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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001861 
 
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, JULY 20, 2007 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Election Campaign Heats Up 
All papers:  Mainstream Vatan reports that as election day 
approaches, the party leaders become "harsher than ever," 
highlighting the three main party leaders' remarks. AKP leader PM 
Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Parliament "won't be able to 
do any business if both MHP and DTP win seats;" main opposition 
party CHP leader Deniz Baykal said "people who were close to the PM 
in the past, are now attacking Turkish soldiers;" and MHP leader 
Devlet Bahceli said "AKP is the reason Turkish society is burning -- 
under AKP rule, every national value was looted and destroyed." 
Mainstream Milliyet reports that addressing 10,000 people in 
Isparta, DP leader Mehmet Agar said that if he comes to power, he 
would have terrorism under control in six month and end it 
completely in one year, vowing to leave politics if he does not 
achieve these goals. 
 
Meanwhile, papers report that 200 foreign journalists applied to the 
Prime Ministry's Press and Publication Directorate for accreditation 
to follow the elections.  This number, reportedly, was only 100 for 
the 2002 elections. 
 
Turkey-Iraq Relations 
Radikal, Milliyet, Sabah, Yeni Safak and others:  Liberal Radikal 
reports that Turkey gave a diplomatic note to Iraq asking for the 
extradition of PKK terrorist Riza Altun to Turkey.  In return, Iraq 
presented Turkey with a diplomatic note to end military massing at 
the border and to end artillery fire into Northern Iraq.  Milliyet 
reports that the Iraqi government's spokesman Ali Debbag condemned 
Turkey for the Turkish military's recent artillery fire into the 
Dohuk region in Northern Iraq. 
 
Editorial Comment: The US Image in Turkey and Action against the 
PKK 
Columnist Fehmi Koru discusses how the US image in Turkey is 
impacted by its failure to take any concrete action against the PKK. 
 In the Islamist-leaning daily Yeni Safak, he writes: "Regardless of 
the reasons, the fact of the matter is that the PKK has weapons from 
the American army.  Debating the reasons will not do any good.  It 
may be true that American army deserters were selling those weapons. 
 Or it may also be true that the Iraqi administration in the north 
were giving them to the PKK members.  No excuse, no explanation, no 
reason is good enough to soften the fury in people's minds. They 
can't get beyond the fact that PKK terror against Turkey is carried 
out with American weapons.  Washington does not seem to realize the 
sensitivities in Turkey, even though the US considers restoring its 
image a high priority.  There is a bureau at the State Department 
under Karen Hughes which spends hundreds of million dollars to 
create sympathy toward the US. The rate of anti-Americanism in 
Turkey is alarmingly high, but the US can reverse this trend so 
easily if it really wants to [by taking concrete action against the 
PKK].  However there is no sign of that happening.  There are 
opinions coming from experts on Turkish-American relations who 
believe that Americans are not considering tangible action against 
the PKK at the moment because it may work to the benefit of AKP. 
Therefore such efforts may have been postponed until after the 
Turkish elections.  That means Washington is not taking an action 
against the most sensitive issue, the PKK, just because it may 
create a political gain to the AKP in the elections.  The Turkish 
government should have taken note of that." 
 
 
Diyarbakir Prosecutor's Investigation into former DEP Deputy Leyla 
Zana 
Sabah, Milliyet, Zaman and others:  Diyarbakir Chief Public 
Prosecutor started an investigation into former DEP deputy Leyla 
Zana for her remark that "our leader is in Imrali" [referring to 
jailed PKK leader Ocalan], during a speech in Diyarbakir at a rally 
 
ANKARA 00001861  002 OF 002 
 
 
organized for Independent candidates who were supported by DTP. 
 
Meanwhile, Milliyet and Zaman report that speaking in Bingol to 
support the region's independent candidate, Leyla Zana referred to 
the southeast of Turkey as "Kurdistan." 
 
Greece Buys Electricity from Turkey 
Radikal: The Turkish Energy Minister and Greek Development Minister 
have signed a barter trade agreement in Ankara.  As a first step of 
the agreement Greece will buy electricity from Turkey in July and 
August.  Turkish Minister Guler also announced that the natural gas 
pipeline project between Turkey and Greece is about to be concluded, 
while Greek Minister Sioufas added he hoped to extend the pipeline 
through Italy in the future. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 7.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
In a meeting with journalists in Kayseri, FM Gul complained that 
President Sezer was delaying the appointment of a new Secretary 
General for the National Security Council 
 
87 people have been arrested in connection with election protests 
held in Ankara on Tuesday. 
 
 
International News 
 
Russia announced that it was expelling four British Diplomats over 
the murder case of a former KGB agent in Britain. 
 
More than 30 people were killed in two separate bomb attacks in 
Pakistan. 
 
Middle East Quartet held its meeting to outline Tony Blair's 
mission. 
 
WILSON