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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002355 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 17, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
AKP Finalizes Work on New Draft Constitution 
All papers report that Turkey's ruling AK Party has received the 
controversial new draft constitution prepared by academic experts. 
The AKP commission discussing the new draft constitution concluded 
its work in Sapanca near Istanbul over the weekend.  The head of the 
commission, AKP deputy chairman Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat said the 
draft in its final form would be made public this week.  Firat said 
the "civilian" constitution drafted by the AKP gives priority to the 
individual. 
 
Papers say the draft envisages an overhaul of the judiciary and the 
body overseeing higher education (YOK) grants positive 
discrimination for women, elderly people and children, gives the 
president only symbolic powers, and allows for legal action against 
rulings of the High Military Council and the High Board of Judges 
and Prosecutors.  According to the draft, the chief of the General 
Staff and the Parliament Speaker will be tried by the Supreme Court 
in case they face accusations.  The draft makes six alternative 
proposals with regard to the lifting of the ban on headscarves in 
universities.  The draft also restricts parliamentary immunities by 
enabling trials of members of parliament charged with bribery, 
corruption and other offences.  It also makes religious instruction 
in schools optional.  Papers expect the final decision on critical 
issues such as wearing the headscarf in universities to be made by 
Prime Minister Erdogan. 
 
Burns Due to Visit Turkey 
Papers over the weekend and today report US Under Secretary of State 
for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, addressing the Atlantic 
Council, described Turkey as a "crucial and indispensable" partner 
of the US.  Burns expressed concern over the energy deal signed 
between Turkey and Iran, and urged Turkey to cooperate with the US 
in fighting Iranian ambitions.  He noted he expected concrete moves 
against the PKK in the next six months.  Burns urged Turkey to 
reopen Halki Orthodox Seminary in Istanbul, normalize ties with 
Armenia, and scrap penal code Article 301 which restricts free 
speech.  Burns also added the US was working to launch a new UN 
initiative in Cyprus. 
 
Weekend papers report Burns stressed the strains between the US and 
Turkey over the Turkish Parliament's refusal to allow US to open a 
northern front through Turkey in Iraq was now "a thing of the past." 
 Mainstream Milliyet reports on Saturday under a front-page 
headline, "US to Turkey: We Forgot the March 1 Decree," that Burns 
said US wants to "renew and strengthen" its strategic partnership 
with Turkey, stressing that US ties with Turkey, a neighbor to Iraq, 
Syria and Iran, would be "very important" in 2008.  Burns also 
called for "Europe's full embrace of a reformed Turkey," says the 
paper.  Under the headline, "We have turned the juncture with 
Turkey," mainstream Sabah also reports Burns said US-Turkey tension 
over the March 1 decree was now over.  Tabloid Aksam reports Burns, 
prior to his visit to Ankara, called on Turkey to "participate more" 
in the Middle East, and also said "I trust President Gul."  The 
pro-government, Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports Burns gave 
"positive messages" on the eve of his visit to Turkey, in a report 
under the headline "Burns Coming to Turkey to Repair Ties." 
Reporting from Washington, Islamist-oriented Zaman says Burns 
declined to make any concrete pledges for fighting against the PKK, 
but demanded cooperation against Iran.  The paper also reports Burns 
said the US wanted to block Russia from controlling oil and natural 
gas sources and the pipelines extending toward Western countries. 
"I'm sure Turkey appreciates our huge support for alternate 
pipelines," Burns is quoted as saying. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Burns' Upcoming Turkey Visit 
Ali Aslan comments in the Islamist-leaning daily Zaman: "U/S Burns' 
remarks at the Atlantic Council reflected the Bush administration's 
view on the current phase of Turkish-American relations.  Burns 
 
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stated that bilateral relations have entered a new era and called 
for a revival of the strategic partnership.  Yet observers question 
the chance for a revival of bilateral ties especially because of the 
fact that the words of the Strategic Vision Document have not been 
converted into action over the last two years.  Burns listed the 
American administration's expectations from Turkey including full 
commitment to sanctions against Iran and opening the 
Turkish-Armenian border.  However what Turkey would gain from the US 
by doing this was not clear.  It is not very realistic to expect 
Turkey to act in full compliance with the US expectations before the 
US takes action to fulfill Turkey's expectation regarding the PKK in 
northern Iraq.  Burns emphasized the unique influence of Turkey in 
the region.  But he did not seem to understand that Turkey gained 
this unique influence by staying at a certain distance toward the 
isolationist and [internationally] unpopular policies of the US. 
Let's hope that this time, when he visits Turkey, he keeps his ears 
open as to what Turkey is saying, unlike before the Iraq war when 
all of Turkey's views were just ignored.  And the US should also 
think in the gain-gain spirit in its bilateral ties with Turkey." 
 
Murat Yetkin writes in the liberal-intellectual daily Radikal: 
"Prior to his upcoming trip to Turkey, U/S Burns expressed three 
expectations from Ankara:  The ruling AKP, after its elections 
victory, should extend a hand to Armenia.  Burns repeated 
Washington's opposition to an Armenian resolution and also did not 
hide that by saying 'extending a hand,' he meant opening the border 
with Armenia; the AKP should lift Article 301 in Penal Code; and the 
AKP should re-open the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary.  These 
expectations came at a time when both the government and the public 
have given up their hopes for seeing concrete action from the US 
regarding PKK, and they will put both President Gul and PM Erdogan 
in a difficult position.  The only consolation is the fact that 
Burns did not yet express their military expectations from Turkey. 
The most significant change in Ankara as far as the US is concerned 
is the fact that the AKP has gained more political ground and a full 
harmony between the government and presidency can be expected.  This 
does not necessarily mean that military relations will be minimized. 
 On the contrary, Afghanistan is likely the area of more military 
talks [between the US and Turkey]." 
 
PKK Members Detained over Foiled Car Bomb Attack in Ankara 
All papers report seven suspected members of the PKK terror 
organization have been taken into custody in Baskale, Van, for 
possible involvement in a bomb-laden minivan attack averted in 
Ankara last week.  On September 11, police seized 300 kg TNT and 
sodium nitrate and 280 kg of bomb-making material in a stolen 
minivan in a parking lot in a crowded neighborhood in downtown 
Ankara.  Papers say the explosives found inside the minivan match 
those seized in an operation against the PKK on May 5 last year. 
 
The US "International Religious Freedom Report" 
Sabah, Milliyet, and others:  The US State Department "International 
Religious Freedom Report" draws attention to the social pressure on 
non-Muslims in Turkey.  The report noted that the ban on religious 
attire continues and that non-Muslims cannot be promoted to high 
state offices and that Alevis are obliged to attend classes where 
Sunni Islam is taught.  The report also stressed that there haven't 
been any developments on religious freedom in Turkey and the 
missionaries continue to be targets of harassment. 
 
Retired US Ambassador Peter Galbraith Comments on the PKK 
Mainstream Sabah and Milliyet report that in an interview with 
Newsweek magazine, retired US Ambassador and former advisor for the 
Kurdish Leaders in Northern Iraq Peter Galbraith said that if Turkey 
declares a general amnesty the PKK problem would be resolved. 
Galbraith claimed that the PKK had become a moderate organization 
and left behind its claims of separatism. 
 
TV News: 
NTV 
 
ANKARA 00002355  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
Domestic News 
 
- The new school year kicks off with 14 million students and 600,000 
teachers on Monday.  President Abdullah Gul says modern education 
policies would be pursued with determination. 
 
- Turkey's elite business forum TUSIAD chairwoman Arzuhan Yalcindag 
has sent a letter to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressing 
concern regarding efforts to recognize Armenian genocide claims. 
 
- Religious affairs (Diyanet) director Professor Ali Bardakoglu 
hosted in Istanbul a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in honor of 
non-Muslim religious leaders including Greek Orthodox and Armenian 
Patriarchs, Bartholomew I and Mesrob Mutafyan. 
 
- Two PKK terrorists have been killed by security forces in the 
southeastern province of Batman. 
 
International News 
 
- Greece's ruling conservatives led by PM Karamanlis won a second 
mandate in elections on Sunday despite public anger over the 
government's handling of deadly forest fires. 
 
- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday his 
country must prepare for a possible war against Iran, but that he 
did not believe any such action was imminent. 
 
- Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida claims Turkey provided Israel with 
intelligence on Syria prior to last week's alleged IAF flyover into 
the country. 
 
- On Saturday, the Iraqi parliament bloc loyal to influential cleric 
Muqtada al- Sadr walked out of Iraq's ruling Shiite coalition. 
 
WILSON