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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002347 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 14, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
New Constitution Draft Finalized, Unveiled Soon 
All papers report a new constitution drafted by the ruling AKP 
increases the powers of the prime minister while the powers of the 
president are cut broadly.  The draft removes restrictions on 
freedom of religion, the definition of Turkishness, the official 
language and mother tongue, and the headscarf.  It recognizes 
religious and sectarian differences with an eye to secure the rights 
of Alevis who have complained they have not been represented in the 
Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet). 
 
Papers report an 18-member delegation of cabinet ministers, the 
ruling AKP lawmakers, and jurists arrived in the northwestern 
Sapanca town near Istanbul to assess the new constitution drafted by 
a group of academics under the chairmanship of Professor Ergun 
Ozbudun.  PM Erdogan is expected to join the group over the weekend 
and the draft will likely be finalized on Sunday. 
 
Another Explosive-Laden Van Seized in Ankara 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet and Zaman report Ankara had 
another bomb scare, only days after a massive car bomb was found in 
downtown city: a van carrying 500 kg of TNT, coming from Sweden, was 
seized in the capital.  Two Swedes and two Turks were detained. 
Late Thursday, security authorities announced that, acting on a 
tip-off by Bulgarian customs officials, they intercepted a van which 
had entered Turkey through the Kapikule border gate with Bulgaria. 
Zaman reports the Swedes said the explosives were imported by the 
state-owned ordnance factory MKE. 
 
Erdogan to Visit the US Late September 
Cumhuriyet, Zaman and Yeni Safak report Prime Minister Erdogan is to 
travel to the US on September 24 to participate in the UN General 
Assembly meetings New York where he is expected to hold bilateral 
talks with various heads of state and government.  On September 26, 
Erdogan will visit the NYSE and address the Turkish-American 
Association (TAA) later the same day.  The PM is also expected to 
deliver a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on 
September 27, according to papers. 
 
High Court Overturns Acquittal of Kaboglu, Oran 
All papers report the Supreme Court of Appeals (Yargitay) on 
Thursday overturned an earlier decision by a local court in Ankara 
which acquitted two prominent academics last year over a 
government-sponsored human rights report criticizing the treatment 
of minority groups.  The trial process of former Prime Ministry 
Human Rights Advisory Board members, professors Ibrahim Kaboglu and 
Baskin Oran, was closely followed by the EU as a case of freedom of 
expression.  Kaboglu and Oran resigned from the board in early 2005 
amid heavy criticism. 
Although they were charged with "inciting hatred" and "insulting 
judicial organs" in the report, the professors were found not guilty 
in May 2006, with the court dropping charges due to Justice 
Ministry's failure to approve the case. 
 
Oran called the Yargitay decision "a contradiction," especially at a 
time when public opinion has been heatedly debating how to create a 
civilian constitution.  He called on the government to abolish 
certain articles of the penal code before drafting a democratic 
constitution. 
 
Burns Addresses Atlantic Council on Turkey 
Turkey's prestigious all-news broadcaster NTV reported Friday 
morning from Washington that Under Secretary Nicholas Burns said in 
a speech he delivered at Atlantic Council that the US is looking 
forward to working with President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan, 
"allies and friends of the US."  Burns warned Turkey against 
entering into energy agreements with Iran, and urged the reopening 
of the border with Armenia and a normalization of ties with Yerevan. 
 Burns noted the US would support a new Cyprus initiative coming 
 
ANKARA 00002347  002 OF 003 
 
 
from the UN; he also reiterated support for Turkey's EU membership. 
Burns also called for the abolishment of Turkish Penal Code Article 
301 which restricts free speech, and the reopening of Halki Seminary 
in Istanbul.  NTV also reported Burns would be visiting Turkey next 
week. 
 
President Bush's Ramadan Message 
Mainstream Milliyet reports, under the headline "Message of 
Compassion for Ramadan," President Bush sent his "greetings to 
Muslims observing Ramadan in America and around the world." 
"America is a land of many faiths, and our society is enriched by 
our Muslim citizens.  May the holy days of Ramadan remind us all to 
seek a culture of compassion and serve others in charity," the 
President is quoted as saying. 
 
Turkey-Northern Iraq Trade Declining 
Mainstream Milliyet reports trade between Turkey and northern Iraq, 
expected to amount to USD 5 billion, has started to diminish because 
of fears over a possible Turkish military operation into the region 
against the PKK terrorists.  In the spring the supermarkets in 
northern Iraq were full of Turkish products, which are gradually 
replaced by goods from Jordan, Syria and Europe.  Turkish 
businessmen in the region say Turkish companies wanted to complete 
their contracts and to return to Turkey.  Milliyet says economic 
ties with the region are weakening due to factors such as the 
difficulties regarding shipment of goods to northern Iraq through 
Habur border gate, delays in payments made to Turkish businessmen, 
and recent terrorist attacks in Kirkuk and Erbil. 
 
7,000 Cholera Cases in Northern Iraq 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports health officials in Iraq said 
Thursday that about 7,000 cholera cases were seen in Kirkuk and 
Suleymaniye in northern Iraq. The World Health Organization (WHO) 
said the disease could spread to surrounding cities and as far as 
Baghdad due to the non-hygiene water system in the country.  Ten 
people have died of the disease. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Iraq, 9/11 
Sami Kohen comments in the mainstream daily Milliyet: "The 
postponement of the Kirkuk referendum is not a surprising 
development.  Turkish diplomats have been intensively working toward 
the postponement with the US as well as Iraqi groups and Iraq's 
neighbors.  Despite the official rhetoric which ties the decision to 
technical reasons, more political reasons than technical ones are 
behind it. With the decision, the potential danger for conflict in 
Kirkuk -- which might drag other countries -- has been eliminated. 
The Turkish government wants to see consensus reached within the 
various ethnic and religious groups before the actual referendum. 
If a unifying formula can be reached on the Kirkuk issue, it will be 
seen as a potential model for unity all over Iraq.  On the other 
hand, recent political developments do not provide any signal for 
reconciliation among the various groups of Iraq.  The Maliki 
government is not capable of ruling with full authority.  Shiites 
and Sunnis are not only fighting with each other, but they are also 
having fights internally." 
 
Haluk Ulman writes in the business-political daily Dunya: "As far as 
terrorism is concerned, six years after the 9/11 attacks the world 
is less secure than it was in 2001.  Bin Laden has not been captured 
and he remains the leader of al-Qaeda.  He even manages to continue 
his televised propaganda.  President Bush invaded Iraq with the 
excuse of ending international terrorism, which worked to the full 
advantage of Bin Laden.  The Iraq war helped al-Qaeda recruit new 
members from all over the Arab world.  Thanks to President Bush, 
al-Qaeda, unlike before the war, is now actively operating in Iraq. 
From the international political perspective, six years after 9/11, 
the world is more unstable and is poised for potential dangerous 
developments, in the Middle East region in particular.  There is a 
growing possibility of the regional map changing along with the 
division of Iraq.  The Afghanistan-Pakistan line is another 
 
ANKARA 00002347  003 OF 003 
 
 
potential danger for the world's future.  If the presence of 
al-Qaeda in this region cannot be eliminated, the threat will spread 
even to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.  In sum, six years of the 
fight against terrorism does not give a comforting picture at all." 
 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV, 7.00 A.M. 
 
Domestic News 
 
- On a four-day tour of east and southeast Turkey, President 
Abdullah Gul arrived Thursday in Siirt where he was greeted by a 
joyful crowd of locals chanting, "Turkey is proud of you."  The 
president will be visiting Diyarbakir today, where he will meet 
local businessmen and NGO representatives. 
 
- A remote-control landmine planted by the PKK terrorists on the 
railway in the southeastern province of Bingol went off, slightly 
injuring two drivers and derailing five cars. 
 
- Nobel Prize winning novelist Orhan Pamuk told BBC Radio 3 that 
moderate Muslims are more respectful of democracy compared to 
staunch secularists in Turkey. 
 
International News 
 
- FOX News television reported a recent decision by Germany to 
withhold support for new sanctions against Iran has pushed officials 
in Washington to develop potential scenarios for a military attack 
on Iran. 
 
- President Ahmadinejad said his government would be able to help 
calm Iraq if the US and Britain drop their hostile attitude towards 
Iran. 
 
- The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies 
(IISS) said in a report released Wednesday a resilient al-Qaeda can 
still carry out "spectacular" attacks in Western countries even if 
not one on the scale of "9/11." 
 
WILSON