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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001002 
 
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 
FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Turkish Parliament to Hold First Round of Presidential Elections 
Friday 
All papers report the Turkish Parliament will hold the first round 
of voting for President of the Republic on Friday amid ongoing 
fierce debates regarding the election.  The main opposition CHP 
plans to boycott the vote, saying it will ask the Constitutional 
Court to declare it invalid if less than two thirds of all lawmakers 
(367) are in the chamber.  Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc maintains 
the presence of 184 MPs in the chamber will be sufficient to go 
ahead with the voting today.  If the court rules in the opposition's 
favor, the government must call a snap general election -- something 
opposition parties Anavatan and DYP are demanding.  Mainstream Vatan 
sees some possibility that the court will rule in favor of the 
opposition because seven of the court's 11 members are staunch 
secularists who were appointed by outgoing President Sezer.  In any 
case, Gul is not expected to win in the first or second rounds of 
voting as he needs 367 votes; his victory in the third round, set 
for May 9, when he needs only 276 votes, is virtually assured, 
however.  All papers point to opposition party Anavatan's key 
position holding 20 seats in the parliament.  Papers report Anavatan 
will announce its decision on joining the voting after a meeting 
with DYP today.  Mainstream Sabah says AKP has been working to 
convince CHP MPs from southeast Turkey to show up in parliament 
today.  Islamist-oriented dailies Zaman and Yeni Safak say the 
voting process will be "a test for Turkish democracy."  Liberal 
Radikal warns a cancellation by the Constitutional Court will bring 
a period of instability in Turkey.  Turkey's constitution stipulates 
that if it fails to elect a president by May 16, the parliament will 
be dissolved, and early general elections will be called. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Turkish Presidential Elections 
Taha Akyol, writing in the mainstream Milliyet, advises calm: "If 
the issue is taken to the Constitutional Court, there will be 
another challenging period because the ruling will lead to important 
political consequences.  If the court rules in favor of the 
opposition's challenge, the Constitution clearly calls for an 
immediate election, most likely in either July or September.  In any 
case, there is no need for worrying, panicking or tension-building. 
After all, the people will have their say in the end." 
 
Similarly Mustafa Unal, commenting in the intellectual 
Islamist-oriented Zaman, concludes, "The presidential election issue 
is not only a concern for candidate Gul or the AKP, but it is very 
much Turkey's concern.  Today's voting session is extremely 
critical.  All political parties are going to go through a democracy 
test.  Regardless of the outcome, even if it ends up in the court, 
the people will have the final say because all paths lead to the 
ballot box." 
 
Okay Gonensin points out in the mainstream Vatan that "circumstances 
indicate that the election of Turkey's new president will go through 
a legal debate and be controversial with the real questions being 
who will benefit from this atmosphere and how will that be reflected 
at the polls." 
 
 
Solana-Larijani Wrap Up Talks in Ankara 
All papers report EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's 
chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani wrapped up talks on day two of 
their gathering in Ankara yesterday.  Solana and Larijani have 
agreed in Ankara on a formula, says Milliyet, according to which 
Iran will limit its uranium enrichment activities in exchange for 
the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany 
agreeing not to adopt new sanctions against Tehran. 
 
The Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak says that Turkey has emerged as "a 
capital of peace" in its region with its moves as facilitator, as 
seen in the efforts of Ankara to bring together Iran's Larijani and 
 
ANKARA 00001002  002 OF 003 
 
 
EU's Solana as well as the upcoming meeting between the Afghan and 
Pakistan presidents Karzai and Musharraf to discuss border security 
and terrorism matters. 
 
Zebari Meets Gul on Iraq Talks in Egypt 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak and others report 
Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met Thursday with Foreign 
Minister Abdullah Gul in Ankara, where Zebari came to rally support 
for a summit meeting of Iraq's neighbors in Egypt on May 3-4. 
Cumhuriyet claims Zebari told Gul the participation of Iran and 
Syria depends on Turkey's powers of persuasion.  Gul said he 
wouldn't be able to make it to the meeting in Egypt because of the 
presidential elections in Turkey, but pledged to send high-level 
officials from the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) "if Iraq steps up 
the struggle against the PKK."  Cumhuriyet expects MFA 
Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan to represent Turkey in Egypt. 
 
Turkish Islamist Charities Not Controlled 
Liberal Radikal and the leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet continue 
reporting on the German police raid on Islamist leaning Kanal-7 
International TV and Islamist charity organization Deniz Feneri in 
Frankfurt earlier this week.  Deniz Feneri, in an act seen as money 
laundering, allegedly gave half of the 14 billion Euros it has 
collected in donations to Kanal-7 TV as well as to some Palestinian 
organizations.  Although the Istanbul-based charity Deniz Feneri 
denied any ties with the one in Germany, Cumhuriyet says they share 
the same building with Kanal-7 TV in Frankfurt, and the same names 
are seen as both institutions' board members.  The paper adds Deniz 
Feneri Germany has occasionally transferred money to Deniz Feneri 
Istanbul, of which another controversial Islamist group of 
companies, Yimpas, is a sponsor. 
 
Radikal notes that Islamist charity organizations such as "Deniz 
Feneri Dernegi," "Kimse Yok Mu Dernegi," "Istanbul Uluslararasi 
Yardimlasma Dernegi," "Can Suyu Yardimlasma Dernegi" and "IHH Vakfi" 
were given the status of "organizations working for public good," 
allowing them to collect donations as well as exempting them from 
taxes.  The Interior Ministry has been ineffective in controlling 
such organizations totaling 500 in Turkey, says Radikal. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (6 a.m.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- An eight-storey building collapsed in the Sirinevler neighborhood 
of Istanbul on Thursday. One man was rescued from the rubble.  Most 
people had left the building before the collapse when they heard 
cracking sounds. 
 
- Four more suspects have been taken into custody in connection with 
the foiled assassination attempt against Higher Education Board 
president Erdogan Tezic earlier this week. 
 
- Inal Batu, CHP deputy for Hatay, is expected to resign from CHP 
and join DYP on Monday. 
 
- Outgoing President Sezer said the president should be elected for 
a single five-year term and that presidential powers must be 
narrowed. 
 
- Landmines believed to have been planted by the PKK killed two 
Turkish soldiers in Sirnak and Bitlis yesterday. 
 
International News 
 
- The US House of Representatives has defied a pledged veto by 
President Bush and passed a bill for troop including a timetable for 
withdrawal from Iraq. 
 
 
ANKARA 00001002  003 OF 003 
 
 
- The Iraqi parliament is to discuss a new oil law which will allow 
Iraq to sign oil exploration and production contracts with foreign 
companies. 
 
- 10 Iraqi soldiers were killed in a suicide car bomb attack on a 
military checkpoint in northern Iraq. 
 
- A top Taliban commander said Osama bin Laden was behind the 
February attack outside a US military base in Afghanistan during a 
visit by Vice President Dick Cheney. 
 
WILSON