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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002290 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Erdogan's New Government Wins Confidence Vote 
All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan's new cabinet won a vote of 
confidence in parliament on Wednesday with 337 lawmakers voting for 
the government and 197 against.  "Our principle will be not to 
discriminate against any of our citizens and to spread justice to 
all regions," Erdogan told deputies after the vote.  Parliament now 
goes into recess until October 1. 
 
President Gul Hosts State Reception 
All papers report President Abdullah Gul hosted a state reception in 
the presidential palace Wednesday with the participation of cabinet 
ministers, members of parliament, and top judiciary officials as 
well as foreign mission chiefs.  The military top brass and 
opposition CHP did not attend.  The military was represented by 
General Erdal Ceylanoglu, the officer in command of the tanks that 
hit the streets in Sincan, Ankara in 1997, when the military ousted 
the government led by Islamist Necmettin Erbakan.  Some papers 
comment the attendance of Ceylanoglu was a message to the AKP 
government. 
 
Meanwhile, leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports that during a call 
on Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan on Wednesday, President Abdullah 
Gul denied press reports claiming he would visit the US this year. 
Gul reportedly said he would travel to the US next year to attend 
the UN meeting which will discuss Turkey's temporary membership in 
the UN Security Council. 
 
Turkish-British Foreign Ministers Meet 
All papers report Foreign Minister and Turkey's chief EU negotiator 
Ali Babacan met yesterday with visiting British Foreign Secretary 
David Miliband.  Miliband informed Babacan on the security situation 
and latest developments in Iraq, and promised continued support for 
Ankara's EU membership drive.  Miliband said Turkey's EU accession 
was important especially in areas like energy and security.  He also 
stressed that the victory of democracy in the recent political 
crisis in Turkey made the country much stronger, say papers. 
 
Peres Receives Turkish-Israeli-Palestinian Businessmen 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal and Zaman report Israeli President Shimon 
Peres received Wednesday the members of a 
Turkish-Israeli-Palestinian business gathering "Ankara Forum." 
Rifat Hisarciklioglu, whose Turkish Union of Chambers (TOBB) heads 
the Forum, said "When we had the first meeting in Ankara 
two-and-a-half years ago, we couldn't convince Israeli and 
Palestinian businessmen to even to get on the same van." 
The sixth meeting of the forum on Tuesday agreed on plans to 
establish a joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park in the West 
Bank and a permanent office in East Jerusalem. 
Forum representatives also met with the former British Prime 
Minister Tony Blair, now the Quartet's special envoy in the Middle 
East, in Jerusalem where Blair was visiting as part of a 10-day 
Middle East tour.  Blair praised the initiative and offered help if 
needed, say papers.  The Ankara Forum's primary objective is to 
foster economic cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority, such as the 2006 transformation of the Erez Industrial 
Park into a Palestinian industrial free zone. 
 
Al-Qaeda Operation in Germany 
Sabah, Hurriyet, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet and others:  Papers 
report that three people - one of them a Turk -- were arrested in 
Germany during a security operation.  Mainstream Milliyet says that 
German police has been following the three suspects for all of last 
year after spotting them watching the US Ramstein base closely. 
Reportedly, the two German and one Turkish suspects have had 
training in a terrorist camp in Pakistan and police found 730 kg of 
hydrogen peroxide in 12 cans in the houses of the suspects.  Reports 
say they were planning to attack Ramstein base and Frankfurt 
airport. 
 
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Barzani on Alleged Shelling by Iran and Turkey 
Zaman, Cumhuriyet, Hurriyet, Sabah and others:  During his speech at 
the Kurdish Parliament Iraqi Kurdish leader Mesud Barzani criticized 
Iran's shelling of Northern Iraq and said "In the area shelled by 
Iran there were no PKK or PJAK members. Turkey, Iran or any other 
country should not think that Iraq doesn't have any support." 
Islamist-oriented Zaman reports that Barzani stressed that Kurds 
won't be able to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkey and Iran 
through violence and reiterated that the Kurds won't give up their 
rights, but the problems should be resolved trough dialogue not by 
violence. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Iraq 
Soli Ozel writes in the mainstream Sabah: "The presence of British 
forces in Iraq after the reduction seems like symbolic support for 
the US troops - just so they will not feel alone.  The US, on the 
other hand, is heading toward facing the truth after having an 
additional 30,000 troops added to its presence.  There is credible 
information that the upcoming report by General Petraeus on Iraq 
will not be positive.  Nevertheless the US troops managed to ensure 
security at least in certain areas by cooperating with Sunni tribal 
leaders.   Yet the other side of the truth is that there is ethnic 
cleansing in certain areas also.  Given the current circumstances, 
the Iraq situation, in the fifth year of war, has come back to the 
point where it started.  The Bush administration will not be able to 
shape Iraq policy in the way it wanted in the new period to come. 
Under growing domestic pressure, the withdrawal of American forces 
will likely begin as the time for presidential elections gets 
closer." 
 
Yilmaz Oztuna writes in the conservative-nationalist Turkiye: 
"President Bush's high praise for Iraqi President Talabani during 
his surprise visit to Iraq is an indication of some American plans 
to manipulate the Kurds.  The US is apparently moving toward the 
idea of leaving Iraq after condensing its presence down to a few 
military bases.  The other biggest occupation force, the UK, has 
already left Basra which made the city very open for Iranian 
manipulation.  Iran is still dreaming of a Greater Iran, which would 
include Southern Iraq in its territory.  The Iranian army is active 
and engaged in the north and the eastern part of Iraq and even 
managed to spread its influence in the Talabani-controlled areas. 
We don't know what really happened to the Greater Middle East 
Project -- Ms. Rice used to be very keen on reshaping the world map 
in this region.  In fact the boundaries were shaped by the UK at 
that time but mistakenly.  The US was very keen on the correction 
through Pax Americana, but there seems to be no talk about it any 
longer.  Given Iran's intentions for expansion, the new period will 
definitely focus on the borders and states." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Police in the eastern province of Van seized 947 kg of hashish 
which belongs to a PKK member known with the code name Mahir. 
 
- The deans of Turkey's law faculties are angered at being excluded 
from the preparation work of the new constitution.  The Istanbul Bar 
of Lawyers accused the AKP for carrying out constitutional reforms 
merely to solve its own problems. 
 
- The Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) said in a report 25 
people have been tortured or abused at Beyoglu police station in the 
heart of Istanbul since the beginning of the year.  A Nigerian 
refugee, Festus Okey, died while in custody in the same police 
station. 
 
- Anders Lindblad, Ericsson's General Director in charge of Turkey 
 
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and Israel, said Ericsson's 3rd IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) center 
in the world would be founded in Turkey. 
 
International News 
 
- Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders Papadopoulos and Talat met in 
the presence of UN Secretary-General's Special Cyprus Envoy Michael 
Moller in the buffer zone Wednesday, without making progress in 
re-launching stalled peace talks.  The two leaders have reportedly 
agreed to meet again in the coming days to move forward toward 
comprehensive negotiations.  No major breakthrough was expected in 
yesterday's meeting because of the Greek Cypriot elections in 
February. 
 
- EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini said more 
EU-wide anti-terror measures were needed because the threat of 
terrorism in the 27-nation bloc remains high. 
 
- Former head of Rusneft, Mikhail Gutseriev, wanted in an 
international search, has allegedly been discovered in Turkey. 
 
- Iran hanged 21 men Wednesday in the latest round of group 
executions over the past few months. 
 
 
 
 
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