VZCZCXRO6044
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #2039/01 2211445
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091445Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3325
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 8281
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3137
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 2210
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 6052
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5874
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2467
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 002039 
 
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, AUGUST 9, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
AKP Names Parliament Speaker, Presidential Situation Still Unclear 
All papers report the ruling AKP named Koksal Toptan as its 
candidate for parliamentary speaker on Wednesday.  Toptan, a lawyer 
by profession, is known to be a moderate who does not have an 
Islamic background and whose wife does not wear the Muslim 
headscarf. He has served in several previous governments as minister 
of education and of culture.  Initial reaction from opposition 
parties was positive, with CHP leaders welcoming Toptan and 
expressing hope he will not act as a ruling party speaker and will 
be fair to all sides.  MHP also said Toptan was experienced in 
politics and will be a parliament speaker highlighting compromise 
and tolerance.  MHP, however, nominated former finance minister and 
public broadcaster TRT director Professor Tunca Toskay as its 
candidate for the post.  The Turkish Parliament will elect its new 
speaker on Thursday. 
 
Meanwhile, mainstream papers continue to speculate regarding the 
next president of Turkey.  Vatan, Hurriyet, Radikal and Cumhuriyet 
expect Erdogan to continue to press Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to 
withdraw from the presidential race.  Some AKP members, however, 
predict turmoil in the party if Gul is forced to step aside.  Papers 
report MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli said at a group meeting of his 
party yesterday the presidency must be an office based on 
"democratic compromise."  Bahceli said Turkey faces a fresh 
political crisis if Gul runs again for president. 
 
The Aftermath of Maliki's Turkey Visit 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak and 
others express doubt in the wake of the Turkey visit of the Prime 
Minister Nuri al-Maliki that the Iraqi PM will be able to stick to 
the anti-terror pledge he made in Ankara.  Cumhuriyet warns that if 
Turkey and Iraq fail to sign an anti-terror agreement in two months, 
the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed earlier this week in 
Ankara will become void.  An optimistic Zaman believes the MOU lays 
the ground with regard to combating terrorism, as the PKK was named 
a "terror organization" for the first time in a document between 
Iran and Turkey.  The paper also notes that with the signing of the 
MOU, the likelihood of a Turkish military incursion into northern 
Iraq has diminished at least until next year.  Radikal claims that 
Turkey turned down a Maliki request that amnesty for PKK militants 
be put in the anti-terror deal, and instead insisted on concrete 
measures such as cross-border operations and extradition of 
terrorists. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Maliki Visit 
Erdal Safak writes in the mainstream daily Sabah: "The MOU, signed 
by Turkish PM Erdogan and Iraqi PM Maliki, reconfirmed the previous 
three agreements between the two countries, namely the 1926 Ankara 
Agreement, the 1946 Friendship and Good Neighborhood Agreement and 
the 1989 Legal and Judicial Cooperation Agreement.  In referring to 
those three agreements, Turkey has committed itself to not 
interfering in Iraq's internal affairs, and reiterated its 
commitment to Iraq's territorial integrity.  In other words, the new 
MOU implies that Ankara has assured Iraq it would not interfere in 
any of Iraq's internal matters, from the Kirkuk issue to the oil 
law.  In exchange for that Iraq committed to the pursuit of PKK 
members as well as to their capture and extradition.  Realization of 
this commitment requires actual support from the Iraqi Kurdish 
region, i.e. the support of Barzani.  The fact of the matter is, at 
this point, Turkey has to establish contact with Barzani one way or 
another in order to have the agreement be actually implemented.  By 
continuing with the current policy - recognizing Baghdad as the sole 
authority -- Turkey cannot get beyond receiving 'we are sorry for 
the PKK attacks, but there is nothing we can do' messages from 
Baghdad." 
 
Semih Idiz writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "Our diplomats 
call it a success while some observers call it a cosmetic effort 
 
ANKARA 00002039  002 OF 003 
 
 
with no tangible result.  The truth about the Maliki visit lies 
somewhere in between.  It would be unrealistic to expect that 
Maliki, given the political turmoil in Iraq, would make immediately 
binding commitments about the PKK.  Moreover Maliki and his party 
clearly stood against a cross-border operation which means Turkey is 
facing a solid 'no cross-border operation' bloc consisting of Iraq, 
the US and Iran.  On the other hand, with the Maliki visit, Ankara 
and Baghdad reached common ground regarding the characterization of 
the PKK.  Whether Barzani will accept this characterization is 
another question.  In any case, Ankara now has a diplomatic 
instrument to use as a basis toward a comprehensive cooperation 
agreement against terrorism.  It would be realistic to expect the US 
to push Iraq for a comprehensive anti-terrorism agreement.  Also, 
the Maliki party did not leave empty handed.  One of the articles of 
the MOU indicates that Turkey and Iraq will not interfere in each 
other's domestic affairs.   It is obvious that Iraqi Kurds and their 
supporters will read this article as Turkey's commitment not to 
interfere in the Kirkuk issue." 
 
Congressman Shays Visits MFA 
Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet and others report Congressman Christopher Shays 
(R-Connecticut) met in Ankara yesterday with Turkish Foreign 
Ministry officials, after which he said that a recent anti-terror 
deal between Turkey and Iraq made it clear that the PKK is a 
terrorist organization, and Turkey has a right to take any necessary 
action with a neighbor that is tolerating terrorist activity. 
Shays, however, stressed that it is to the advantage of Iraq, 
Turkey, and the US to work this out collectively rather than one 
country taking "unilateral action." 
 
FBI's Fuentes Visits Turkish Police Chief 
"FBI Thanks Turkish Police," says a headline in the 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak, reporting Thomas V. Fuentes, the head 
of FBI's International Operations, paid a visit to Turkish Security 
Director-General Oguz Kaan in Ankara yesterday.  Fuentes reportedly 
praised the work of Turkish police in capturing Atilla E., a Turkish 
hacker arrested within the frame of operations against al-Qaeda. 
Fuentes said the American public welcomed the hacker's arrest, 
according to Yeni Safak. 
 
Mayor Gokcek Blamed for Water Crisis in Ankara 
All papers point to the water shortage in Ankara, criticizing Mayor 
Melih Gokcek for failing to take timely measures despite the fact 
that he had been warned a couple of years in advance before drought 
hit the capital.  Water distribution was interrupted in Ankara on 
Tuesday until Friday midnight when a main water line burst, causing 
floods which damaged more than 100 shops and houses in the 
Yenimahalle district. 
 
State Water Works (DSI) director said Mayor Gokcek had been warned 
about approaching water problems in 2002 and 2004, in letters which 
said construction should start for a nearby dam in Isikli to bring 
water to Ankara.  Gokcek allegedly refused saying the dam's estimate 
cost of around USD 250 million was high, but later spent hundreds of 
millions on city roads and also imported trees worth USD 500 
million.  Cumhuriyet reports hospitals in Ankara halted surgeries 
except for emergency cases due to lack of water.  Papers also report 
water levels fell down to 26 percent in the dams around Istanbul as 
well. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Energy Minister Hilmi Guler told the press after meeting his 
Azerbaijani counterpart Natiq Aliyev that the amount of oil flowing 
through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline has reached 1 million 
barrels a day. 
 
 
ANKARA 00002039  003 OF 003 
 
 
- Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan plans to 
visit Washington at the end of this month as the official guest of 
State U/S Nicholas Burns. 
 
- The Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture estimates the cost of 
drought to Turkey is 5 billion Turkish Lira. 
 
- A German teenager on trial in Antalya on charges of sexual abuse 
of a 13 year-old English girl was ordered to remain in custody 
pending the next session of his trial in September. 
 
International News 
 
- The Greek radio and television board has decided to close down 
King FM Radio broadcasting in Turkish in Western Thrace. 
 
- Pro-Greek US congressmen have introduced a bill in the Congress 
asking Turkey to end its military presence in Cyprus. 
 
- President Peres anticipates US and European support for a peace 
proposal according to which Israel will promise a Palestinian state 
on territory equal to 100 percent of the West Bank and Gaza. 
 
- The Dutch extreme right leader Geert Wilders has called for the 
Koran to be banned in the Netherlands.  Wilders claimed the Koran 
was "a fascist book which called for violence". 
 
 
MCELDOWNEY