VZCZCXRO2530
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #1345/01 1521127
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 011127Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2357
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 8110
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 2792
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1995
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5940
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5715
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2332
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 001345 
 
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 
THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Constitutional Court to File Complaint against Erdogan 
All papers report Turkey's Constitutional Court will seek criminal 
charges against Prime Minister Erdogan after the PM criticized the 
court for blocking the presidential election, the high court's 
President Tulay Tugcu said.  On Tuesday, Erdogan described as "a 
disgrace" the Constitutional Court ruling that forced the 
cancellation of the process of election of Turkey's president in the 
parliament, suggesting the verdict had been politically motivated. 
"The Prime Minister's remarks ignore the supremacy of law, contain 
threats and hostility and expose our court as a target for attack," 
Tugcu told a news conference, adding the PM's remarks "exceed the 
bounds of respect." 
 
Cumhuriyet reports the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office launched an 
investigation into Erdogan's remarks against the Constitutional 
Court, which might constitute a violation of Article 301 of Turkish 
Penal Code, the article which criminalizes "insulting Turkishness" 
and under which many prominent journalists have been prosecuted.  A 
decision by parliament, where the ruling AKP has a large majority, 
is needed to strip the PM of his immunity from prosecution. 
 
Turkey on US Handover of Security in North Iraq 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the 
Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) spokesman Levent Bilman said with 
regard to the handover of security responsibility to the regional 
Kurdish administration in northern Iraq, "What is important for 
Turkey is the handover of security responsibilities to the central 
Iraqi government rather than diverse ethnic groups and local 
forces." 
 
Tukey-Iraq Relations 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report 
Ambassador Oguz Celikkol, Turkey's special envoy for Iraq, said on 
his return home after leading a Turkish delegation to Baghdad that 
Iraqi officials understand Ankara's concerns over terrorism and the 
PKK presence in northern Iraq.  Celikkol said he conveyed a letter 
from Prime Minister Erdogan to his Iraqi counterpart concerning the 
PKK and documents showing that explosives used by the terrorist 
organization were coming from Iraq. 
 
Meanwhile, papers report the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) has 
turned down requests from Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic 
Party (KDP) and Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 
to visit Ankara for talks, saying the heated political debates and 
the upcoming parliamentary elections at home did not allow such 
meetings. 
 
MFA on US Violation of Turkish Airspace 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak and others report 
the Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) spokesman Levent Bilman told a 
weekly press briefing yesterday that Washington has acknowledged 
Turkey's airspace had been violated, however the violation was 
inadvertent.  Responding to a question, Bilman said in diplomacy it 
was not significant that the note was given to a lower level 
diplomat rather than the American chief of mission, stressing what 
mattered was the wording of the demarche.  Meanwhile, Milliyet 
reports an unidentified State Department official said Washington 
told Ankara the US applied temporary flight restrictions for US 
pilots responsible for the "unintentional violation of Turkish 
airspace" on May 24. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Turkey-US Ties, the PKK in Northern Iraq 
 
Semih Idiz observes in the mainstream daily Milliyet:  "The tension 
between the Turkish and US militaries over the F-16 violation of 
Turkish air space is proof of the deteriorating Turkey-US relations. 
 Since the implementation of the Truman Doctrine, Turkey-US 
relations have been based on bilateral military relations.  For half 
 
ANKARA 00001345  002 OF 003 
 
 
a century, the Turkish and American militaries have always acted 
together in every field including bilateral and multilateral 
operational issues, so it is obvious that the weakening military 
relations will have a negative impact on bilateral political 
relations.  At the moment, the diplomats of both countries are 
exerting efforts to improve relations; however, bilateral relations 
have entered a course of their own, beyond the stage that diplomats 
can resolve.  I believe that the US is responsible for relations 
having reached this point because it has taken Turkey for granted on 
every issue.  It was a vital mistake for the US to think that it 
could drag its feet concerning the PKK.  Unfortunately, bilateral 
relations are being dragged toward a dangerous and unclear future." 
 
Erdal Safak commented in the mainstream daily Sabah:  "The shadow 
war conducted through the secret services of the US and Iran is 
gradually intensifying.  President Bush recently instructed the CIA 
to carry out operations to destabilize Iran.  Through these 
instructions, he gave a green light to any destructive action 
against Iran, including sabotage.  A few days after these 
instructions, Iranian officials announced that CIA members had 
filtered into central and southwest Iran for sabotage activities. 
Allegedly, there were PJAK members among those CIA members.  The 
issue sounds rather complicated, but let me explain. Those hiding 
out on Mount Kandil are called PJAK members when they go to Iran and 
are supported by both the US and Iraq.  When they cross into Syria, 
they are regarded as members of the Democratic Unity Party and again 
supported by the US and Iraq.  When they move into Baghdad, Erbil, 
Kirkuk, Mosul or Suleymanie, they are regarded as members of the 
Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (PCDK).  As of yesterday these 
forces joined the Northern Iraqi Forces as well!  Finally, those on 
Mount Kandil are referred to as PKK members when they cross into 
Turkey.  Actually, Kandil is a logistical center and those on the 
mountain are moved wherever they are needed.  Turkey is angry with 
the US for not resolving the Kandil issue.  I wonder whether the US 
will ever resolve this issue." 
 
PKK Says Ankara Bombing Actually Targeted TGS 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports Feyman Huseyin, the leader of 
the PKK's military wing HPG, told the group's website that the 
suicide bombing in Ankara earlier this month actually targeted the 
Turkish General Staff (TGS.)  Huseyin said the bombing had been made 
in retaliation for Turkish anti-Kurdish policies, and warned such 
attacks could continue. 
 
Students Perform Muslim Prayer in High School 
Milliyet and Radikal report students in a public high school in the 
Bagcilar neighborhood in Istanbul prayed along with their teacher in 
a room in the school's basement which had been turned into a prayer 
room (Mescit), with boys and girls taking turns to perform the 
Muslim prayer, "namaz."  The incident was reportedly exposed earlier 
this month by a family who managed to secretly record the prayers on 
camera after noticing a sudden change in their daughter, who decided 
to cover her head and join prayers with some students and teachers 
in the school.  The provincial education director in Istanbul said 
an investigation has been launched into the claims. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 6.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkish police have detained an 11-member al-Qaida logistics team 
in operations in the Avcilar, Bagcilar, Kucukcekmece and Umraniye 
districts in Istanbul, seizing forged passports and ID cards. 
 
- Some 100,000 Turks are expected to make the Muslim pilgrimage 
"Hajj" to Saudi Arabia this year. 
 
- The AKP government's plan to reduce value-added tax on food and 
tourism by 10 percent will cost the Treasury 800 million Turkish 
 
ANKARA 00001345  003 OF 003 
 
 
lira. 
 
- Turkey prepares to import cheap automobiles from China. 
 
International News 
 
- European Court of Human Rights has rejected the objection of Greek 
Cypriot Myra Xenides-Arestis to the court decision for referring her 
property complaints to the property commission established by 
Turkish Cypriot authorities. 
 
- EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed the decision of 
French President Sarkozy not to block the expected opening June 26 
of three new areas of negotiations between the EU and Turkey. 
 
- The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, told an 
Italian newspaper the European community can accept the membership 
of an overwhelming Islamic society such as Turkey. 
 
- EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel 
said Turkey's EU entry bid cannot be reversed. 
 
 
WILSON