VZCZCXRO7130
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHIT #0058/01 0321141
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 011141Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7838
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000058 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ TU
SUBJECT: EDITOR CITES IMPROVED US-TURKEY RELATIONS; 
PREDICTS CRISIS OVER DOMESTIC ISLAMIC THREAT 
 
REF: ANKARA 0171 
 
Classified By: Consul General Sharon A. Wiener for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary and comment.  Aksam daily newspaper 
editor-in-chief Serdar Turgut expressed optimism regarding 
improved U.S.-Turkish relations while lamenting a lack of 
press freedom in Turkey during a January 24 meeting with the 
Consul General.  Turgut was particularly concerned for his 
country's future, convinced the Justice and Development Party 
(AKP) is paving the way to Islamic rule, something he 
believed the military establishment could not accept but did 
not yet know how to counter.  Though Turgut is widely 
considered to typify Aksam's sensationalist tendencies, his 
opinions are not uncommon and are particularly relevant as 
like-minded individuals prepare to face government attempts 
to push through Constitutional amendments which would allow 
headscarves in universities.  End summary and comment. 
 
US-Turkey Relations 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) During a January 24 meeting with the Consul General, 
mainstream Aksam daily newspaper editor-in-chief Serdar 
Turgut discussed U.S.-Turkish relations, GOT efforts to 
combat the PKK, lack of media freedom and the controversial 
headscarf issue, among other subjects.  Noting he had 
accompanied PM Erdogan on his November 2007 trip to 
Washington, Turgut beamed as he recounted the Prime 
Minister's meeting with President Bush.  "President Bush said 
the PKK is the enemy of the United States...I saw his face, 
he meant it," exclaimed Turgut.  Pointing out that the 
President's remark reflected long-standing USG policy, Consul 
General concluded that prior anti-U.S. sentiment in Turkey 
was likely governed by the (mis)perception of policy rather 
than the policy itself.  Turgut agreed, acknowledging he had 
heard other officials state similar positions but that it 
makes a difference when it comes directly from the President. 
 
¶3.  (C) Consul General expressed concern for the long term 
effect of negative perceptions of the United States on young 
people who had not witnessed the U.S.-Turkish relationship 
weather numerous challenges as a result of a strong Cold War 
strategic alliance.  Turgut observed that for young Turks, 
there were two stories about the United States: one cultural, 
which they love; and one political, which is fed to them by 
the Islamist press and has tended to be negative but is 
improving.  Turks make a distinction between USG policy and 
the American people, whom they generally find to be "nice," 
added Turgut. 
 
¶4.  (C) Turgut lamented his parliament's March 1, 2003 
failure to authorize a U.S. invasion of Iraq from the north, 
believing the vote had cost Turkey significantly.  Without 
going into specifics, he speculated Turkey would eventually 
"take control" in Iraq once the U.S. steps out.  Turgut noted 
he had written about this theory and had yet to hear an 
argument against it.  Consul General avoided the bait and 
proffered that business opportunities will increase as Iraq 
stabilizes. 
 
2009 Local Elections key to PKK Problem 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Returning his attention to the terrorist PKK, Turgut 
contended the problem will be solved in Turkey and not in 
Iraq.  "The government knows this," he elaborated.  The 2009 
local elections will be very important.  The ruling AKP wants 
to win cities like Diyarbakir, traditionally controlled by 
PKK sympathizers.  In this respect, Turgut observed, the AKP 
and the military have a shared objective which could lead to 
less friction between them if the military can get over its 
fear of the party's trend toward "moderate Islam." 
 
The GOT's Islamic Agenda and Press Restrictions 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6.  (C) In response to Consul General's observation that the 
term "moderate Islam" can be controversial in Turkey, Turgut 
stated he had first heard the term used by an American 
official before the first Gulf War.  Acknowledging he is not 
"religious," the editor claimed he had never personally seen 
an example of "moderate" Islam and did not believe in the 
concept.  In his view, the headscarf issue (reftel) is very 
dangerous for Turkey and an indicator of the government's 
plan to completely re-orient the country to Islam.  Remarking 
Iran had gone through an "identical" transition, Turgut 
 
ISTANBUL 00000058  002 OF 002 
 
 
argued the AKP would not respect the need to keep religion 
separate from politics.  As a result, many people are 
thinking about leaving the country.  Though it did not yet 
know how to deal with it, the Army would not be able to 
accept this threat and the situation will result in a crisis, 
concluded Turgut. 
 
¶7.  (C) Turgut further bemoaned the lack of press freedom in 
Turkey.  He argued that the Turkish press is dominated by two 
powerful media interests: the Dogan group and Sabah (recently 
sold to the Calik Holding company but still under GOT control 
pending approval of the sale by the government's Radio and 
Television Oversight Committee, RTUK) and that Aksam was the 
only significant player remaining between them.  Because 
media groups have other business interests, they are 
vulnerable to outside influence on editorial policies, 
explained Turgut.  He offered as an example Aksam's parent 
company, the Cukurova group, which also has a controlling 
interest in Turkey's largest mobile phone network Turkcell. 
Turgut pointed out that Turkcell is currently facing problems 
with Russia that only the GOT can solve.  On a more personal 
level, Turgut alleged, "If you write something against the 
government, you get a direct harsh response," contending the 
most senior government officials will "call you or your 
boss."  Asked to elaborate, he said the Prime Minister 
himself had, on occasion, called his boss to complain about 
things Aksam had published. 
 
¶8.  (C) Looking to the future, Turgut predicted the AKP would 
win 2009 local elections in Diyarbakir and that it also stood 
to gain in traditional leftist centers such as Izmir and the 
Cankaya district of Ankara.  He lamented the absence of 
social democrats in Turkey, arguing the country needed a 
social democratic party in the "European sense."  Though he 
claimed to have supported the AKP before it came to power in 
2002, he expressed concern that people don't see that it is 
now, foremost, an Islamist Party.  Noting that his outlook 
for his country constantly shifted between highs and lows, he 
admitted to currently being a pessimist; he is grateful his 
son is an American citizen because of the opportunities that 
would afford him. 
WIENER