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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002699 
 
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, NOVEMBER 1, 2007 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Rice Due in Turkey amid Worries of Turkish Iraq Incursion 
All papers report that on Friday, Secretary Rice is to travel to 
Ankara to meet with President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Erdogan 
and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan to discuss the crisis on 
Turkey-Iraq border.  Rice will move on to Istanbul later in the same 
day to participate in the expanded Iraq Neighbors Ministerial 
Conference on Saturday.  Papers expect Rice to try to soften the 
Turkish attitudes with regard to a possible cross border military 
incursion against the PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, adding that 
proposals to be made by the Secretary could not be sufficient to 
defuse strains.  Papers see a Turkish incursion inevitable, and 
expect Erdogan to search ways with Rice for Turkey's cooperation 
with the US to that end. 
 
Mainstream Vatan claims that on November 3, Babacan and Rice will 
come together with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to discuss 
the possibilities for launching three-side operations against the 
PKK, adding this meeting would give Baghdad a last chance to take an 
active role in the policy to be pursued against the terror 
organization. 
 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports on its front page that 
Erdogan has insisted on meeting President Bush even though Rice 
would call on Turkey November 2.  The paper claims Erdogan will 
offer Bush "unconditional Turkish Support" on sanctions against Iran 
in return for backing Turkey's campaign to target the PKK. 
 
Zebari: Strains on Border should not affect Iraq Talks in Istanbul 
Several Turkish papers and television newscasts report Iraqi Foreign 
Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Wednesday in a joint news conference 
with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki in Baghdad 
that Iraq has increased the number of check points to cut logistical 
support going to the PKK.  Zebari stressed that the upcoming Iraq 
meetings in Istanbul should focus on security and stability in Iraq, 
without being affected from the strains on Iraq-Turkey border and 
the PKK's terror activities.  Mainstream Sabah and tabloid Aksam 
report that despite a recent invitation from Turkey, Iraqi President 
Talabani would not participate in the Iraq conference in Istanbul, 
and that it also was not confirmed whether Iraqi PM Maliki will 
attend or not. 
 
PM Erdogan-President Bush Meeting on November 5 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Vatan and others:  Today's papers focus 
on the importance of the upcoming Erdogan-Bush meeting in 
Washington.  White House Spokesperson Dana Perino said that 
President Bush will urge Turkey to act with restraint during his 
meeting with Erdogan on November 5.  Papers report that PM Erdogan 
will be accompanied by Deputy Chief of the General Staff General 
Ergin Saygun and the head of General Staff's Planning and Operations 
Department General Kenan Kocak.  Mainstream Milliyet reports that 
Erdogan will ask the US to take urgent concrete steps and underline 
Turkey's determination to do the necessary things if the US does not 
so.  Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman said that they are helping Turkey 
in collecting information which is of key importance for a military 
operation to be successful. 
 
Mainstream daily Hurriyet's managing editor Ertugrul Ozkok believes 
that PM Erdogan's delegation en route to White House has a special 
message by its composition: "PM Erdogan at the last minute decided 
to include important high ranked generals to his delegation. 
Therefore a last minute seating arrangement has been done which 
affected the travel plans of some accompanying journalists as they 
were taken out.  To my knowledge this is the very first time such a 
big number of officers accompany a visit by the Prime Minister. 
This last minute revision should be interpreted as a sign for 
Turkey's strong unity between government and military.  It also 
shows what exactly is expected from the White House.  The message is 
something like this: The US should either persuade the Northern 
 
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Iraqi administration for tangible steps against the PKK presence, or 
should help out Turkey for its military operation.  If Washington 
does not want to be one of the sides of this issue, then it should 
immediately make sure that PKK is taken out of Northern Iraq." 
 
Panel Meeting to Discuss AKP-Drafted New Constitution 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports Prime Minister Erdogan and 
several leading AKP members, academics and NGO representatives are 
to participate in a panel meeting held by Public Research Foundation 
to debate the new constitutional draft made by a group of 
constitutional law experts for the ruling AKP.  Erdogan will deliver 
the opening remarks of the panel in Ankara today to be followed by 
an address by Professor Ergun Ozbudun, the head of the team that 
drafted the constitutional changes. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Former foreign minister and Deputy Prime Minister Erdal Inonu, the 
son of Turkey's second president, has died of cancer at the age of 
81 while being treated in Houston the United States.  On Saturday, a 
state funeral will be held in Ankara for Inonu. 
 
- The Turkish General Staff said 15 PKK terrorists were killed in 
operations in Cudi Mountain in the last three days. 
 
- The PKK has reportedly evacuated its camps in Zap valley near the 
Turkish border in northern Iraq. 
 
- The EU Commission is expected to make public its Turkey progress 
report on November 6. 
 
 
International News 
 
- A Kremlin spokesman said Wednesday Turkey should show restraint 
over the Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, but that its security 
concerns are understandable. 
 
- The Spanish Parliament has approved for the first time a bill 
which formally condemns the 40-year dictatorship of General 
Francisco Franco. 
 
- US spending on intelligence programs totaled USD 43.5 billion this 
year, up more than 50 percent from a decade ago. 
 
- On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a 
resolution calling on the US to end its decades-long trade embargo 
against Cuba. 
 
WILSON