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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000966 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Austrian President Fischer: "The AKP Closure Case Puzzles Europe" 
All papers report President Heinz Fischer of Austria, during a state 
visit to Turkey, told a joint news conference with his Turkish 
counterpart Abdullah Gul, "Europe has been astounded by the closure 
case against the ruling AKP."  Fischer added a similar court case 
would not have been filed in Austria.  "I don't want to meddle in 
Turkey's internal affairs.  We will respect the ruling of the court 
because there is no other choice," Fischer said.  On a question 
regarding the parallels between the lawsuit for banning the AKP and 
the fate of the Austrian far right leader Jorg Haider, Fischer said 
that the two cases were not similar because there was no lawsuit for 
ousting Haider from politics.  He noted it would be difficult to 
predict whether or not Turkey's accession talks would be suspended 
if the AKP was closed. 
 
President Abdullah Gul said Turkey would become a country that 
"fulfilled reforms and upgraded its standards to the EU level."  Gul 
emphasized Turkey was the sixth biggest economy in Europe with 
"great investment opportunities."  In addition Gul noted, "Turkey, 
linking east and south energy corridors to Europe, would ensure the 
energy safety of Europe." 
 
Kilic: "AKP Closure Case Result will Strengthen Turkish Democracy, 
Secularism" 
All papers report Constitutional Court President Hasim Kilic told 
economic daily Referans Tuesday whatever decision the court makes 
regarding the lawsuit on closing down the ruling AKP might be, 
"Turkey's secularism and democracy" would be "strengthened."  Kilic 
also said he would set a date to take up the opposition CHP and DSP 
application to annul the headscarf reforms. 
 
Editorial Commentary on AKP Closure Case 
 
"The Decision Has Already Been Given" 
Okay Gonensin wrote in mainstream Vatan (5/21):  "During an 
interview with Referans newspaper, Constitutional Court President 
Hasim Kilic repeated himself three times saying, 'No matter what the 
court decision might be regarding the AKP's closure, you will see 
that not only our democracy, but our secularist foundations and our 
judiciary will emerge stronger from this.  Believe me this is not a 
wish...' The last sentence shows that Kilic has his own leaning.  I 
wonder if this leaning could be toward the third solution that is 
circulating in speculations in Ankara lately.  We hope that Kilic's 
desire for a solution will lead the court to speed up its work and 
reach a decision.  Today's ambiguity creates a worse atmosphere than 
any court decision.  In short, no matter what the court decision 
might be, a new era will start in Turkey.  It will be very good if 
the new era starts as soon as possible." 
 
"Closure of the AKP" 
Ergun Babahan commented in mainstream Sabah (5/21):  "Constitutional 
Court President Hasim Kilic's remarks to Referans newspaper are very 
interesting.  Those words seem to be parallel to the words of 
Parliamentary Speaker Koksal Toptan, who is lobbying for a third 
solution for the AKP closure case.  Europe's pressure on this issue 
continues while Turkey is trying to find a solution internally.  In 
Ankara, more and more people realize the sensitivity of the 
situation.  Hasim Kilic's remarks can ease the tension among the 
secularists and also ease the concerns of the people who believe 
that the judiciary will be used as a tool of politics.   Turkey has 
to find a way to keep its secular democracy alive without pressuring 
the judiciary.  The Constitutional Court is going through a very 
stressful time and it is under pressure.  If the court manages to 
reach a decision that pleases everyone, it will successfully pass a 
very important test." 
 
Baykal, Bahceli Criticize AKP at Party Group Meetings 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak and 
 
ANKARA 00000966  002 OF 003 
 
 
others report CHP leader Deniz Baykal addressed his party group 
meeting yesterday and accused the ruling AKP government of pursuing 
an "election economy" strategy.  Baykal stated the CHP would call an 
agriculture convention in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa on June 
4th to introduce solutions for this summer's impending drought. 
Following the convention, the CHP will visit the mainly Kurdish city 
of Diyarbakir to listen to the problems of local people, Baykal 
emphasized. 
 
During an address to his party group meeting in the parliament, MHP 
leader Devlet Bahceli said the closure case filed against the AKP 
"weakened the management of a government that is already 
mishandled."  In addition, he noted, "Prime Minister Erdogan is 
rapidly losing his cool because of the closure case and the 
possibility he will be tried in court."  He stressed the AKP was 
dragging Turkey into "a dictatorship of fear," and "a totalitarian 
structure in which the private lives of its citizens were 
monitored."  He added, "Our democracy is no longer able to protect 
its people.  Turkish democracy is about to become a system that 
closely scrutinizes its citizens and fuels suspicions about them." 
 
Kurds Place Ad in International Herald Tribune 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report 
1,000 people, including the pro-Kurdish DTP lawmakers, mayors, 
writers and intellectuals, placed a full page advertisement in The 
International Herald Tribune calling for a peaceful resolution to 
the Kurdish question in Turkey.  The ad notes the use of Kurdish in 
Turkish government offices is still a crime.  The intellectuals 
demand the Kurdish identity be recognized in the Turkish 
Constitution, and request Kurdish education rights at all levels. 
They also call on Turkey to declare a general amnesty for PKK to 
return home.  They also stress the PKK should lay down arms. 
Figures such as Bernard Kouchner, Tony Blair, Martti Ahtisaari and 
Felipe Gonzales were requested to serve as "international 
arbitrators" who could work toward a resolution to the problem. 
 
Workers to Strike to Protest Shipyard Deaths in Tuzla 
Milliyet, Sabah, Vatan, Radikal, Taraf, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others 
report labor unions and civic organizations call on the government 
to take swift action in regulating the shipbuilding industry 
following the tragic deaths of two workers at Istanbul's Tuzla 
shipyards last week.  Shipyard workers will go on strike on June 16. 
 
 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports a ship owner in Tuzla said the deaths of 
workers at the shipyard should be investigated as "criminal cases, 
not accidents."  Islamist-oriented Zaman writes, "Accidents are 
inevitable if shipyards continue employing unqualified workers."  A 
front page headline in liberal Radikal says "Dead Workers Blamed for 
Fatal Accidents in Tuzla," and quotes the business owners as saying 
that accidents as well as negligence that lead to accidents were 
"inevitable."  Leftist Taraf writes, "The opposition denounces the 
deadly accidents in Tuzla, while the government keeps silent." 
Mainstream Milliyet reports the Maritime Under secretariat has 
prepared a package of "emergency measures" for enhancing work safety 
at the shipyards. 
 
Turkey's shipbuilding industry is the world's fourth largest after 
Japan, South Korea and China.  Since 1983, 74 workers have died from 
work-related accidents when shipyards began operating in Tuzla 
neighborhood in Istanbul.  The number of accidents has increased 
over the years.  In 2002, 73 deaths were reported; in the past year, 
227 people died on the job in Tuzla shipyards. 
 
TV News: 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkish and Greek Cyprus leaders Talat and Christofias decided to 
 
ANKARA 00000966  003 OF 003 
 
 
meet May 23 to review preparations for the peace negotiations that 
will commence in June. 
 
- Top representatives of the Turkish judiciary will meet in the 
Mediterranean city of Antalya on Wednesday to discuss the judicial 
reform strategy draft submitted earlier this month to the EU. 
 
- On Tuesday, 17 people were fined in Istanbul's Sisli neighborhood 
for violating smoking bans. 
 
International News 
 
- The European Parliament will vote on the "Turkey Progress Report" 
on Wednesday.  The non-binding report calls on Turkey to speed up 
reforms. 
 
- Iranian authorities have blocked access to several websites and 
blogs belonging to women's rights activists and journalists who are 
critical of the government. 
 
- President Bush apologized to the Iraqi people after the Koran 
shooting incident by an American soldier near Baghdad, Prime 
Minister al-Maliki's office said on Tuesday. 
 
WILSON