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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000030 
 
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, JANUARY 7, 2008 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Buyukanit, Erdogan, and Baykal Visit Diyarbakir 
All papers report the Chief of the Turkish General Staff (TGS), 
General Yasar Buyukanit, traveled to the mainly Kurdish southeastern 
city of Diyarbakir on Saturday to visit victims wounded in 
Thursday's blast.  The bomb attack killed five people and wounded 
¶68.  Buyukanit told the press the attack took place in one of the 
busiest streets of Diyarbakir, which shows that it targeted 
civilians besides soldiers. 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan also went to Diyarbakir on Saturday.  "I've 
repeatedly said that the terrorist organization has never and will 
never represent our citizens of Kurdish origin.  Those who were 
killed in this attack were our Kurdish-origin citizens and people of 
this region," Erdogan told a press conference.  State Minister Cemil 
Cicek, Interior Minister Besir Atalay, Agriculture Minister Mehdi 
Eker and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul accompanied the prime minister 
in Diyarbakir.  Later that day, PM Erdogan told civic organizations 
that the AKP government would not concede their bid for democratic 
integration. 
 
On Sunday, the leader of the main opposition CHP, Deniz Baykal, went 
to the city to offer condolences to the victims' families and visit 
the military personnel who were wounded in the blast.  Baykal 
addressed the press and emphasized that people in Turkey should live 
together and preserve their identities and languages.  Baykal noted 
that terrorists do not hesitate to target innocent people, including 
civilians and children. 
 
Meanwhile, the four suspects detained last week in connection the 
bombing in Diyarbakir have been released. 
 
President Gul Travels to US 
Sabah, Milliyet, Vatan, Hurriyet, Zaman, Cumhuriyet and others: 
President Gul left for the US on Sunday and will meet with President 
Bush on Tuesday.  Prior to his departure, President Gul told 
reporters "for the first time as the President, I will visit the US 
to confirm the importance of our strategic relations and 
cooperation, particularly in fight against terrorism and the 
protection of regional and global security.  This visit will be an 
opportunity to discuss new areas of cooperation in the 
relationship."  Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet says President Gul 
will have an intense schedule in the US.  Gul is scheduled to meet 
President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, Secretary Rice and Defense 
Secretary Gates, as well as UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon. 
 
SIPDIS 
Papers report Gul will also meet with representatives of the 
business world.  Mainstream Vatan says that during the visit, the 
first ladies of the US and Turkey will have tea together at the 
White House, and they may issue a joint statement that condemns 
Benazir Bhutto's assassination. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Gul Visit to the US 
 
Semih Idiz wrote in the mainstream daily Milliyet (1/7):  "President 
Gul's upcoming US visit will level up the current impetus of 
Turkish-American relations which entered into a new phase following 
the visit of Turkish PM Erdogan to Washington on November 2007.  The 
new phase is about a normalization process of Turkish-American ties 
which were derailed on many aspects since 2003.   On the other hand, 
even since 2003 there have been many efforts to keep up with the 
strategic relations.  The strong statement by former Secretaries of 
State, both Republican and Democrat, supporting Turkey on the 
Armenian resolution in the Congress was a very significant example. 
Washington's determined steps against PKK were also highly 
important.  The last meeting between President Bush and PM Erdogan 
not only prepared a tangible ground on the fight against PKK but it 
also paved the way to revival of relations in strategic partnership 
spirit.  President Gul is now going to continue with this current 
impetus.  Talks will expand to regional and global matters and will 
 
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not be limited to PKK only.  Issues of mutual concern cover a vast 
geography therefore the revival of strategic partnership will serve 
to everybody's interest." 
 
Washington based Ali Aslan commented in the Islamist-leaning daily 
Zaman (1/7): "The visit of President Gul to the US is going to 
contribute positively to bilateral relations.  Gul's presence at the 
White House will have a symbolic importance.  Given his status as 
Turkey's number one man, Gul will be able to give a message to those 
who feel opposed to him and the values he represents.  During his 
Washington visit, the agenda will include many important topics such 
as Iraq, Middle East peace, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Balkans 
and the EU process.  In other words, Gul's visit will contribute to 
and round out the talks PM Erdogan had with President Bush last 
November.  In fact, despite the positive atmosphere, we cannot yet 
say that we are problem free.  Even though Turkey and the US are 
having similar ideas on key issues, there are still some tactical 
differences that need addressing.  However the most important thing 
is that both Washington and Ankara are now in a good spirit that 
allows them to cope with differences and have the capacity to talk 
about them in a civilized manner.  Turkey, fortunately, has a 
leadership who is well aware of America's importance and influence 
on world politics.  There is no doubt that Gul's visit will be a 
good contribution to our bilateral ties." 
 
Edmonds: Nuclear Secrets Sold in Washington 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak 
and others report Sibel Edmonds, a former Turkish language 
translator for the FBI, told The Sunday Times 
Turkish agents in Washington sold nuclear secrets to black market 
buyers, including Pakistan.  Edmonds said, among the hours of covert 
tape recordings, she heard that one well-known senior official in 
the State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington 
who were selling the information to black market buyers.  Edmonds 
also claims a number of senior officials in the Pentagon helped 
Turkish agents. 
 
Democratic Party (DP) Convention 
Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet, Vatan, Sabah, Milliyet and others:  Sunday's 
DP extraordinary convention resulted in the election of Istanbul 
Provincial Chairman of DP Suleyman Soylu as the new leader of DP. 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports the period of Mehmet Agar's leadership 
is over.  Mehmet Agar did not run for the chairmanship, but during 
his speech at the convention he accused the military of changing the 
course of politics by issuing the e-memorandum in April 2007. 
Mainstream Vatan describes the political position of the DP as the 
"Tragedy of the Central Right" and says that the DP fell into ruins 
after its defeat in the July 22 elections. 
 
Iran Builds a Wall against the PKK 
Mainstream Sabah reports that Iran started building a wall to 
prevent PKK and PJAK infiltration along its border with northern 
Iraq.  The wall starts from Iran's border gate Haci Umran; the first 
section will be fives meter high and four kilometers long. 
 
 
TV News: 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- In security operations against the terrorist organization 
Hizbullah, police have detained 37 suspects in Van, 33 in Konya, ten 
in Diyarbakir, two in Mersin, and one in Istanbul. 
 
- The head of the Ankara Bar, Vedat Ahsen Cosar, says Turkey's 
military judiciary should be abolished. 
 
- Heavy snowfall has blocked access to 1,639 villages in eastern 
Turkey. 
 
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International News 
 
- Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili won re-election over the 
weekend and avoided a runoff election by a 1 percent margin. 
 
- The Pakistani military reacted angrily to reports that President 
Bush is considering covert military operations in the country's 
volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. 
 
- Al-Qaeda has called on its fighters to greet President. Bush with 
"bombs and booby-trapped vehicles" when he visits the Middle East 
this week. 
 
MCELDOWNEY