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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 001738 
 
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, OCTOBER 6, 2008 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
PKK Attack Kills 15 Turkish Soldiers 
All media outlets reported over the weekend and today that the PKK 
attacked the Aktutun military outpost near Simdili, in the border 
province of Hakkari on Friday afternoon.  15 Turkish soldiers were 
killed and 22 others were wounded when a group of approximately 350 
terrorists attacked the outpost.  Twenty-three terrorists were 
killed and two soldiers went missing in a fight that lasted five 
hours.  The military General Staff (TGS) said in a statement issued 
Saturday that most of the losses were caused by heavy weapon fire 
that came from northern Iraq.  Papers report the latest incident is 
the fifth terrorist attack against the Aktutun gendarme outpost. 
Leftist Taraf reported Sunday, "The TGS must account for its failure 
to ensure the safety of the Aktutun outpost." 
 
On Sunday, the military General Staff (TGS) Deputy Chief General 
Hasan Igsiz held a press briefing about the PKK attack in Aktutun. 
Igsiz said Aktutun as well as four other outposts on the border will 
be moved to safer locations.  Mainstream Sabah criticizes the 
decision for coming "too late," saying the decision came after 44 
soldiers died in five different PKK attacks on the outpost.  "The 
state spends one trillion YTL to buy a luxury armored car for the 
retired TGS Chief Yasar Buyukanit, but the transfer of five military 
outposts to safer locations is delayed because of financial 
troubles," criticizes mainstream Vatan.  Igsiz blamed the Kurdish 
administration of northern Iraq for "providing the PKK terrorists 
with transportation, shelter and medical treatment."  In addition, 
General Igsiz said the attack on Aktutun had not occurred due to an 
intelligence failure, and stressed "there is no problem in 
intelligence sharing with the U.S." 
 
In "Turkey Mourns the Deaths of 15 Soldiers in the Aktutun Attack," 
mainstream Vatan as well as all other dailies report that on Sunday, 
tens of thousands of mourners across Turkey joined the funerals of 
the soldiers killed in the attack.  Papers also report a government 
decree re-authorizing cross-border military operations into northern 
Iraq will be discussed by the parliament on October 8. 
 
Domestic Reactions to the PKK Attack in Aktutun 
Sunday papers report that following the attack, Ankara presented a 
note of protest to Iraq, and warned the U.S. that the Kurdish 
administration of northern Iraq failed to meet Turkish expectations 
in the fight against terror.  Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet notes 
that so far, Turkey has presented five notes of protest to Iraq 
demanding measures to blocking the infiltrations of PKK terrorists 
into Turkey, but the Aktutun attack clearly shows that Iraq ignores 
all such diplomatic initiatives.  The paper notes "Diplomacy has not 
helped resolve the problem." 
 
On Saturday, Prime Minister Erdogan cut his Central Asian tour short 
and returned to Ankara to chair a meeting of the Counter-Terrorism 
Board.  In a statement after the meeting, the board said the fight 
against terrorism would continue with determination.  President 
Abdullah Gul cancelled his scheduled trips to France and Switzerland 
over the weekend.  In a televised statement on Saturday, President 
Abdullah Gul condemned the terrorist attack and stressed that those 
cooperating with and sheltering the terrorists would be punished. 
During a Sunday funeral of a soldier slain in Aktutun, Erdogan 
called on the Turkish people to preserve their unity and strength. 
Erdogan said the statements coming from the U.S. and the EU had not 
been helpful in resolving the problem of terror.  Erdogan reiterated 
his call to the West to take steps to cut financial support for 
terror and added that terrorists should not be provided with 
shelter. 
 
Opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal said Turkey must adopt a new 
understanding in the fight against terror.  "As long as those who 
refrain from labeling this incident as a terrorist act continue 
their activities in this country, the fight against terror will face 
 
ANKARA 00001738  002 OF 004 
 
 
serious hardships," emphasized Baykal.  Opposition far right MHP 
leader Devlet Bahceli called on the government to take all necessary 
measures for the elimination of terrorist elements at home and on 
the other side of the border.  Tabloid Aksam expects the military to 
ask the government at a terror summit on Thursday to declare 
"martial law" in the mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey. 
 
International Reactions to Aktutun Attack 
In "Global Reaction to the PKK Attack," mainstream Milliyet says on 
its front page "unprecedented" reactions came from around the world 
to the terrorist attack on Aktutun outpost.  "The U.N., the U.S., 
Britain, Sweden as well as the northern Iraqi Kurdish Regional 
Government (KRG) reacted strongly to the bloody attack," says 
Milliyet. 
On Saturday, the U.S. Ankara Embassy released a statement that 
condemned the attack and called on the PKK to lay down its arms and 
end the violence "once and for all."  Sunday papers report NATO 
Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer condemned the attack and 
gave a message of solidarity with Turkey in the fight against 
terror.  EU Term President France as well as the bloc's foreign 
policy chief Javier Solana expressed support for Turkey's fight 
against the PKK.  Iraqi President Jalal Talabani called President 
Gul and said the attack in Aktutun was a crime against Turks and 
Kurds, as well as against the entire Iraqi people.  Talabani also 
proposed the Tripartite Security Committee convene immediately, 
according to papers.    Monday papers report Massoud Barzani, the 
president of the northern Kurdish administration of Iraq, strongly 
condemned the PKK attack after meeting yesterday with the Deputy 
Secretary of State John Negroponte in the city of Selahaddin. 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports the Kurdish administration of northern 
Iraq also condemned the attack, but described the attack as a 
"military act" rather than an act of "terrorism." 
 
TGS: Turkish Fighter Jets Strike PKK Camps in Northern Iraq 
Media outlets carry excerpts from Turkish General Staff's most 
recent statement about a cross border operation has been launched 
after the PKK attack against Turkish border station, Aktutun.  The 
TGS statement reads, "Turkish jets conducted an air operation to 
Avasin in northern Iraq.  All units participating the operation 
returned home safely. As always, PKK/Kongra Gel was the main target 
of this operation and every effort was made to avoid any civilian 
harm." 
 
Editorial Commentary on PKK Terror 
 
Hakan Albayrak wrote in Islamist leaning Yeni Safak: "It is 
impossible to end PKK violence unless radical steps are taken to 
eliminate the reasons why the PKK has emerged as an entity." 
 
Ismet Berkan wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal: "The key point 
to a peaceful solution is to stop people from joining the PKK.  Have 
we ever honestly asked ourselves the question, 'Why are those kids 
joining the PKK and choosing to die?'  Once we find an answer to 
this question, we will pave the way to the end of the war." 
 
Fatih Cekirge wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "Talabani's visit to 
Ankara and his recent meeting with Gul in New York softened the 
Turkish-Iraqi tensions regarding the PKK.  But now, President Gul 
has openly blamed the 'accomplices' in this attack, which is a 
direct reference to the northern Iraqi administration.  In other 
words, Gul's upcoming visit to Baghdad has already lost its 
significance. On the other hand, there are many question marks about 
the attack.  In particular, terrorists were able to launch an attack 
in broad daylight despite the intelligence sharing mechanism with 
the United States.  A high-level official told me, 'There has been 
no intelligence-sharing (with the U.S.) since the last operation. In 
fact, a non-stop intelligence sharing mechanism on that level is not 
possible and (since the last military operation) Turkey has gathered 
intelligence by using  its own capacity.'  All of this means that 
Turkey enjoyed the intelligence-sharing mechanism so the U.S. could 
 
ANKARA 00001738  003 OF 004 
 
 
keep Turkey from becoming a threat to Kirkuk and other Iraqi 
civilian areas." 
 
Mustafa Balbay wrote in leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet: "TGS Deputy 
Chief General Hasan Igsiz told the press at TGS headquarters 
yesterday, 'Thursday's meeting of the High Council Against Terror 
will not be another ordinary gathering of the board.'  On questions 
regarding the intelligence cooperation with the U.S., General Igsiz 
said, "We have no problem regarding the intelligence sharing with 
the U.S." The TGS deems it important to keep the U.S. on its side in 
the fight against terror.  Now it's the AKP government's turn. 
Let's see whether they'll manage to keep Ankara in unity in the face 
of terror, which has been rising steadily since 2005." 
 
Mehmet Kamis in Islamist-leaning Zaman: "Soon after he assumed 
office, TGS Chief General Ilker Basbug went to Diyarbakir and Van to 
spread messages of love to the people in the region.  In Van, he 
mixed with people and chatted with a bearded old man.  This picture 
was very important. I believe the attack on Aktutun was in response 
to this picture." 
 
¶A. Turan Alkan in Islamist-leaning Zaman: "If the government had 
acknowledged failure and resigned after the first Aktutun attack, 
then a second, third, fourth and fifth attack on the outpost would 
never have happened.  In countries like Turkey, administrators 'save 
the day' by making heroic statements.  Meanwhile, the children of 
ordinary people like us continue to be attacked and killed." 
 
18 Illegal Immigrants Killed in Traffic Accident in Tekirdag 
All major television news and newspapers report the deaths of 18 
illegal immigrants who were on their way to Europe.  25 were injured 
and 18 died of suffocation in a truck after a traffic accident in 
Turkey's Tekirdag province near Istanbul.  A truck filled with 43 
illegal migrants veered off the road on the Tekirdag-Malkara highway 
after the driver lost control due to speeding. The migrants were 
left stranded in the vehicle after the driver fled the scene. The 
injured migrants were sent to hospitals in the area. Papers report 
Tekirdag Governor Nezih Dogan told the press, "Security forces are 
trying to find the driver of the truck, which appears to have been 
specifically designed for human smuggling.  The majority of people 
who died were from Myanmar and Pakistan."  Governor Dogan also added 
that all the migrants were planning to enter Greece. 
 
Editorial Commentary on U.S. Election Campaign 
 
Omer Taspinar wrote in mainstream Sabah: "Ankara must look warmly at 
Obama.  He is very close to winning the White House.  This is mainly 
due to the financial crisis in the U.S. and Obama's ability to be 
calm and 'cold-blooded' in order to keep the U.S. from descending 
into panic.  Because of this, Obama is much closer today to becoming 
president.  Turkey also must be cold-blooded.  While Obama is seen 
as an ally of the Armenian diaspora, he may change his mind 
regarding his call to recognize the events of 1915 as 'genocide,' 
much like Bill Clinton did after he became president.  Let's not 
forget that a historical commission to examine this problem has not 
been established.  While McCain was opposed to Bush in 2000, he is 
now very close to the neo cons.  Ankara must ask itself some 
important questions... about a potential war between the U.S. and 
Iran and about the damage this or the tensions between the U.S. and 
Russia can do to Ankara.  Obama is the better choice for Ankara. 
Let's look at this from the perspective of a more democratic and 
developed world." 
 
TV News: 
CNN Turk 
 
Domestic News 
 
- On October 8, State Minister Mehmet Simsek will travel to 
Washington to participate in the annual IMF-World Bank meetings. 
 
ANKARA 00001738  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
- 146 people were killed and 649 others were injured in traffic 
accidents around Turkey during the nine-day Ramadan holiday. 
 
International News 
 
- The leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Italy called for 
tighter regulation and a coordinated response to the global 
meltdown, but failed to agree on an EU-wide plan on how to deal with 
the crisis. 
 
- A 6.9-magnitude earthquake is reported in Kyrgyzstan. 
 
WILSON