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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001149 
 
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 
FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2008 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
TUSIAD Calls for Comprehensive Constitutional Changes 
All papers report UN Development Program (UNDP) administrator Kemal 
Dervis addressed a consultative council meeting of the Turkish 
Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) in Istanbul 
on Thursday.  According to Dervis, "Turkey should have a growth rate 
around seven percent between 2010-2015."  He noted Turkey had to 
allocate 26-28 percent of its national income for investments in 
order to maintain momentum.  Dervis was optimistic about the global 
financial turbulence, saying  history has shown us that past crises 
have been overcome sooner than anticipated.  "Yes, we will witness a 
slowdown but that will be over soon, and an accelerating growth 
trend will again kick in for the global economy," Dervis said. 
 
Mustafa Koc, chairman of the high consultative council of TUSIAD, 
warned in his speech that political polarization was turning into 
social division.  "However, politicians of the same country do not 
meet each other and seek solutions for problems through dialogue. 
Can this behavior be justified," Koc asked, stressing "all 
politicians" were responsible for the political strains in Turkey. 
Koc said that it was not possible to pave the way for economic and 
social development without raising Turkey's democratic standards, 
adjusting the laws to the democratic standards, and making the 
principle of secular, democratic state of law and individual 
freedoms the common denominator for all.  Koc suggested that 
politicians, NGOs, academics, and judicial organs should discuss a 
"comprehensive constitutional amendment."  Koc also said critical 
decisions about the Turkish economy should be shaped in the light of 
global threats, not of the nearing municipality elections. 
 
Papers report Turkish Union of Chambers (TOBB) and labor unions 
Turk-Is, Hak-Is and DISK have boycotted the TUSIAD meeting. 
Mainstream Vatan claims the unions decided to boycott the meeting 
when Prime Minister Erdogan sent them the message that he opposed 
the TUSIAD initiative involving Kemal Dervis. 
 
Editorial Commentary on Trends in Turkish Politics 
 
"A New Constitution is the Way Out of this Crisis" 
Mumtazer Turkone wrote in Islamist leaning Zaman (6/20):  "TUSIAD's 
initiative to convene a constitutional convention could be a good 
opportunity.  Turkey has experienced a deep constitutional crisis 
since the closure case was filed against the AKP on March 14, 2008. 
Given the impending economic stagflation, the consequences of this 
crisis could be fatal.  The remedy is simple:  The system must be 
revised, rebuilt and empowered.  The current democratic system was 
rendered ineffective by a judicial coup.  Yet, this process was only 
carried out by the judiciary.  The business world now supports 
democracy.  A free and rational democratic climate will serve 
everyone's interest.  A vast consensus is needed for a comprehensive 
constitutional initiative." 
 
"A Vacuum in the Left Wing" 
Okay Gonensin wrote in mainstream Vatan (6/20): "Ankara political 
circles are busy speculating on possible scenarios in the event the 
AKP is closed.  The aftermath of the court decision to close down 
the AKP will lead to a new party, either in the center or in the 
center-right.  The AKP implemented a seemingly centrist policy when 
it came to power, but was unable to continue with it.  Thus, a power 
vacuum emerged in the political right.  However, realistically 
speaking, the power vacuum in the left wing is more of a reality 
than the right wing's power vacuum.  The CHP has completely 
abandoned its socially democratic policies and even pursues a vision 
compatible with the radical right wing.  The AKP's six years in 
office has demonstrated the consequences of a nonexistent political 
left.  Thus, Turkish democracy will continue to stumble unless the 
vacuum in the left is filled.  Nowadays there is an idea for forming 
an 'umbrella-style right-wing party' and the same need applies for 
the left wing as well." 
 
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Erdogan Seeks Solutions to Prevent Tuzla Shipyards Deaths 
All papers report Prime Minister held a summit meeting on Thursday 
between government officials and representatives of employers and 
workers at Istanbul's Tuzla shipyards over the work-related 
accidents that claimed 25 lives over the last six months.  In 
"Erdogan pushes the button for emergency measures for preventing 
work accidents in Tuzla," Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak says Erdogan 
warned ship owners against neglecting work safety while aiming high 
profits.  "I don't want more deaths in Tuzla," Erdogan said, warning 
he would "hurt" the shipyard owners unless they avoid new 
work-related deaths.  Liberal Radikal reports a statement by the 
Prime Ministry said among the "emergency measures" to be taken would 
be training for all workers, moving part of Tuzla's capacity to the 
nearby Yalova district, and increasing the number of inspectors. 
 
Ambassador Wilson at TABA Event 
Mainstream Sabah reports that Turkish-American Businessmen 
Association (TABA) arranged a meeting in Ankara.  The theme of the 
meeting was the importance of the Agriculture Sector in the 
US-Turkey Relations.  Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker, in his 
speech, highlighted the bitter fact that "the food products are 
produced for nourishment, but unfortunately have been used as gas 
for luxurious vehicles."  Ambassador Wilson announced that the U.S. 
will give $5 billion in international food aid during 2008-2009. 
 
Party Closure will have Important Consequences 
Mainstreams Milliyet and Sabah report that, during a press 
conference at the EU Leaders Summit in Brussels, EU Parliament 
President Hans-Gert Pottering and European Commission President Jose 
Manuel Barosso commented on the AKP closure case.  Reportedly, 
Barosso said that the decision of the Constitutional Court on AKP 
will bring important consequences.  Pottering said "If the AKP is 
closed, then, the negotiations with Turkey will stop." 
 
Yeni Safak: 8 Reasons to Hate the U.S. 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak carries the headline, "8 Reasons to 
Hate the U.S.," and covers Human Rights Watch's report on the eight 
reasons why the U.S. image is so bad.  Yeni Safak notes the reasons 
include, "the lack of international cooperation, ongoing policies in 
Iraq, reports of the use of torture, a lack of impartiality in the 
Middle East, a perception America is hypocritical, unilateralism, 
the perception the U.S. denies visas to Muslims, and perceptions 
that the fight against terror is a fight against Islam." 
 
MFA Bureaucrat to Manage TRT's Kurdish Channel 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports Sinan Ilhan, a Turkish Foreign Ministry 
(MFA) bureaucrat, has been tasked with coordinating Kurdish-language 
broadcasts on the state-owned TRT television.  Ilhan, who has 
carried out critical intelligence work at Turkish missions abroad, 
speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Farsi, English and Hebrew.  He was recently 
at the intelligence desk of Turkey's special Iraq envoy.  Ilhan is 
in contact with prominent Kurdish intellectuals, politicians and 
bureaucrats to gather a team for the new channel.  Hurriyet says the 
Kurdish channel will initially broadcast for 10 hours a day.  It 
will broadcast programs in the Kurdish dialects Kurmanci and Zaza as 
well as Arabic and Farsi. 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) is to meet on June 26. 
 
- Three children from Diyarbakir Municipality chorus have been 
acquitted in a court case for spreading PKK propaganda with a 
Kurdish song they performed at a music festival in San Fransisco. 
 
- This year the Turkish entertainment and media sector is expected 
 
ANKARA 00001149  003 OF 003 
 
 
to grow by 16 percent. 
 
International News 
 
- The New York Times reports four Western oil companies are close to 
signing oil contracts with the Iraqi government for the first time 
in 36 years. 
 
- Secretary Rice and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said they 
were optimistic Iraqi and US negotiators will meet a July 31 
deadline for a deal governing the future deployment of US troops. 
 
- Greek Cypriot leader Demetrios Christofias says they will not 
object to a proposal for adding the Turkish language to the list of 
official EU languages. 
 
WILSON