" Ferdi Sabit Soyer and the 
Turkish Peacekeeping troops' commander General Hayri Kivrikoglu 
increased after the General criticized the "PM" for not singing the 
Turkish national anthem at his Republican Turk's Party congress and 
asked the "PM" to prove his Turkishness, at a reception the other 
day.  In a televised speech yesterday, Soyer described the incident 
as a reflection of the election period in Turkey and said "nobody 
can doubt our Turkishness, we are Kemalists."  Turkish-Cypriot 
Opposition Party, the National Unity Party' (UBP) chairman Tahsin 
Ertugruloglu said "it was a sad incident but if you are a Turkish 
Cypriot party, you must explain why you did not sing the national 
anthem." 
 
Conflict between Higher Council of Judges-Prosecutors and Justice 
Ministry; YOK and Education Ministry 
Radikal, Milliyet, Vatan, Cumhuriyet and others:  The Higher Council 
of Judges and Public Prosecutors (HSYK) could not convene yesterday 
as Justice Minister Cemil Cicek and the Undersecretary did not 
attend the meeting.  HSYK acting chairman Mahmut Acar accused 
Minister Cicek of preventing the activities of the council and 
intervening in the judiciary. 
 
The Education Ministry yesterday criticized the Board of Higher 
Education's (YOK) attempt to appoint rectors to 15 newly established 
universities, claiming that doing so would violate the Constitution 
and related laws. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (6 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkish military sources confirmed deployment of troops to the 
east and southeast, but rejected reports claiming cross-border 
incursions into northern Iraq. 
 
- The head of the local DTP branch and eight other party members 
have been taken into custody in security searches in the western 
city of Manisa. 
 
- Today AKP provincial leaders will go to the party headquarters in 
Ankara to express their preferences regarding the election of a new 
president. 
 
- Two Turkish soldiers have been wounded in a landmine blast in the 
southeastern province of Bitlis. 
 
International News 
 
- Egyptian President Mubarak will pay an official visit to Turkey on 
Wednesday to discuss regional matters and natural gas trade between 
Egypt and Turkey. 
 
- Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat accused Greek Cypriot 
leader Tassos Papadopoulos of attempting to block the implementation 
of the direct trade protocol between the EU and Turkish Cyprus. 
 
- Students in Britain could be banned from wearing full-face Muslim 
veils for security or educational reasons under recent government 
guidelines. 
 
 
 
ANKARA 00000644  003 OF 003 
 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON