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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000497 
 
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, MARCH 13, 2008 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Erdogan Unveils 'Southeast Package' to New York Times 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni 
Safak and others report Prime Minister Erdogan told the New York 
Times in an interview that his ruling AKP government plans to invest 
up to $12 billion in southeast Turkey over the next five years. 
Mainstream papers and the leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet criticize 
the fact that Erdogan's "Kurdish package" was revealed to Americans 
before it was made public in Turkey.  Cumhuriyet comments the AKP is 
releasing the economic package in order to gain votes in the mainly 
Kurdish southeast during the upcoming municipal elections. 
Liberal Radikal thinks the package is nothing new, recalling the 
similarities to earlier plans regarding the Southeastern Anatolian 
Project (GAP) and Kurdish-language broadcasting.  Islamist-oriented 
Zaman believes the package will play an important role in preventing 
youth from joining the PKK in the region. 
 
The pro-Kurdish DTP deputy chairman Selahattin Demirtas branded the 
package as "a local election investment," saying "the Kurdish issue 
cannot be solved with factories, or with broadcasts in Kurdish on a 
state-controlled broadcast."  In addition, he said, "A change is 
needed in the mentality that Turkey is a nation with a single 
language, a single religion, and a single ethnicity," stressed 
Demirtas.  "The problem will be resolved when this mentality 
changes." 
 
MHP Slams Erdogan for Seeking Political Solution to Kurdish Question 
 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Vatan, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others 
report the opposition far right MHP deputy Oktay Vural charged Prime 
Minister Erdogan for being "the architect" of the meetings between 
the pro-Kurdish DTP officials, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, and 
President Abdullah Gul earlier this week.  "Erdogan has launched a 
political solution process with the DTP, a party he used to call a 
tool of the PKK.  The US, Barzani, and Talabani made demands from 
Turkey after the successful ground offensive carried out by the 
Turkish troops in northern Iraq.  These are all parts of a set up 
against Turkey, and the PM is the leading actor in this game," Vural 
said.  President Abdullah Gul said in response to criticism over his 
meeting with DTP lawmakers that he was the president of all groups 
in the country, and that the Kurdish question was a problem for all 
of Turkey, not just of a specific party or group. 
 
Tan Outlines 'Kurdish Package' 
A column today in mainstream Sabah refers to a 10-item solution 
package put forth by Altan Tan, a Kurdish intellectual who has been 
an advisor to PM Erdogan during the ruling AKP's first term in 
power.  The package suggests "no ethnic reference to the definition 
of citizenship in Turkey's constitution;  constitutional guarantees 
for freedom of speech, religion, and ethnicity; free Kurdish 
education, and Kurdish studies institutes in universities; time 
limits removed from Kurdish broadcasts on private radio and 
televisions; political amnesty declared; a social rehabilitation 
program to address the problems such as evacuated villages, high 
suicide rates among girls; and the Diyarbakir military prison should 
be closed and turned into a 'brotherhood museum.'" 
 
 
Islamist-oriented Zaman carries a full-page human interest story of 
interviews with former PKK members living in Europe, who told their 
stories to the famous Kurdish poet and writer Bejan Matur.  Azad 
spent years in the mountains after he joined the PKK.  Azad's father 
was taken into custody when Azad was a child in the 1990s. Azad's 
father spent five years in prison in Adana after being tortured for 
36 days.  Azad went to Germany after a couple of tough years as a 
PKK fighter.  "After spending years with the organization, I went to 
Germany because I wanted to make music," he says.  "I'm sure the 
Kurdish problem will be resolved.  No one, including myself, favors 
division in Turkey; it was a fantasy, a dream of the 1980s.  We 
 
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couldn't manage to explain ourselves, and Turks did not want to 
understand us.  If I were in Turkey now, the one thing that'd 
distress me the most would be the culture of prejudice that is 
prevailing there." 
 
Editorial Commentary on PM Erdogan's Kurdish Package/NYT Times 
Interview 
 
"The Package" 
Gungor Mengi wrote in mainstream Vatan (3/13):  "The government's 
social and economic efforts to counter the PKK are long-awaited. 
Finally, news of this package came from across the Atlantic.  The 
prime minister disclosed the 'Kurdish Package' to The New York Times 
in an interview yesterday.  This is not the time to argue why the PM 
chose a foreign media outlet over of a Turkish media outlet to 
announce this package.  At the moment, the content is more important 
than how it was exposed.  The encouraging points in the package 
include a total of 12 billion dollars in infrastructural investment 
to the southeast region. There will be concrete employment 
opportunities for the youth in hopes that job opportunities will 
deter youth from falling under the PKK's influence.  In addition, a 
state-sponsored television station will broadcast in Kurdish 
language.  However, these steps are pronounced in the future tense. 
Currently, there seems to be no working plan.  Moreover, the prime 
ministry made a public statement three days ago that denied the 
existence of a comprehensive package for Turkey's southeast.  Our 
hope is that the New York Times story is the truth, and not the 
prime ministry statement denying a package.  This issue is not only 
about development of a particular region, it is about Turkey's 
national unity and territorial integrity." 
 
US Report: Serious Human Rights Problems Remain in Turkey 
Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Taraf, Zaman, Yeni Safak and 
others carry Wednesday and today excerpts from the 2007 State 
Department country reports on human rights practices.  The report 
notes the Turkish government generally respected human rights in 
2007, but serious problems remained in several areas.  "Some 
government and military officers at times undermined the judiciary's 
independence.   Non-Muslim religious groups continued to face 
restrictions on practicing their religion openly, owning property, 
and training leaders.  Violence against women, including honor 
killings and rape, continued to be a widespread problem," says the 
report.  Liberal Radikal writes today the report also says the 
Turkish government limited freedom of expression through the use of 
constitutional restrictions and laws, including article 301 of the 
penal code prohibiting insults to 'Turkishness.'  "Limitations on 
freedom of expression expanded to the Internet, as Turkish courts on 
several occasions ordered telecommunications providers to block 
access to web sites," the paper cites the report. 
 
Turban Chaos 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Radikal, Bugun and others:  Some 
universities are allowing students with turban to enter their 
campuses, while some are not.  Erciyes, Rize, Black Sea Technical, 
Harran, Gaziantep, Van Centennial universities did not allow 
students with turban to enter the classes as of yesterday.  Konya 
Selcuk and Sakarya universities announced that they will make a 
decision later. 
 
11 PKK Terrorists Killed in Sirnak 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan, Radikal, Zaman, Cumhuriyet:  Papers 
report that on Monday night, a Heron unmanned surveilance plane 
confirmed the presence of 15 PKK terrorists in Sirnak's 
Bestler-Dereler region.  Around 300 hundred commandos and 100 
village guards were dispatched to the area on the same night. 
During the operations 11 terrorists were killed. 
 
Talat-Christofias Meeting on March 21 
Milliyet, Zaman, Cumhuriyet and others:  Turkish Cypriot President 
Mehmet Ali Talat will meet Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias 
 
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for talks on March 21.  Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports that 
UN Cyprus Peacekeeping Force Spokesman Jose Diaz said that UN 
special envoy Michael Moller will participate at the meeting. 
Papers add that the Turkish side has great expectations about the 
meeting. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Missile Defense 
 
"The US Wants Turkey to Be A Part of Missile Defense" 
Semih Idiz commented in mainstream Milliyet (3/13):  "Even though 
US-Turkey discussions regarding missile defense were confirmed by 
the Pentagon spokesman and Secretary Gates, official sources in 
Ankara are keeping a low profile on the issue.  The characterization 
from Turkish officials is 'missile defense was one of the general 
topics discussed with Secretary Gates.' This seems part of an 
ongoing effort by Ankara to downplay the talks.  The missile defense 
project is very important for the Bush administration.  The US is 
very close to making agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic 
on the project, which is an indication of another impending cold war 
with Russia.  The Head of the Missile Defense Agency at the Pentagon 
recently talked about the benefits of deploying certain radar 
systems to Turkey.  The missile defense issue will be brought up 
during US Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to Turkey.  Cheney, 
like former President Reagan, has committed himself to this project. 
 In sum, Washington does not conceal its intention to see Turkey as 
part of this project.  The question is whether Turkey, as a neighbor 
of Iran, can be a part of it.  The answer requires investigation in 
Ankara, Washington and Tehran.  But we also have to bear in mind 
that the Turkish military has listed 'Iran's nuclear capability' as 
a threat against Turkey." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Diyarbakir prosecutor demands nine life without parole sentences, 
plus 47years for Erdal Polat, who is charged with killing seven 
people in a bomb attack on January 3rd this year. 
 
- Security forces have killed 11 PKK terrorists in clashes in Sirnak 
province on the border with Iraq. 
 
- Ahmet Ozal, son of former President Turgut Ozal, said he would run 
for the chairmanship of ANAP. 
 
International News 
 
- Acting Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security 
John Rood said the US was not planning to set up a missile defense 
system in Turkey. 
 
- The Palestinian militant group Hamas has set conditions for a 
ceasefire with Israel. 
 
- Iranians will go to the ballot box for parliamentary elections on 
Friday. 
 
WILSON