VZCZCXRO4911
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0248/01 0421348
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111348Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5190
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 8674
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3862
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 2683
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 6409
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 6237
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2820
RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU
RHMFISS/USDOCO 6ATAF IZMIR TU
RHMFISS/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFISS/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU
RHMFISS/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFISS/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000248 
 
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, FEBRUARY 11, 2008 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Turkish Parliament Passes Turban Reforms, All Eyes on the 
Constitutional Court 
All papers report over the weekend and today that the Turkish 
Parliament voted to amend the constitution and lift the ban on 
headscarves at universities.  On Saturday, the ruling AKP and 
opposition MHP lawmakers, backed by the pro-Kurdish DTP, passed the 
amendments by 411 to 103 after lengthy and heated debates.  On 
Monday, the bill will be submitted to President Abdullah Gul, who is 
expected to approve the reforms soon.  Opposition CHP will apply to 
the Constitutional Court to demand the annulment of the reforms 
after the amendment is published in the Official Gazette.  The CHP's 
main argument is that the turban changes contradict article 2 of the 
constitution, which defines secularism.  Before he departed for 
Germany on Sunday, CHP leader Deniz Baykal told reporters, "Turkey's 
energy will be wasted.  Incidents that will break out in 
universities will cause divisions."  Prime Minister Erdogan 
addressed approximately 18,000 Turks in Cologne, Germany and 
defended the headscarf reforms.  He added, "With the new regulation, 
young Turks will not have to leave Turkey for their university 
education, which will reverse the brain drain."  When asked how 
Islam can be reconciled with Turkey's EU process, Erdogan said "99 
percent of people in Turkey are Muslim.  We do not have the right to 
ask people who come from different religions why they practice their 
religion so well; that would not be compatible with basic freedoms." 
 
 
Papers report thousands of people gathered in Ankara on Saturday to 
protest against the headscarf bill.  The demonstration took place 
during the parliamentary voting and was organized by 76 NGOs. 
Turkey is divided into two hostile camps: headscarf adversaries and 
supporters, mainstream says Milliyet while Islamist-oriented Zaman 
claims the decision of the parliament reflects "the will of the 
nation."  Liberal Radikal and mainstream Hurriyet report the AKP 
government left the implementation of the new measure up to the 
university rectors.  Yet, some rectors insist that the headscarf 
cannot be accepted into the universities before the parliament 
amends article 17 of the higher education law.  Islamist-oriented 
Yeni Safak claims the Constitutional Court can only  annul the bill 
if it finds the parliament did not meet the procedural requirements 
while passing the reforms.  Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet and 
leftist Taraf say the Turkish Bar Association released a statement 
Sunday saying "the headscarf regulation passed by the government 
could stir chaos."  The Association said the solution lies in 
democracy, and warned against efforts to seek solutions via military 
intervention. 
 
DTP to Submit to High Court Preliminary Defense against Closure Case 
 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak 
and others report Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, DTP, will submit 
its preliminary defense to the Constitutional Court in response to 
the case to close the party.  After hearing the DTP's preliminary 
defense, the chief prosecutor will present his argument to the 
court.  A court reporter will prepare a file on the charges and 
defense before submitting it to the court.  Then, the court will 
review the prosecutor's demand for closure.  The court requires 
seven of the eleven total justices must support the ruling in order 
for it to pass.  DTP lawmaker Hasip Kaplan said they support a 
democratic solution to the Kurdish problem.  "Democracy cannot 
flourish in a country which has turned into a graveyard of closed 
political parties," Kaplan said. 
 
Third Hearing in Dink Murder Case on Monday 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others 
report the third hearing in the trial over the slaying of Turkish 
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink will take place Monday in Istanbul. 
Papers report a delegation of the International Human Rights 
 
ANKARA 00000248  002 OF 003 
 
 
Federation (FIDH) arrived in Istanbul to follow the trial.  The 
delegation members said the Dink case is a "human rights test for 
Turkey." 
 
Gates: NATO Will Collapse if Allies Don't Support Afghanistan 
Mission 
Milliyet, Cumhuriyet and Yeni Safak report Secretary of Defense 
Robert Gates warned Sunday at the International Security Conference 
in Munich that NATO would collapse if allies do not support the 
mission in Afghanistan.  "We cannot become an alliance split into 
two with those who want to fight and others who don't," Gates is 
quoted as saying.  "Afghanistan will finish NATO," reads a headline 
in the Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak, adding 42,000 troops were not 
enough against the Taliban, and that member countries     are 
largely rejecting the demand for additional troops for Afghanistan. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Kosovo; Headscarf Issue 
 
"Kosovo and Northern Cyprus" 
Kamuran Ozbir commented in nationalist-oriented Ortadogu (2/11): 
"Kosovo's declaration of independence can easily open "Pandora's 
Box" and change the global map.  Russian First Deputy Prime Minister 
Sergei Ivanov recently warned that if Kosovo's independence is 
accepted, similar independence recognition should be implemented in 
every region in the world with similar problems, including northern 
Cyprus.  Russia, the West and Serbia are playing quite a diplomatic 
game.  On one side are those who want to re-evaluate international 
law, and on the other side are those who want to divide Serbia. 
Moreover, many separatist movements around the world will benefit 
from Kosovo's example.  Separatist movements in Belgium, Italy, 
Spain, France and the UK may follow Kosovo's example.  Of course, 
this issue is being followed closely in Northern Cyprus as well. 
Those against the independence of Kosovo know very well that the 
Turkish Cypriots will follow the same example.  After all, once a 
precedent is established, why not use it?" 
 
"From Now On, the Global Crisis Will Affect Turkey More" 
Erdal Saglam wrote in mainstream Hurriyet (2/11):  "Turkey will feel 
the impact of the global economic crisis soon.  Next Thursday, 
Turkey's Central Bank will meet to determine new interest rates. 
The turban debates disturbed Turkey's financial markets and 
investment climate more dramatically than the AKP government 
predicted.  Concern within Turkish economic circles is growing 
rapidly, especially after witnessing the AKP government's obstinate 
obsession with the turban issue during a massive global economic 
crisis.  If President Gul approves the Constitutional draft, the 
Constitutional process will start.  Starting from today, new turban 
tensions will grow at universities.  There is a major possibility 
that university students will clash against each other again.  It is 
possible that Turkey will begin to feel the economic effects of the 
global financial crisis at the same time as the inevitable turban 
crises hit the universities.  The AKP government is not taking any 
precautions to deal with the looming economic crisis.  On the 
contrary, the AKP government has insisted on political clashes that 
will negatively affect the economy and increase the public mistrust 
of the AKP government's economic policies." 
 
TV News: 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- The remains of nine Turks killed in a fire in Ludwigshafen have 
been brought to their hometown, Gaziantep, for burial on Monday. 
The number of witnesses who say the fire was an arson attack has 
increased to five. 
 
- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will arrive in Turkey Monday 
to meet with President Abdullah Gul, PM Erdogan, and Chief of 
 
ANKARA 00000248  003 OF 003 
 
 
Turkish General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit to discuss defense 
cooperation and anti-terror intelligence sharing between Turkey and 
Israel. 
 
- The Tunceli prosecutor has initiated an investigation into the 
pro-Kurdish DTP convention held in the city over the weekend. 
 
International News 
 
- Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said if the EU 
countries recognize Kosovo, they will have to recognize the 
independence of Turkish Cyprus. 
 
- President Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Iraq by March 19 in a 
trip that would the first by an Iranian leader to visit Iraq in 28 
years. 
 
- President Bush said the US would maintain a troop presence in Iraq 
long enough to guarantee that democracy takes hold in the country. 
 
WILSON