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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002643 
 
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, OCTOBER 24, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Turks Express Anger at Funerals of Soldiers Slain by PKK 
All papers report that on Tuesday, 12 Turkish soldiers killed by the 
PKK terrorists in Hakkari over the weekend were laid to rest, 
sparking an outpouring of public anger in towns and cities across 
the country.  Tens of thousands of people attended the 
demonstrations waving Turkish flags, carrying placards and shouting 
slogans condemning the terrorist PKK and also cursing the Kurdish 
administration of northern Iraq for sheltering the terrorists. 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports government officials 
attending the funerals were also protests of protests.  Some 300 
students clashed with PKK supporters on a university campus in the 
Aegean city of Izmir where demonstrators carried placards saying 
"America killed our soldiers" and "the US is behind the PKK," 
reports Cumhuriyet.  "Let this be the last," says a banner headline 
in mainstream Milliyet above a picture of grieving relatives at 
Tuesday's funerals. 
 
Meanwhile, Turkey's broadcasting watchdog the Radio and Television 
High Board (RTUK) said on Tuesday it had banned all broadcasts 
inside the country regarding the deaths of 12 soldiers at the hands 
of the PKK.  The RTUK, acting on a government request, said news 
about the deaths "hurts the psychology of society and creates an 
image of the security forces as weak."  Leftist-nationalist 
Cumhuriyet says the government is resorting to censorship to cover 
up its failure to tackle the PKK terrorists.  Papers speculate that 
the government, discomfited by anger on display at funerals, banned 
broadcasts about the deaths. 
 
Papers Speculate on Turkish Iraq Incursions 
All papers report Government spokesman Cemil Cicek said Turkey was 
carrying out operations in Iraq's north in coordinated air and 
ground operations, declining further elaboration.  Tabloid Aksam 
says Turkish F-16s dropped bombs on the PKK camps some 30 km inside 
Iraq over the weekend after the attacks that killed 12 soldiers. 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak claims 8,000 Turkish soldiers have 
advanced some 50 km into northern Iraq and are attacking Kurdish 
camps.  The claims have not been independently verified. 
 
Nationalist Vatan claims President Bush told President Abdullah Gul 
over the phone that US forces in Iraq may launch air strikes against 
the PKK camps, adding they may also send special forces to hunt out 
the terrorists.  Papers report Secretary Rice and British Foreign 
Secretary David Milliband called for a solution to be found within 
 
SIPDIS 
the trilateral mechanism of Turkey, Iraq and the US.  Papers and 
television newscasts also quote State Department Iraq Coordinator 
David Satterfield as saying that the Kurdish regional 
administration's condemning of the PKK attacks was good but not 
enough, and that "action is needed now."  Mainstream Hurriyet 
speculates Turkey will get intelligence information from the US on 
the location of the PKK targets in the region to ease US concerns 
that American soldiers and the Kurdish peshmerge might be targeted 
by Turkish assaults. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Possible Turkish Iraq Incursion 
Kubilay Celik writes in the nationalist daily Tercuman:  "The 
possibility of a Turkish cross-border operation against the PKK has 
activated the international community.   We keep receiving warnings 
about not harming civilians or advice not to even do it.  Those 
countries had better remember the Israeli and US examples.  Israel 
has been bombing Palestine for years without listening to anybody's 
advice and without even making a distinction between civilian and 
military targets.  The US, despite the UN, attacked Iraq without any 
real reason.  What Turkey wants to do is to eliminate the PKK 
terrorists in their shelters.  However what we get is opposition 
from the international world.  This is something that even goes 
beyond a double standard." 
 
Sami Kohen writes in the mainstream daily Milliyet:  "Although 
 
ANKARA 00002643  002 OF 003 
 
 
belatedly, the US finally felt the need to end the PKK presence in 
Northern Iraq by working together with Turkey.  Turkey wants the 
closure of PKK camps, termination of PKK activities and handing over 
of the leadership to the Turkish authorities.  The question is 
whether Americans and Iraqis are ready to achieve these goals, 
including the use of force.  As the Turkish PM mentioned, there are 
speculations about some joint operations, including the sharing of 
intelligence and team work of Turkish and American forces.  If this 
mechanism is facilitated, there might be no need for Turkey's 
unilateral military operation.  A joint military operation is also a 
requirement of international obligations against terrorism.  Turkey 
has always been part of international solidarity against terrorism, 
such as in Afghanistan.  And now is the time for Turkey's allies to 
show the same attitude toward Turkey." 
 
Foreign Minister Babacan Meets Iraqi Leaders in Baghdad 
All papers report that on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan met 
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani after his meeting with Foreign 
Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad.  In a joint news conference, 
Zebari and Babacan said they agreed to prevent the PKK from 
"poisoning" ties between Iraq and Turkey.  "The Iraqi government is 
determined to cooperate with the Turkish government in order to 
resolve the border problem through direct talks among the major 
sides involved in this matter," Zebari said.  Babacan said Turkey 
was not willing to undermine its relations with Iraq for the sake a 
terrorist group.  He noted several such issues would be discussed at 
the Istanbul ministerial meeting of Iraq's neighbors next month. 
Babacan has presented six concrete demands to Baghdad -- stop the 
PKK militants using the Iraqi territory, halt logistical support for 
them, block all its activities, limit its freedom of movement, 
arrest its leaders and hand them over to Turkey, and shut down the 
PKK camps. 
 
Talabani, speaking to reporters in a joint press conference with 
Babacan, said it was made clear to the PKK that they should either 
lay down their arms or leave Iraq.  The Iraqi President said Iraq 
understands Turkey's fight against terrorism and that they will 
extend Turkey all assistance possible in its fight against 
terrorism.  Following his meeting with Talabani, Babacan also met 
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan in London 
All papers:  PM Erdogan and his British counterpart Gordon Brown met 
for one hour and signed a "Strategic Partnership Document" in London 
on Tuesday.   Erdogan and Brown held a press conference after the 
meeting.  At the press conference Erdogan said that "unfortunately, 
there are some European countries extending financial support to the 
PKK.  Turkey may start an economic embargo against Iraq since they 
do not put an end to the existence of the PKK in Northern Iraq. 
Turkey waited long enough for the US-backed Iraqi government to deal 
with the PKK in Northern Iraq.  However, the trilateral mechanism 
did not work and we cannot wait forever.  We can use the 
authorization for a cross-border operation at any time."  British PM 
Gordon Brown, in return, urged Turkey for restraint and said "We 
support Turkey's bid to join the European Union and are on Turkey's 
side in the fight against terrorism." 
 
EU Ambassadors' Meet with DTP Members 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Turkiye, Vatan, Sabah, Radikal and others: 
Ambassadors of EU countries held a lunch with Kurdish party DTP 
group chairman Ahmet Turk, deputy group chairman Fatma Kurtalan and 
Diyarbakir deputy Akin Birdal.  The Ambassadors urged DTP to put 
distance between themselves and the PKK and refer to them as 
terrorists. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
 
ANKARA 00002643  003 OF 003 
 
 
- Interior Minister Besir Atalay, attending a meeting of the 
interior ministers of Iraq's neighbors in Kuwait, has called on 
Baghdad to implement effectively the Turkey-Iraq agreement for 
fighting against terror. 
 
- Israeli Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer, in Ankara on 
an official visit, said Israel will not meddle in problems between 
the Turks and Kurds, and urged the sides to resolve problems through 
dialogue. 
 
- Turkey's main Kurdish party DTP deputy Aysel Tugluk has warned 
against the rise of ethnic nationalism, saying measures should be 
taken to reduce strains. 
 
- On Wednesday, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul visits the Netherlands 
to take part in a meeting of defense ministers of NATO member 
states. 
 
International News 
 
- The Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargisyan voiced hope that the 
US Congress will pass a resolution declaring the mass killings of 
Armenians in 1915-16 as genocide, but added his country is not 
lobbying on the issue. 
 
- The New York Times says Washington should make a serious effort to 
broker a political agreement between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan. 
 
- A report from the Italian small-business union Confesercenti says 
the Mafia is now Italy's biggest "business," earning more than 90 
billion Euro a year and committing 50 crimes every hour. 
 
- The municipality assembly in Pristine, Kosovo has agreed to 
recognize Turkish as one of the official languages of the city. 
 
WILSON