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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000090 
 
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 
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008 
 
 
ANKARA 00000090  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Erdogan Attends the 'Alliance of Civilizations' Talks in Madrid 
All papers report Prime Minister Erdogan is in Madrid to attend the 
Alliance of Civilizations Summit.  On Monday, he met with his 
Spanish counterpart, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. 
 
During a breakfast meeting with 'Europa Press,' Erdogan said he 
cannot predict when Turkey's cross border offensive against the PKK 
in northern Iraq will end, "the authorization for operations expires 
after one year.  If our fight against terrorism doesn't end after 
one year, we will ask the parliament for a new authorization to 
continue." He said Turkey's only objective is to eliminate 
terrorists, adding Turkey has the technology and the intelligence to 
do so "without hurting civilians."  Erdogan emphasized that Turkey 
values Iraq's territorial integrity.  Erdogan thanked the Bush 
Administration for the postponement of the Armenian genocide 
resolution submitted to the US Congress.  "The Turkish government 
opened flights to Yerevan and restored an Armenian Orthodox church 
in Akhtamar Island in Van.  There are 40,000 Armenians living in 
Turkey and Armenian citizens living in Turkey do not have problems," 
Erdogan said.  He claimed the Armenian Diaspora is seeking financial 
compensation from Turkey.  Erdogan said that within a month his 
government would propose changes to article 301 of the Turkish penal 
code which makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness." 
 
He vowed a new constitution will solve the ban on wearing 
Muslim-style headscarves in public offices and universities in a way 
which would not cause tensions.  "Even if the headscarf is a 
political symbol, you cannot ban political symbols or say that 
wearing a symbol is a crime," Erdogan remarked.  "Girls in the US 
and Europe can wear headscarves in universities, but they cannot in 
Turkey where 99 percent of the population is Muslim.  I believe we 
will resolve this problem," he said. 
 
Asked why Turkey has drawn closer to Iran for energy cooperation 
even though Tehran has problems with the US and Israel, Erdogan said 
"Iran has gas; Israel and the US are unable to meet Turkey's energy 
demand."  He added, "The US is a friend and an ally of Turkey; they 
have to understand that we must import gas from Iran," Erdogan said. 
 
 
Turkey to Become 'Uranium Enrichment Center' 
Mainstream Hurriyet columnist Erdal Saglam writes on page one that 
on Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials will 
attend an international energy meeting in Istanbul and will discuss 
whether to set up a uranium enrichment center in Turkey.  Top IAEA 
officials and representatives from the US, Russia, France, and 
Britain are to participate in the Istanbul talks.  "The US, in the 
face of rising costs of natural gas and oil, wants the IAEA to 
establish a single authority on uranium enrichment.  Turkey has been 
discussing the matter with the US, and would like to be considered 
as a candidate for uranium enrichment," says Saglam.  According to 
Saglam, Turkey claims that Iran has said that it will accept uranium 
enrichment activities in third countries only if it is done in 
Turkey.  The US blocked candidate requests from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, 
Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria.  Saglam suggests that Turkey's 
designation as a uranium enrichment center could end the argument 
between the US and Iran. 
 
Debates about Moving The Central Bank to Istanbul Grow 
Milliyet, Radikal, Sabah, Bugun, Zaman and others:  Liberal Radikal 
opines "If the Government is right, then Ankara should be emptied 
out.  If it is necessary to move financial organizations to Istanbul 
then why are the Coastal Security Command and the Naval Forces 
headquartered in Ankara when there is no sea in Ankara; why are the 
headquarters of the Southeast Anatolia Project in Ankara; why 
doesn't RTUK go to Istanbul because TV Channels are headquartered 
there?"  Radikal and Milliyet report that former Central Bank 
presidents were joined by the opposition party CHP in their 
 
ANKARA 00000090  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
objections to the decision.  Former President Sureyya Serdengecti 
said that "moving the Central Bank to Istanbul is wrong for more 
than one reason, but the basic priority are the values of the 
Republic.  Ataturk established the Republic, Ziraat Bank, Is Bank 
and the Central bank are in Ankara.  Now, what is the meaning of 
moving all these to Istanbul?"  Mainstream Milliyet quotes the 
Chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Sinan Aygun, who said 
"financial migration will not benefit Istanbul's position as the 
finance headquarters, but will cause a major damage to Ankara". 
 
President Gul Interview by Al-Hayat 
Milliyet quotes President Gul during an interview with Arabic News 
Outlet Al-Hayat that Turkey did not promise anything to the US in 
return for its support of cross-border-operations, "Since Iraq is 
under the US control, the fight against terrorism is the US' 
responsibility and the US is fulfilling its responsibility." 
President Gul added that the fight will continue until the terrorist 
organization is eradicated. 
 
Sudan's President to Come to Turkey 
Milliyet reports that Sudanese president Omer-Al-Bashir will come to 
Turkey next week as the official guest of President Gul.  President 
Bashir is accused of genocide in the killings of 200,000 and the 
displacement of up to 2,000,000 in Darfur.  Reportedly, Bashir will 
come to Ankara on January 21 and will be received with a full 
military ceremony at the Presidential Palace.  When Gul was foreign 
minister, he took into account the sensitivity of the international 
community and declined to pay a visit to Sudan.  There are 
allegations that Sudan pressured Turkey to arrange the visit and PM 
Erdogan played a role in the arrangements. 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
"What's the Need for Moving the Central Bank?" 
Murat Yetkin wrote in intellectual-liberal Radikal: "It is obvious 
that the AKP government did not even ask for the Central Bank's 
opinion on the moving plan.  Thus, Central Bank authorities in 
Ankara, including its President, are not doing anything for this 
plan.  Former Central Bank Presidents are not talking positively 
about the move either.  Sureyya Serdengecti, a former president, 
notes the close link between the Treasury and the Central Bank and 
says 'It does not make any sense to move the Central Bank from 
Ankara to Istanbul while the Central Bank continues to be heavily 
connected with public funds (Treasury).'  Experts indicate that the 
Central Bank is a public institution and central banks are located 
in their respective capitals around the world with only a few 
exceptions.  There is also a growing speculation about PM Erdogan's 
and the ruling AKP's political motives behind this decision. 
Circles opposed to the ruling AKP, including the main opposition 
party CHP, claim that PM Erdogan is acting deliberately to dilute 
the political influence of Ankara in decision-making mechanisms.  PM 
Erdogan understands this sentiment because even diplomatic circles 
in Ankara have started wondering whether the AKP is acting with a 
hidden agenda.  The decision to move the Central Bank to Istanbul 
does not have any significance nor does it makes sense.  PM Erdogan 
should be able to show virtue and admit his wrong decision." 
 
"Headscarf Ban is to be Lifted" 
Yalcin Dogan wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "Talking with Professor 
Ergun Ozbudun, the head of the committee charged with drafting the 
new constitution, indicates that the committee members have taken 
the European Court of Human Rights and its verdicts as basis for 
their work.  Based on Ozbudun's explanation about the draft, which 
is to be made public soon, the following items are some highlights. 
However, the draft will be vetted by the the AKP, therefore, 
Professor Ozbudun cannot guarantee that all of these listed will 
remain in the final draft: 
 
-- The individual will be stronger against the state; 
-- The President will no longer make Higher Education Council (YOK) 
and judicial appointments; 
 
ANKARA 00000090  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
-- Supreme Military Council decisions will be open to judicial 
review; 
-- The Supreme Military Administrative Court will be abolished; 
-- There will no longer be two military judges on the Constitutional 
Court; 
-- The universities will be autonomous and the YOK will be 
responsible for planning and coordination; 
-- Compulsory religion courses will become optional; 
-- The turban ban at universities will be lifted." 
 
TV News: 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Fifteen suspects have been arrested in Sirnak for aiding the PKK. 
Five suspects have been arrested in Elazig for recruiting fighters 
for the PKK. 
 
- A police officer, accused of killing a young driver who refused to 
pull over, has been released by the court. 
 
- Turkey's Dogus Otomotiv said the Turkish automotive sector will 
grow 5 percent this year, shrugging off the impact of an economic 
slowdown in the US. 
 
International News 
 
- Iraq's Parliament has voted to allow members of Saddam Hussein's 
Baath Party to return to government jobs. 
 
- President Bush traveled to Saudi Arabia for talks at the end of 
his eight-day Middle East trip. 
 
- British Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said all visitors to 
Britain requiring visas will have to be fingerprinted starting 
Monday. 
 
WILSON