VZCZCXRO5299
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0659/01 0981251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 071251Z APR 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5833
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 8807
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 4093
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 2837
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 6523
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 6364
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2939
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 000659 
 
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, APRIL 7, 2008 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
AKP Board Discusses Reforms on Monday 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni 
Safak and others report the AKP board will convene today in order to 
discuss long-awaited EU reforms and measures to avert a closure case 
against the AKP.  Papers expect the reforms to include Article 301 
of the Turkish Penal Code.  However, in order to amend Article 301, 
the AKP needs the support of the opposition right-wing MHP.  Papers 
speculate if the AKP fails to work out a compromise with the 
opposition, the AKP will not submit the reforms to referendum. 
 
University Students Clash in Antalya 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and 
others report ten students were injured during clashes between 
right-wing and left-wing student groups at Mediterranean University 
in Antalya.  During the clashes, one student opened fire with his 
handgun. Police detained 34 students in connection with the clashes. 
 Mainstream Vatan stresses the current escalation of political 
tensions in Turkish universities is similar to the environment prior 
to Turkey's 1980 military coup. 
 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports in a front-page story that a 10-year old 
boy threw a shrapnel-effect hand grenade in the middle of a street 
near a mosque in Istanbul's conservative Fatih neighborhood.  The 
grenade did not explode, but the child and his two friends ran away. 
 Hurriyet reminds that a week ago, a 13-year old child was captured 
after throwing a Molotov cocktail at the leftist-nationalist 
Cumhuriyet building in Istanbul. 
 
TUSIAD: A Strong Political Opposition Absent in Turkey 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Zaman, Yeni Safak 
and others report Arzuhan Yalcindag, chairperson of TUSIAD (Turkish 
Industrialists' and Business Professionals' Association), said, 
"unfortunately, the absence of a strong political opposition in 
Turkey makes TUSIAD's statements appear political."  Yalcindag also 
said Turkey's terrorism problem cannot be resolved through military 
ways alone.  She also said the headscarf matter and the secularism 
debate were mismanaged, which resulted in social and political 
polarization. 
 
Diyarbakir Business Professionals and NGOs Will Meet President Gul 
 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and 
others report business professionals and NGO representatives from 
the mainly Kurdish southeastern town of Diyarbakir will meet 
President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on Wednesday.  The Diyarbakir 
delegation is expected to request a democratic resolution to the 
Kurdish question.  In addition, the delegation is expected to 
request the completion of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP). 
The Diyarbakir representatives will meet with political parties in 
Ankara on Tuesday. 
 
Barzani Abandons the Idea of an 'Independent Kurdistan' 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports on its front page that Iraqi Kurdish 
regional administration leader Massoud Barzani told Voice of Iraq 
Radio, "The Kurdistan Parliament has decided to live in unity with 
our Iraqi brothers."  Hurriyet cites unnamed sources in Ankara who 
interpret the remarks to mean "Barzani understands that he must 
abandon his dream of an independent Kurdistan." 
 
Meanwhile, mainstream Milliyet reports Iraq's Sunni Arabs and Kurds 
have pledged to cooperate against radical Shiite cleric Muqtada 
al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.  Milliyet notes Kurdish regional 
administration leader Massoud Barzani agreed to send Kurdish 
Peshmerge forces to fight against the Mahdi Army. 
 
Editorial Commentary on the Bush-Putin Summit, Iraq, Turkish 
Economy 
 
 
ANKARA 00000659  002 OF 003 
 
 
"The Aftermath of the Two Summits" 
Ferai Tinc wrote in mainstream Hurriyet (4/7): "After the NATO 
Summit and the Bush-Putin Summit, the cold war atmosphere has been 
replaced by an atmosphere marked by hard bargaining.  In this 'give 
and take' style of negotiation, no one is willing to leave the 
table.  Putin expressed his intense opposition to the missile 
defense project at the Sochi summit.  However, at the same time, the 
very same Russian administration is considering American offers to 
eliminate Moscow's anxieties on the project.  It seems Russia will 
not be able to block the missile defense project but will be able to 
incorporate its demands into it.  Both the NATO summit and the 
recent Sochi summit demonstrate the 'give and take' relationship 
between the two prominent military powers of the world.  The nature 
of this relationship reaches beyond security concerns into both the 
energy and economic sectors.  The current nature of the U.S.-Russia 
relationship cannot be understood from the cold-war perspective. 
This relationship is not about polarization; it is about a struggle 
to expand cooperation regarding mutual interests. " 
 
"Tension Grows in northern Iraq" 
Semih Idiz wrote in mainstream Milliyet (4/7): "While we are 
preoccupied with internal issues, we ignore developments taking 
place in our backyards.  The news coming from northern Iraq is not 
good because tensions are growing between Kurds and Sunni Arabs. 
One of the primary reasons for this increase in tension is said to 
be Kurdish efforts to expel Arabs from northern Iraq.  Many of those 
Arabs who are expelled from northern Iraq wind up joining militant 
groups and Al-Qaeda.  All of this means that northern Iraq is on the 
verge of a Kurdish-Arab conflict.  Meanwhile, the U.S. views 
northern Iraq as stable and calm.  Should conflicts develop between 
Iraqi Kurds and Iraqi Arabs, attacks against the American military 
and Kurdish civilian targets could increase.  Part of this tension 
results from prejudice among Arabs that Kurds will try to gain full 
control over northern Iraq.  They also believe Kurds will use the 
help and support of the Americans in order to gain this territorial 
control.  The clashes in Basra demonstrate Iraq's fragile state.  It 
is now only a matter of time before such clashes spread into 
northern Iraq.  Turkey has to be prepared for any negative impacts 
of such developments." 
 
"A New IMF Program for Turkey" 
Business columnist Erdal Saglam thinks Turkey is in need of another 
IMF program.  He wrote in mainstream Hurriyet (4/7): "Unfortunately, 
Turkey once again is in need of an IMF program in order to ensure 
its economic stability.  We have to admit the fact that we did not 
succeed on our own and could not design an economic program 
compatible with international standards.  Turkey has to maintain its 
economic growth rate; however Turkey does not have its own capital 
flow and thus has to attract foreign capital.  We abandoned economic 
reforms and failed to pursue fiscal discipline.  Moreover, the 
government introduced new legislation which accelerates public 
spending and destroys budgetary discipline.  Political tensions and 
polarization have dealt a serious blow against social consensus.  In 
the midst of this, Turkey has avoided fiscal discipline outlined by 
the IMF.  In addition, Turkey has avoided EU harmonization for the 
last three years.  Let's admit it; this was serious mismanagement. 
At this point, there is a need for a new IMF program for Turkey." 
 
TV News: 
CNN Turk 
 
Domestic News 
 
- On Sunday, more than 70 labor unions and NGOs staged rallies in 
Istanbul to protest social security reforms. 
 
- Prime Minister Erdogan said those who failed to defeat the AKP in 
the ballot box are now trying different methods to oust the party 
from Turkish politics. 
 
 
ANKARA 00000659  003 OF 003 
 
 
- Four candidates will run for the CHP party chairmanship at the 
party's July 22nd convention. 
 
International News 
 
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai signaled he will run for president 
again next year. 
 
- Iran's parliamentary speaker called on Muslim nations to boycott 
Dutch products.  This call comes in response to the recent film 
entitled, "Fitna," which was made by a right-wing Dutch lawmaker and 
accuses the Koran of inciting violence. 
 
- Thirty protesters were arrested during demonstrations against the 
procession of the Olympic torch through London on its way to the 
games in Beijing. 
 
WILSON