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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002207 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Erdogan: 'Those Who Reject Gul's Presidency Should Leave the 
Country' 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Vatan, Radikal, and Cumhuriyet report a 
heated debate, being played out in the press, between Prime Minister 
Erdogan and mainstream Hurriyet columnist Bekir Coskun.  In what 
most believe is a direct reference to what Coskun said in a column 
last week --"Abdullah Gul won't be my president" -- Erdogan said 
during a television interview late Monday that those who reject Gul 
as president should "leave Turkey and go live elsewhere."  Bekir 
Coskun responded to Erdogan in today's Hurriyet by saying, "I have 
nowhere else to go.  I cannot love another country." 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet Coskun said he started to receive 
death threats after the remarks of Erdogan. 
 
Papers report opposition CHP deputy chairman Mustafa Ozyurek as 
urging Erdogan to apologize, saying such calls could be made only in 
fascist countries.  MHP followed suit, saying the PM's remarks had 
been "unfortunate."  NGOs have also condemned the "unfortunate" 
statement of Erdogan.  On page one liberal Radikal compares the 
words of Erdogan to earlier statements of Turkish politicians urging 
communists to go to Moscow or Turkish women wearing headscarves to 
go to Saudi Arabia.  A commentary in mainstream Vatan says Erdogan's 
words, a clear confirmation that the PM has "not absorbed 
democracy," have contradicted the pledges made by Abdullah Gul that 
he will be a president who represents the whole nation. 
 
Iran Warns of Shelling in Kurdish Villages 
Yeni Safak and Cumhuriyet report northern Iraqi Kurdish officials 
said Iran has been spreading leaflets warning of ground operations 
supported from the air against the villages around Mount Kandil, 
urging residents to evacuate homes within 48 hours. 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports from Erbil the regional Kurdish 
administration spokesman Cemal Abdullah complained about the Iranian 
shelling of the Kurdish villages in the region and the military 
buildup along the border.  "We have no ties with the PKK and PJAK; 
we also don't have the power to fight against them," Abdullah said. 
 
 
Russia Takes Over the Administration of Gulen School in 
St.Petersburg 
Hurriyet, Milliyet:  Papers report that a Turkish school, claimed to 
be established by a foundation connected with Fethullah Gulen, an 
Islamic Sect leader who lives in the US, has been taken over by the 
Russian government with claims that it has connections to the Nurcu 
sect and for not following the curriculum in Russia. 
 
Hijacker: "There was no Direct Flight to Iran" 
Papers reported that the hijackers of the Atlas Air jet said that 
they searched the internet to find direct flights from Ercan airport 
to Tehran, and decided to hijack a plane because there wasn't any 
direct flight to Tehran.  They added that they were planning to meet 
with their Taliban brothers and join al-Qaeda. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Iraq, the Middle East 
Sami Kohen writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "The statement 
by French Minister Kouchner gives enough clues about the changing 
French policy on Iraq.  French diplomacy wants the UN to assume a 
bigger role in Iraq so that there will be no vacuum in the event of 
a US withdrawal.  Kouchner also emphasized the importance of 
sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the establishment of a 
functioning democracy in Iraq.  This stance is very close to 
Turkey's view on Iraq.  Ankara too wants Iraq territorially intact 
and sovereign, looks for a settlement through national consensus, 
and sees a role for the UN in ensuring security and stability after 
the US withdrawal.  Kuchner's remarks also indicate that France does 
not promote the division of Iraq or a separate Northern Iraqi state. 
 The French FM might be more sympathetic toward Iraqi Kurds since he 
used to engage in the issue during his time with Doctors without 
 
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Borders.  However there is no reason [for us] to get upset about his 
contacts with a series of Iraqi leaders, including the Iraqi 
president, ethnic and religious leaders, including Barzani.  Let's 
not forget that even Iran, despite its uneasiness over Kurdish 
terrorists, is in close contact with Talabani and other leaders." 
 
Kamuran Ozbir writes in the nationalist daily Ortadogu: "Washington 
has started implementing a new strategy for the Middle East which 
basically is about establishing a new front against Iran by arming 
regional countries.  The question is whether Iran will feel pressure 
and give up in the end?  I think the answer to this question is no. 
Unlike Iraq, the Iranian regime is supported by millions.  A single 
bomb attack against Iran can create a colossal fire in the entire 
region." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (7 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- The Turkish National Security Council (MGK) held its last meeting 
chaired by President Sezer.  During yesterday's short meeting of one 
and a half hours the fight against terror, the situation of the 
Turkmen in Iraq, and a recent visit by the Iraqi PM al-Maliki to 
Turkey were discussed. 
 
- Kurdish party DTP signaled it will support Abdullah Gul in the 
second round of the presidential voting on August 24 if Gul issues a 
positive message with regard to the Kurdish issue. 
 
- The Turkish General Staff released a statement rejecting 
allegations of meetings held with politicians in the presidential 
process in a reference to press reports that Abdullah Gul enjoyed 
close ties with the military, and that the military was uneasy with 
the CHP. 
 
- Istanbul Bar Association said complaints over abuse of civilians 
by policemen increased after recent legal changes expanding the 
powers of the police. 
 
International News 
 
- Greece supplies US-made weapons to the Greek Cypriots in violation 
of international treaties, while Turkey has pulled back all US-made 
weapons from Turkish Cyprus. 
 
- Turkish Cyprus leader Mehmet Ali Talat told The Daily Telegraph 
that Cyprus faces "permanent partition" unless the conflict between 
the Greeks and Turks is resolved soon. 
 
- A website of the northern Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) 
claims the personnel working in Turkey's Mosul consulate are "spies, 
not diplomats". 
 
- New video from 1994 that surfaced on YouTube shows VP Dick Cheney 
speaking about why dismantling Saddam Hussein's regime during the 
Gulf War would lead to a "quagmire." 
 
MCELDOWNEY