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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002067 
 
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 
MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Week of Decisions on the Presidential Election 
All papers report the AKP is expected to announce its candidate for 
the presidential election this week. Prime Minister Erdogan hinted 
on Friday there might be more than one candidate nominated when he 
referred to "candidates" in remarks to the press.  Gul, the AKP's 
sole candidate for the post in an earlier attempt in May, is widely 
expected to be a frontrunner once more.  AKP sources said Labor 
Minister Murat Basesgioglu and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul could 
also be nominated.  The AKP is expected to agree on the names for 
the race after the cabinet of ministers meeting and party group 
meetings today.  Sources claim although the AKP has until August 19 
to announce a name, it won't wait until the deadline and will 
announce its candidate this week.  Cumhuriyet quotes AKP sources as 
saying the two candidates who receive the lowest votes in the first 
two rounds of voting in the parliament will withdraw, allowing the 
AKP's remaining candidate to win the ballot in the third round of 
voting, scheduled for August 28.  Main opposition CHP and its 
electoral ally, the Democratic Left Party (DSP) announced over the 
weekend they were inclined to support Basesgioglu, a former ANAP 
politician.  The first round of voting will be held in the 
parliament August 20, and the second and third rounds August 26 and 
28 respectively.  A two-thirds majority (367 votes) is needed for 
election in the first two rounds while a simple majority (267 votes) 
would be sufficient in the third round. 
 
Iraqi Kurds Express Support for the PKK 
All papers report Kurdish regional administration leader Massoud 
Barzani's Kirkuk representative Kadir Aziz told the Kurdish PUK 
Media website they did not see the PKK as a terror organization, 
stressing the Kurds "strongly objected" to the deal Prime Minister 
Nouri al-Maliki signed with Turkey to fight against the PKK.  "The 
Kurds and Shiites form the majority of the Maliki government; our 
approval is necessary when taking important decisions with 
neighboring countries.  The Kurds, Americans and coalition forces 
cannot take the risk of opening a new front in Iraq.  We prefer a 
peaceful solution to the PKK problem through dialogue," Aziz said. 
The Kurdish regional administration's peshmerge commander Sheikh 
Cafer Mustafa also told the website the Kurds in northern Iraq will 
not fight against the PKK. 
 
Turkey-Iran-Pakistan to Finalize Preferential Trade Deal 
Liberal Radikal reports Kursad Tuzmen, state minister for foreign 
trade, said he expects a boom in Turkey's trade with Iran and 
Pakistan after the Economic Cooperation Organization Trade Agreement 
(ECOTA) stipulating customs tariff cuts between the three countries 
goes into effect in the first months of 2008.  In late July, a 
delegation from the Energy Ministry traveled to Tehran to finalize a 
preliminary deal between the governments of the two countries.  Part 
of the deal will enable Turkey to use Iran as a transit route for 
Turkmen gas.  Tuzmen said trade among ECO countries, amounting to 
some five percent for each country, would boom once the preferential 
trade agreement takes effect. 
 
Equipment Meant for the PKK Seized in Mersin 
Mainstream Milliyet reports Hakan A., a Turkish truck driver 
arrested in Mersin last week with state-of-the-art radios, medical 
equipment and body heaters aboard his vehicle, took the equipment 
from a Turk employed at the NATO base in Giessen, Germany.  The 
driver was to take the cargo to the PKK in northern Iraq.  Police 
said the equipment did not belong to NATO.  Turkish Foreign Ministry 
(MFA) is expected to ask Germany for help to find out how the driver 
obtained the equipment, says Milliyet. 
 
Water Crisis in Ankara 
All papers continue reporting on the suffering in Ankara from water 
cuts, saying many in the Turkish capital believe the drought is not 
natural, but a manmade disaster brought on by mismanagement of water 
resources.  The city has to supply water to hospitals in tankers and 
 
ANKARA 00002067  002 OF 003 
 
 
has called for the opening of schools to be delayed by a month until 
mid-October.  Ankara also has started building a 375-kilometre 
pipeline to bring water from Kizilirmak, the country's longest 
river.  Opposition CHP is reportedly planning to table a motion 
against Prime Minister Erdogan for failing to remove from office 
Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Melih Gokcek. 
 
Since October the northwest Marmara region, home to Turkey's largest 
city Istanbul, has received rain 34 percent less than normal, while 
the Aegean coast has seen 43 percent less than the usual level.  The 
Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture estimates the drought has 
cost farmers USD 3.9 billion, and the meteorology service has warned 
that autumn rains in western and central Turkey are unlikely to end 
the drought. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Iraq; Russia and Global Security 
Semih Idiz writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "With the 
situation in Iraq heading toward an impasse, efforts are underway to 
increase the role of the United Nations.  The US Ambassador to the 
UN has talked about their intention to call an Iraqi neighbors 
conference under the auspices of the UN.  Interestingly, Iran and 
Syria are also included in the conference participants list which 
clearly shows the helplessness of Washington vis-`-vis the Iraq 
situation.  In addition to that Baghdad is also preparing itself for 
a possible post-US-withdrawal period.  Iraqi officials are well 
aware of the fact that they will have to be on good terms with their 
neighbors once the US forces leave.  Relations with Turkey, Saudi 
Arabia and Iran are very important for Iraq especially for 
security-related matters.  Syria, Jordan and Kuwait are also 
important for humanitarian reasons especially for the future of 
Iraqi refugees.  All of these developments indicate that Turkey has 
to see the Iraq issue in a broader context and should not take the 
PKK issue as the sole angle.  Otherwise Turkey might be out of the 
game, ignoring the new circumstances and the changing equilibrium." 
 
 
Zafer Atay writes in the business and political daily Dunya: 
"Following the demise of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact not only 
dissolved but some of its members joined NATO.  In the meantime 
Moscow could not get rid of its negative obsession regarding the 
NATO alliance; Russia is still suspicious of the Western alliance. 
In an effort to unite the former Soviet countries, Moscow managed to 
establish the Union of Independent States and the Shanghai Five with 
China, which was expanded to include new participants recently. 
The Shanghai Cooperation group just launched a giant exercise with 
6500 soldiers.  Although both Beijing and Moscow deny this group is 
meant to be an alternate to NATO, the member states are expected to 
sign a cooperation agreement to form a defense shield.   Iran, 
Pakistan, India and Mongolia are observers to the ongoing exercise 
and there is a possibility that they will join the alliance.  Given 
the huge populations and powerful armies of China and Russia, 
participation of the current observers will not only lead to the 
formation of Asian NATO, but also will change the world power 
equilibrium." 
 
TV News: 
(NTV, 6 A.M.) 
Domestic News 
 
- Thirteen Turkish soldiers and two civilians, were wounded when a 
PKK roadside landmine went off in Eruh in the southeastern province 
of Siirt. 
 
- Writer Nevval Sevindi said she will run for the Democrat Party 
(DP) chairmanship.  DP leader Mehmet Agar had quit his party after 
failing to cross the 10-percent threshold in the general elections. 
 
 
- Hundreds of environment activists including the city mayor held a 
protest demonstration in the eastern city of Tunceli, calling on the 
 
ANKARA 00002067  003 OF 003 
 
 
government not to build dams on the Munzur River, saying it would 
damage the ecology of the province. 
 
International News 
 
- The new Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozaku-Markulli said 
the Turkish military and not Turkish politicians holds the key to a 
solution in Cyprus. 
 
- The northern Iraqi PUK website says the high commission for 
implementing the constitutional article on Kirkuk is to convene 
after five months in Baghdad, and is expected to speed up work for 
holding a controversial referendum on the fate of the oil rich city. 
 
 
- Britain's Sunday Telegraph reports a sudden pullout of US and UK 
forces from Iraq will spark civilian strife and divide the country 
into three zones, dragging Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia 
into the conflict. 
 
MCELDOWNEY