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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001755 
 
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, JULY 10, 2007 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Iraq, the US, Turks on Possible Turkish Incursion into Iraq 
All papers report the Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari said there are 
around 140,000 Turkish troops massed at the border with Iraq.  "We 
understand Turkey's legitimate concerns, but still think that this 
matter can be negotiated.  The best solution would be the withdrawal 
of Turkish troops," Zebari said.  He also noted Turkey, Iraq, and 
the US have a joint security committee, adding Iraq would be willing 
to host the committee activities and urged Turkey to send a 
representative. 
 
Papers quote State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack as saying in 
response to a question that "it's not unusual that Turkish troops 
are conducting wide-ranging operations against the PKK" in the 
southeast of Turkey.  Papers quote Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman 
as saying the US believes "Turkey has legitimate concerns" about the 
PKK but that a military incursion is "not the way to solve the 
problem."  Papers also quote White House Spokesman Tony Snow as 
saying "we are certainly concerned about the PKK and other terror 
organizations but protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq is 
also important." 
 
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said during a TV interview, 
"Turkey has the right to demand the US cooperate since it's the US 
that is controlling Iraq now.  We have told the US it is not enough 
to merely recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization."  Prime 
Minister Erdogan said for now the government did not have on its 
agenda a request for a parliamentary resolution for an incursion. 
"But that does not mean it cannot happen; we will take any step we 
see necessary," Erdogan maintained. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Impact of Northern Iraq on Turkey-US Ties 
Yilmaz Oztuna comments in the conservative-nationalist Turkiye: 
"The bombing in the Turkmen town Tuzharmatu which killed at least 
150 innocent people; sending suicide bombers to Istanbul and Izmir; 
and 'science fiction' movies showing the US distributing weapons to 
the PKK -- all these actions have one main target:  to damage 
Turkey-US relations to an extent that cannot be improved for years 
and encourage an armed clash between the two countries.  The Turkmen 
massacre took place just to provoke Turkey against the US.  We 
should remember that it is inevitable that the Kurds will do 
something before the US withdraws from Iraq." 
 
Can Atakli writes in the mainstream Vatan:  "PM Erdogan has stood 
against TGS Chief General Buyukanit's request for a cross-border 
operation into Northern Iraq for a long time.  After more than two 
months, PM Erdogan said 'we are waiting to hear from the US, after 
that I will talk with President Bush, and then, we will do what is 
necessary.'  What will Bush say?  More important than this is what 
our government's stance to these developments would be.  There are 
rumors that the government will convene the parliament 
extraordinarily just a week before the [July 22] elections to have 
the motion for a cross-border operation into Iraq approved.  No 
doubt that the parliament will pass the motion.  But, what will 
happen after that is anyone's guess.  Some say that just a few days 
before the elections the order will be given for an operation into 
Iraq and by doing that, the AKP government will benefit from this 
'brave atmosphere' and will get more votes.  Some others say that 
the government will get the authorization and will hold on to it 
until after the elections, allowing tensions to escalate, without 
taking any action for a cross-border operation." 
 
Turkish Leaders on Presidential Elections 
All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan said Monday that after the 
July 22 general elections, he will be ready to seek a compromise on 
the presidency and prepare a list of candidates to discuss with 
other parties.  He said the authorities of the president will be 
restricted and a "strengthened" prime ministerial system will be 
implemented, "as in Austria or Finland."  The main opposition CHP 
 
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leader Deniz Baykal said his party will not accept one of the 
candidates named by Erdogan, followed by MHP leader Devlet Bahceli 
who said the PM was "not sincere."  Baykal suggested a candidate who 
is not a member of the parliament be selected.  Mainstream papers 
predict Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will not be among Erdogan's 
candidates. 
 
State of Education Deteriorating in Turkey 
All papers report the results of the High School Entrance 
Examination (OKS), taken by 824,676 eighth graders competing to get 
into Turkey's top schools, saying the results point to a deepening 
divide reflecting regional and financial disparities and the 
shortcomings of primary education in Turkey.  The number of students 
who got a "zero" on the exam was 27,277.  Private schools did 
significantly better than public schools in this year's OKS.  The 
mainly Kurdish southeastern province of Hakkari was on the bottom of 
the list with the eastern and southeastern provinces of Sirnak, 
Ardahan, Agri, and Kars close to the bottom.  Teachers' union 
Egitim-Sen said the results were a striking reflection of the 
increasing divide between the rich and the poor in the education 
system, underlining that only children from well-off families are 
able to enroll in private tutoring courses which help them score 
well in these exams and thus win a place in prestigious high 
schools. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 7.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- A Turkish soldier has been killed by a PKK landmine blast in the 
southeastern border province of Sirnak. 
 
- Hrant Dink's lawyers have filed objections to a court decision to 
release four suspects arrested in connection with the murder of the 
Armenian journalist. 
 
- Harriet Schmidt, director of the UN office for developing 
countries, told a conference of the least-developed nations in 
Istanbul if the force of globalization continues on the path of the 
last 30 years, it would completely sweep away the least developed 
countries. 
 
- A consortium of Malaysia Airports Holdings, India's GMR 
Infrastructure and Turkey's Limak, secured on Monday the rights to 
Istanbul's second airport with a 1.9 billion Euro bid, and will 
spend about USD 250-300 million to build a new international flights 
terminal in Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the Anatolian side of the city. 
 
 
International News 
 
- Southern Cyprus's governing alliance was on the verge of 
dissolving on Monday after communist AKEL, the largest party in the 
three-way coalition, announced plans to field its own candidate in 
presidential elections in February. 
 
- The Wall Street Journal reported Monday the US government is 
studying the possibility of signing a formal peace treaty with North 
Korea after more than 50 years of standoff. 
 
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said unless supported by 
Serbia, any resolution on independence for Kosovo will fail in the 
UN Security Council. 
 
- French president Sarkozy will not give a traditional Bastille Day 
pardon to thousands of prisoners in the country's overcrowded jails, 
raising fears that disappointed inmates could riot. 
 
WILSON