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P 020440Z JUL 08
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
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INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
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RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000354 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL TU
SUBJECT: OLD AND NEW IDEAS AT THE ISTANBUL BRANCH OF CHP 
 
REF: ISTANBUL 79 
 
ISTANBUL 00000354  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In a recent meeting, the Istanbul head of 
Republican People's Party (CHP) Gursel Tekin criticized the 
Justice and Development Party (AKP), yet provided little 
substance to back up his comments.  Tekin expects the closure 
case against AKP will result in early elections and the 
public will reward CHP at the ballot box. In a separate 
meeting, Istanbul CHP Deputy Chair for EU and Foreign Affairs 
Didem Engin encouraged greater communication between the CHP 
and the U.S.  Engin blamed AKP for a drop in female 
participation in the workforce. She also criticized her party 
leaders for lacking new ideas with which to confront the AKP. 
End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
New Istanbul Chairman, Same Rhetoric 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a recent meeting, CHP Istanbul Chairman Gursel 
Tekin provided no fresh ideas regarding the party's future or 
how the party differs from AKP. Tekin, who became chairman in 
January, said AKP has a clear agenda to establish an Islamic 
Republic in Turkey, adding he is disappointed the U.S. fails 
to see the harm AKP is causing Turkey. While he is not 
adverse to meeting with us, Tekin said he has made little 
effort to reach out to the U.S. due to its perceived bias 
towards AKP. Despite his bitter complaints about AKP 
administration, Tekin could not point to any specific 
policies where CHP differs from AKP, merely claiming a CHP 
administration would "follow the tenets of Ataturk." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Tekin was uncomfortable with the closure case 
against AKP, citing bitter memories of the CHP's ban after 
the 1980 coup.  He stated, however, that AKP is a religious 
party and he understands why those who initiated the closure 
case want to see Erdogan and the AKP banned. He expects the 
Constitutional Court to close the party, with early national 
and local elections to follow.  Tekin told us CHP,s Istanbul 
branch is recruiting "quality" candidates and targeting a 
number of vulnerable AKP district mayors, as well as Greater 
Istanbul Mayor Topbas.  According to Tekin, AKP attempts to 
undermine democracy, such as their Istanbul redistricting 
scheme (reftel), are finally backfiring. 
 
---------------------- 
New Blood at CHP 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Didem Engin, Istanbul CHP Deputy Chair for EU and 
Foreign Affairs, represents a fresh look for CHP. Engin, a 
successful businessperson who, at 30 years old, was the 
youngest CHP candidate in the 2007 national election, 
received a fair amount of media attention during the 
campaign.  She, however, failed to enter parliament since she 
was listed 14 out of 21 on the party list in Istanbul's 
second district and only seven CHP candidates were elected. 
Instead, Engin was elected to her current position by the CHP 
Istanbul party congress. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Greater Outreach to the US and the West 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Engin supports greater outreach to the U.S., 
attributing the current poor relationship either to lack of 
communication or miscommunication.  She told us the CHP and 
U.S. can be positive partners but agreed with Tekin,s view 
that perceived U.S. support for AKP is a stumbling block for 
better relations. Engin cited the 2002 meeting between 
President Bush and Erdogan as clear evidence of U.S. attempts 
to influence the 2002 Turkish parliamentary election by 
providing international credibility to an opposition party 
leader. Engin asked if Michael Rubin's recent editorial 
criticizing PM Erdogan was a signal the U.S. was changing its 
policy towards AKP.  Emphasizing that Rubin does not speak 
for the USG and the U.S. does not favor one party over 
another, PolOffs welcomed the opportunity to provide a clear 
line of communication with the CHP to avoid misperceptions. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Engin was critical both of the media and of the 
prior lack of CHP outreach, which she claimed has caused 
many Turkish and international newspapers to erroneously 
report that CHP opposes EU membership. Engin emphasized that 
 
ISTANBUL 00000354  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
CHP supports Turkey's accession and opposes any alternatives 
that fall short of full membership. As editor in chief, Engin 
helped CHP,s Istanbul branch start an English language 
newsletter intended to deliver CHP's messages to a wider and 
more international audience.  The Istanbul branch reportedly 
held its first news conference with the international press 
June 7. 
 
-------------------- 
Women in Politics 
-------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Engin criticized AKP for exploiting women's issues, 
claiming that while AKP has a greater percentages of female 
parliamentary deputies than CHP, it uses women "only for 
show."  The only women minister in the current government is 
responsible for women and children's issues, she noted, 
adding, if AKP were serious about women's issues, it would 
have appointed a woman to a more demanding position, such as 
foreign minister. Engin further claimed there are no women 
managers in the top two levels at most ministries. 
 
¶8. (SBU) While acknowledging that most women who wear a 
headscarf do so freely, Engin charged AKP is promoting a 
culture that encourages young girls to chose a 
nonprofessional lifestyle. She pointed to PM Erdogan's urging 
women to have three children as typical of AKP's mindset.  To 
further support her point, Engin referred to government 
statistics showing a drop in women participating in the 
workforce since 2002. 
 
----------------------- 
Inside View of CHP 
----------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Engin was critical of CHP leadership for not 
addressing the issues during the 2007 national campaign. 
CHP's strategy of simply criticizing the AKP was not sound, 
as it gave the perception that the CHP had no new ideas and 
left the public with a poor opinion of CHP leadership.  Engin 
said she had little say about the content of her campaign 
speeches last summer, adding she avoided talking about 
domestic issues, focusing instead on EU and foreign policy. 
 
-------------- 
COMMENT 
-------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Engin's election to a leadership position within 
CHP is a hopeful sign the party is willing to bring in new 
blood with new ideas.  The Istanbul branch newsletter and 
recent outreach to the foreign press is assuredly Engin's 
work; embracing some of her initiatives may indicate the old 
guard is willing to play a better media game.  However, the 
lack of new ideas from the Istanbul Party Chairman shows how 
far the party has to go to make substantial changes. Engin's 
complaints about AKP treating its women candidates as mere 
show-pieces may unfortunately apply equally well to CHP. 
WIENER