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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000774 
 
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, APRIL 4, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Erdogan Meets Assad in Aleppo 
All papers report on Tuesday, Prime Minister Erdogan met with 
President Bashar al-Assad and Prime Minister Farouk al-Shara during 
a visit to Syria to attend the inauguration of a soccer arena in 
Aleppo where a friendly game between Fenerbahce and al-Ittihad, 
soccer teams from both countries.  Assad and Erdogan reportedly 
discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Lebanon, and Iraq. 
Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler told reporters in Aleppo that 
Turkey and Syria were considering jointly building a dam on the 
Orontes (Asi) River.  Guler also said Egyptian natural gas will be 
transported to Turkey through Syria. 
 
Erdogan on Military Coup Allegations, Turkish Presidential Elections 
 
All papers report that en route to Syria, Prime Minister Erdogan 
told journalists on board his plane that prosecutors should 
investigate recent allegations that a military coup against the AKP 
government was planned in 2004, complaining that prosecutors were 
neglecting their duties.  Weekly political magazine Nokta had 
recently raised the military takeover allegations by publishing a 
diary attributed to retired Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ozden 
Ornek. 
 
Erdogan also said his ruling AKP's candidate for the presidency will 
be determined by the party administration.  Erdogan is to discuss 
the matter with the heads of AKP provincial branches on April 11. 
The AKP governing body meeting, scheduled to be held April 6, has 
been postponed to April 18, say papers, prompting speculation that 
Erdogan will wait until the last possible moment for an announcement 
before the deadline for nominations, April 25.  Papers say Erdogan 
has been angered by reports that Inonu University (in Malatya) has 
put off exams to enable students to join a rally in Ankara on April 
¶14.  The demonstration aiming to block Erdogan's presidential 
aspirations will be held by the Ataturk Thought Organization with 
the expected participation of over 100 NGOs. 
 
Papers report the main opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal continued 
his criticism of Erdogan and the AKP conduct on the eve of the 
forthcoming presidential elections.  Baykal accused the AKP 
government of "besieging the media," saying "Turkey's leading media 
conglomerate is under government financial investigation, and 
another one has been seized by the State," [a referral to government 
fund TMSF's recent seizure of the Ciner Media Group which owns over 
60 media outlets including mass circulation Sabah daily and national 
ATV channel due to alleged financial and management illegalities]. 
 
 
DTP Arrests Continue 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report some 
1000 people including eight Kurdish party DTP mayors held a 
demonstration yesterday in Cizre Township in the southeastern Sirnak 
province to protest the arrest of Cizre mayor Aydin Budak for 
praising the PKK's imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan during the 
Nevruz celebrations in late March.  Budak was arrested yesterday on 
charges of "praising a crime and a criminal."  The group released a 
statement and held a short sit-in protest in front of the Cizre 
Municipality, and then dispersed.  Papers report another five DTP 
members were detained in Cizre. 
 
Meanwhile, 17 suspects, including Salih Karaaslan, the Ankara head 
of DTP, have been taken into custody for staging, during Nevruz 
celebrations in Ankara, demonstrations in which the terrorist 
organization was praised. 
 
Papers also report the Diyarbakir prosecutor has demanded up to 15 
year prison sentences each for 53 DTP mayors who, last year, sent a 
letter to Denmark's prime minister asking him not to close the 
Copenhagen-based Roj TV, viewed as a mouthpiece for the PKK by the 
 
ANKARA 00000774  002 OF 002 
 
 
Turkish government. 
 
PKK Members Captured in Syria 
All papers report seven PKK terrorists, including their leader, 
Sadik Aslan, were captured in Syria in a joint operation of Turkish 
and Syrian security forces as a "goodwill gesture" on the eve of the 
visit of Prime Minister Erdogan to Damascus.  The operation was 
launched based on information provided by a PKK member, Mustafa Tas, 
who was captured in Sanliurfa four months ago.  Papers expect Turkey 
to ask for their extradition. 
 
Editorial Commentary: What is the US's Ultimate Aim for the Kurds? 
Kamuran Ozbir writes in the nationalist Ortadogu:  "US Assistant 
Secretary Dan Fried says 'the PKK issue is hidden in more serious 
 
SIPDIS 
and more complicated Turk-Kurd issues.'  The US considers the PKK a 
terrorist organization; however, US State Department spokesman Sean 
McCormack says that the US is trying to find a way to resolve the 
issue without using force.  In fact, there is no other terrorist 
organization in the world which has such guarantees.  Secretary Rice 
has referred to the Turkey-Iraqi border as Turkey-Kurdistan border. 
Former US Ambassador to Iraq Khalilzad once referred to Northern 
Iraq as Kurdistan.  Moreover, the US Special envoy for Countering 
the PKK, General Ralston, at a Congressional hearing said 'We 
encourage Turkish side and Kurdish side to meet not with the PKK but 
with the Kurdish Administration, in order to resolve some of the 
issues.'  The US politicians have some vision for Iraq, the Middle 
East and the future of the Kurds.  What is US's ultimate aim for the 
Kurds?" 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (6 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkey's Higher Education Board (YOK) has released a statement 
denouncing a "populist" government campaign for the opening of 17 
new universities despite financial and academic difficulties.  YOK 
will release a declaration on the presidential elections after an 
extraordinary meeting of university rectors on Thursday. 
 
  - On Wednesday, visiting Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser 
al-Muhammad al-Sabah will meet with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan 
in Ankara. 
 
  - Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, on an official visit in Germany, 
will travel to Cologne on Wednesday to launch a Turkish project for 
"e-consulate services." 
 
International News 
 
- President Bush has criticized US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip 
to Syria, saying it sends "mixed signals" to the region and to the 
government of President Assad. 
 
- French presidential candidate Segolene Royal has announced support 
for a bill which would bring penalties for the denial of Armenian 
genocide claims. 
 
- Turkish Cypriot presidential spokesman Hasan Ercakica said a Greek 
Cypriot goodwill package disclosed this week aimed at blocking 
cooperation between Turkish Cyprus and the EU. 
 
- Insurgents in Iraq holding hostage a German mother and son say in 
a new video they are giving Germany a new deadline to pull troops 
out of Afghanistan or the two would be killed. 
WILSON