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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 000164 
 
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 PREL KPAO
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2009 
 
  In Today's Papers 
Q Gul Goes to Saudi Arabia; Erdogan Receives Sudanese VP 
Q AQ Charged in 'Revenge Attack for Gaza;' Jewish Community 'Uneasy' 
 
Q PKK-Hizbullah Tensions Intensify on the Eve of Municipal 
Elections 
Q Erdogan - Hero or Failed Negotiator? 
Q DTP Members Protest JITEM 
Q TRT to Launch Armenian TV, Radio and Webpage 
Q Obama Approves CIA Renditions 
 
 
Gul Goes to Saudi Arabia; Erdogan Receives Sudanese VP 
Mainstream Sabah reports that President Gul is going to Saudi Arabia 
today together with 90 businessmen and four Ministers.  This will be 
Turkey's first presidential-level visit to Saudi Arabia in 19 years. 
 Meanwhile, Sabah notes that Iranian President Ahmedinejad invited 
President Gul to Iran to attend the Economic Cooperation summit on 
March 11.  According to Iranian State TV, Deputy FM Muhsin Telai 
will come to Ankara today to present the invitation.  Mainstream 
Milliyet reports, "PM Erdogan is entertaining an interesting guest 
today" as "Erdogan will receive the deputy (Vice President Ali Osman 
Muhammed) to President Omar al-Bashir, the man who is charged with 
annihilating Christian and non-Arab Africans in Sudan."  Milliyet 
also reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will come to 
Ankara this weekend on President Gul's invitation and he will meet 
with PM Erdogan as well. 
 
AQ Charged in 'Revenge Attack for Gaza;' Jewish Community 'Uneasy' 
Last week, one al-Qaeda militant was killed, one was wounded and 
four others were captured while trying to rob a post office in the 
strictly conservative Sultanbeyli neighborhood in Istanbul. 
According to today's mainstream Hurriyet, the suspects were planning 
to assassinate a Jewish religious figure in retaliation for the 
Israeli offensive in Gaza, whereas mainstream Vatan believes the 
militants were plotting an attack on a Jewish restaurant in the 
city.  On Monday, eight of the 11 suspects taken into custody were 
charged and the other three were released. 
 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports Jewish community spokesman 
and Salom newspaper writer Ivo Molinas warned Monday against the 
rising anti-Semitism in Turkey over Israel's Gaza attacks.  "Can you 
imagine how some 4,000 Jewish children felt during the [Education 
Ministry-ordered] minute of silence observed at elementary and high 
schools for the children killed in Gaza?  Inscribing into the minds 
of little kids enmity against the Jews is not right. The Education 
Ministry was also planning to hold a Gaza essay contest in schools. 
It's good that they dropped the idea after our warnings; otherwise 
children would be competing to see 'who can draw the bloodiest 
picture, or who will express the bloodiest rhetoric," emphasized 
Molinas.  Molinas also stressed the Jewish community was 'getting 
uneasy' in Turkey, and that PM Erdogan's efforts have turned into 
anti-Semitism on the streets. 
 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports religious affairs directorate, Diyanet, 
instructed its imams at mosques to issue calls for common sense at 
Friday sermons this week.  The decision came when the head of the 
Jewish community in Turkey, Silviyo Ovadya, visited Diyanet chief 
Professor Ali Bardakoglu to express concern about provocations 
targeting Turkey's Jews in the aftermath of the Israeli operations 
in Gaza. 
 
PKK-Hezbollah Tensions Intensify on the Eve of Municipal Elections 
Media outlets report around 200 PKK supporters attacked the office 
of the Social Solidarity and Council Organization, Surader, in 
Adana, with Molotov Cocktails and stones, injuring 20 people. 
Surader is known to be one of the several civilian affiliates of the 
Turkish Hezbollah.  Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet, in a 
news-commentary, notes this was the first conflict between Hezbollah 
 
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and the PKK in 12 years, and warns that tensions, already high in 
Adana and Mersin, might spread to other provinces in the mainly 
Kurdish east and southeast Turkey.  The PKK views Hezbollah as an 
ally of the Fettullah Gulen community, so the PKK uses violence 
against them. 
 
Erdogan - Hero or Failed Negotiator? 
Media continue to assess the impact of PM Erdogan's criticism of 
Israel on Turkey's global reputation.  Pro-government outlets 
emphasize UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's supportive phone call 
to Erdogan, while other outlets note Turkey's role as international 
mediator could soon be over as, behind the scenes, bilateral ties 
with Israel are viewed to be in crisis.  Islamist-oriented Yeni 
Safak quotes UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon during a telephone 
conversation with Prime Minister Erdogan in the headline, "There Is 
A Need for Your Leadership and Mediation in the Middle East." 
Conservative-nationalist Turkiye reports, "Moon Supports Erdogan in 
the Davos Controversy."   Mainstream Vatan reports, "Erdogan Is A 
Hero in the Middle East," as "demonstrations in Gaza, Iran, Syria, 
Jordan, and Sudan praise Erdogan." 
 
However, in "Israel Behind the Scenes," Vatan notes, "an anonymous 
Israeli government official said, "We have lost our trust in 
Erdogan" and "We no longer see Turkey as objective," so "It will be 
impossible for Turkey to continue its role as a mediator between the 
Israel and the Middle East."  Meanwhile, Mainstream Milliyet 
reports, "Weapons Sales Could Stop," as "Erdogan's harsh criticism 
of Israeli President Peres could have damaged a long-standing 
bilateral relationship between Israel and Turkey," and "an unnamed 
Israeli defense official indicated that Israel may reject military 
sales requests from Turkey," and in turn a bilateral crisis could 
emerge because "Ankara could respond by cancelling its permission to 
allow the Israeli military to use Turkish airspace for Air Force 
training."  Milliyet columnist Sami Kohen writes, "Ankara does not 
think it needs ties with Israel or the U.S. because Turkey is 
becoming a force in the Middle East," and "Ankara instead believes 
that other countries should be concerned about the consequence of 
losing Turkey." However, Kohen warns Ankara to proceed with caution, 
"The Arab World is not unified (in their views of Hezbollah and 
Hamas), and it is important to remember that there are divisions 
among Palestinians."   Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports, 
"Turkey's Mediator Role Is Finished," as "Turkey's support for Hamas 
will not be successful in the international arena," since Turkey 
actually seems to have "taken over the role of Iran backing Hamas 
and Hizbullah." 
 
Editorial Commentary on the 'Davos Incident' 
 
Sami Kohen wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "Turkey has gained an 
important strategic card in the aftermath of the Davos incident. 
Ankara does not think it needs ties with Israel or the U.S. because 
Turkey is becoming a force in the Middle East and Ankara instead 
believes that other countries should be concerned about the 
consequence of losing Turkey. From now on Ankara should be extra 
careful when playing its cards in order to preserve a balance 
between Israel and Palestine.  The Arab World is not unified (in 
their views of Hezbollah and Hamas), and it is important to remember 
that there are even divisions among Palestinians.  " 
 
Cengiz Candar wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal: "Turkey's 
powerful influence is timely and fills the vacuum in the Middle East 
power game.  Turkey is the only country that can balance Iran's de 
facto power in the region." 
 
Akif Emre wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "Israel's power is 
overrated by Turkish elitists.  There is a deliberate campaign to 
present Israel and the Jewish lobbies in the Diaspora as more 
powerful than they actually are.  In fact Israel needs Turkey much 
more than vice versa." 
 
 
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Mehmet Y. Yilmaz wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "As the annual April 
24 incident approaches, Turkey should be able to think and act 
beyond expectations for a mild statement from the U.S. President or 
a helping hand from Jewish organizations.  Regardless of what is 
next, the fact of the matter is that more than half of the world 
disagrees with Turkey's thesis on the Armenian genocide.  This is an 
issue which calls for a comprehensive public relations effort from 
Turkey and no one else." 
 
DTP Members Protest JITEM 
Milliyet:  A group of DTP members, including DTP Diyarbakir deputy 
Gulten Kisanak and DTP mayors, protested the alleged covert 
intelligence unit in the gendarmerie (JITEM) in Diyarbakir's 
Saraykapi neighborhood yesterday.  DTP deputy provincial chair Ali 
Simsek accused JITEM of being responsible for hundreds of missing 
people and unresolved murders in Diyarbakir. 
 
TRT to Launch Armenian TV, Radio and Webpage 
Pro-government Sabah reports the state-owned TRT television is 
preparing to set up a television channel, a radio station and a 
webpage in Armenian.  The radio and webpage will be up in two 
months.  Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) has advised the 
TRT in a report five months ago that broadcasts in Armenian would be 
a major factor in countering the Armenian Diaspora's anti-Turkey 
propaganda, says Sabah. 
 
Obama Approves CIA Renditions 
Media criticize U.S. President Barack Obama for coming to office on 
a platform of change, but continuing the Bush Administration's 
policy of allowing secret CIA renditions.  Mainstream Sabah reports, 
"He Closed Gitmo, But He Approved Ghost Prisons." 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet headlines, "Change Won't Be That 
Easy."  Liberal Radikal writes, "Obama Will Continue The 
Illegality."  Islamist-oriented Zaman reports, "He Approved the 
CIA's Torture Flights."  Leftist Taraf  headlines, "Offensive Claims 
Against Hope For Obama."  Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak headlines, 
"Secret Permission From Obama." 
 
TV News: CNN Turk 
 
Domestic News 
 
- State Minister Mehmet Simsek says the ten-day hiatus in talks with 
the IMF might be extended if the sides fail to work out 
disagreements. 
 
- Istanbul's prestigious Bilgi University is preparing to offer 
elective Kurdish-language lessons to its students in the Kurmanchi 
dialect. 
 
- A prosecutor initiates an investigation against the pro-Kurdish 
DTP for using the Kurdish language during an election rally in Van. 
 
 
- Automotive exports dive by 53 percent, overall Turkish exports 
decline by 28 percent in January. 
 
International News 
 
- British commander Major General Andy Salmon says British troops in 
Iraq are on track to begin leaving the country by May 31. 
 
- Turkey is ranked 57th among 158 countries in KOF Index of 
Globalization 2009, calculated by the Zurich-based Economic 
Institute KOF to measure the economic, social and political 
dimensions of globalization. 
 
- A protester throws a shoe at the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao 
during a speech at Cambridge University. 
 
 
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JEFFREY