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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000589 
 
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 Summary 
 
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan Speaks to Party Group Meeting Regarding 
Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports that PM Erdogan addressed his party 
group in the Parliament yesterday.  In his address, Erdogan denied 
that the AKP government would take actions that would "ignore 
Azerbaijan's concerns" and said "The AKP's views on Azerbaijan are 
clear.  Unfortunately such an important and sensitive matter is 
abused for the sake of politics."  PM Erdogan also criticized a 
group of Azerbaijani women parliamentarians who paid a visit to 
Ankara last week, by saying "My words are also for those who come 
from Azerbaijan and follow misguided policies here.  We have never 
let down our Azeri brothers before.  The Azeri women 
parliamentarians visited the opposition parties CHP and MHP, but 
left the AKP off their agenda." 
 
Mainstream Milliyet's headline reads "The U.S. Checked MHP's Pulse 
Regarding the Armenia Issue" and reports that U.S. Ambassador James 
Jeffrey and State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew 
Bryza visited MHP's deputy chair Oktay Vural in his office in 
Parliament.  Milliyet reports "President Obama's recent visit to 
Turkey and the Armenia issue were on the meeting's agenda" and "DAS 
Bryza gave information on the MINSK Group activities to find a 
solution to Nagorno-Karabagh issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan 
and added that important steps were taken in the international arena 
to end the dispute through peaceful means."  When Bryza asked Vural 
regarding MHP's stance on this same issue, Vural said, "The 
Turkey-Armenia border cannot be opened until the Armenian occupation 
ends in Karabagh.  From a strategic angle, Azerbaijan has more 
importance to Turkey than Armenia.  Azerbaijan is in a strategic 
position not only for Turkey but for the whole Eurasia.  If this 
country's importance as an energy corridor is ignored, then regional 
stability will be damaged.  The EU's energy needs should be 
considered.  Please do not throw the region's peaceful future into 
danger while trying to please Armenia." 
 
In a related story, mainstream Sabah interviews the Chairperson of 
the Yerevan Press Club, Boris Navasardian.  Navasardian said 
"Turkey-Armenia ties are now to a point we couldn't even have dreamt 
of ten years ago.  However, the relationship is still too sensitive. 
 The people of the two countries do not know each other well and 
judge each other based on history." 
 
Editorial Commentary on Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan 
 
Tufan Turenc commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet: "Opposition CHP 
lawmaker Sukru Elekdag, back from a recent CHP-MHP delegation's 
visit to Baku, said Turkey and Armenia have agreed on a package 
which envisions a committee to discuss the genocide issue and 
Armenia's recognition of its border with Turkey.  In return, Turkey 
will open the border crossing with Armenia.  The sides are also 
working on a second package, which, according to Elekdag, deals with 
Armenia's withdrawal from the lands it has occupied in Nagorno 
Karabakh.  'The Minsk Group is also working on this problem. 
Armenia is Russia's last stronghold in the region.  Moscow, who is 
afraid of losing Yerevan, will not resolve the Karabakh problem,' 
emphasizes Elekdag.  No government in Turkey can open the border 
unless Armenia withdraws from the Azerbaijani territories and 
recognizes the border agreement between Turkey and Armenia." 
 
Cengiz Candar observes in the liberal Radikal: "Deputy Assistant 
Secretary Matt Bryza told the VOA on April 17 that the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani presidents were working to further the process toward a 
settlement, and that real progress could be seen in a couple of 
weeks.  On May 7, the two presidents will meet in Prague, in what 
will be their third meeting in a year.  Turkey must not panic and 
must carefully follow what is going on.  There's absolutely no use 
in Azerbaijan putting unfair pressure on Turkey." 
 
ANKARA 00000589  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Taha Kivanc comments in the Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak: "Ankara 
has made several good-intentioned statements saying Turkey was 
trying to develop ties with Armenia, but not to the detriment of 
Azerbaijan.  In Azerbaijan, however, sentiments against Turkey are 
on the rise, as seen in the rallies and protest demonstrations.  The 
issue of Azeri lands occupied by Armenia is merely an element used 
in political power struggles in Azerbaijan.  An Azerbaijani 
politician will act according to whether an end to or the 
continuation of the occupation will benefit him.  The Azerbaijani 
administration has done everything to move the Azerbaijanis against 
Turkey -- they went to Moscow to shake hands with Putin, and 
announce the sides have agreed on a new 'Moscow-Baku entente.'  They 
also whispered to the media a false story that FM Babacan showed 
Azerbaijani deputy FM Guliev the door.  The diplomats who conduct 
Turkey's Caucasus policies must be disappointed.  Imagine the 
diplomats, who have been pressed for years for an end to the 
occupation in Karabakh, will eventually have to watch a game in 
which their gains will be lost by those who have pressed them." 
 
Turkey Opens New Page in Ties With Lebanon 
All papers report that Lebanese President Michel Sulayman came to 
Ankara yesterday for an official visit in the first visit of a 
Lebanese President to Turkey in 54 years.  In a joint press 
conference with Sulayman, President Gul said "Turkey will continue 
its support in many areas, including military support, to Lebanon. 
President Sulayman , on his part praised the Turkish military for 
their contribution in UNIFIL. 
 
DTP Plans Protests While Their Party Chair Tells Brits "Kurds Have a 
Dream" 
Mainstream Milliyet report that the mainly pro-Kurdish opposition 
DTP parliamentarians will initiate a sit-in protest in the 
Parliament's General Assembly today.  The protest will last until 
tomorrow's special session for April 23 celebrations (to commemorate 
National Sovereignty and Children's Day).   Mainstream Sabah reports 
that DTP issued a call to all its supporters to march to Ankara from 
locations all over Turkey on May 17 to protest recent law 
enforcement operations against the DTP.  Sabah also reports that the 
Chairman of DTP Ahmet Turk told the British Parliamentarians at a 
reception in London that "Kurds have a dream too" and urged them to 
support a solution to the Kurdish problem."  Meanwhile, DTP co-chair 
Emine Ayna criticized the recent security operations, detentions and 
arrests against DTP and said  at her party group yesterday "We DTP 
parliamentarians should also be considered to be 'PKK members' since 
we are 'committing the same crime' as those members of the DTP who 
were detained during the recent operations. If you block the path to 
politics than you will force us to go to mountains."  Ayna 
criticized the Turkish military too by saying "The Turkish Military 
never attended the Parliamentary sessions during the last 21 months. 
 However, the commanders came to parliament to listen to Obama's 
speech in English.  This is Turkish General Staff's populism for 
you.  We believe that in a democracy the military should not hold a 
place in the Parliament." 
 
In a related story Sabah reports that DTP's Diyarbakir Mayor Osman 
Baydemir and Batman Mayor Necdet Atalay were sentenced to 10 months 
in prison on charges they "made propaganda" about the PKK and the 
referred to PKK members as "guerillas" instead of "terrorists." 
 
Editorial Commentary on the Kurds and the PKK 
 
Ahmet Altan writes in the leftist Taraf: "Today, the Kurds see their 
weapons as an essential tool to maintain their pride and existence, 
and not as a means to win a war.  Once they lay down their arms, 
they don't want to be rounded up in the cities and villages.  It's 
essential that the Kurds are given 'guarantees' before the PKK lays 
down its arms.  The Kurds want a Turkey where they don't have to ask 
for permission for Kurdish televisions, where Kurdish villages will 
be as safe as the Turkish ones, and where they can speak in Kurdish 
in the municipalities where there is a Kurdish population.  They 
 
ANKARA 00000589  003 OF 003 
 
 
want to be equal and they want their equality guaranteed by the 
constitution.  As long as such demands are rejected, the problem 
will reemerge tomorrow even if the PKK lays down its weapons now due 
to current pressure from around the international community.  A new 
Turkey needs to be established that accepts the existence of the 
Kurds and their equality with the Turks." 
 
France and Germany Oppose Turk as NATO Assistant Secretary General. 
Islamist-oriented Zaman writes in "France and Germany's Rasmussen 
Revenge," that "France and Germany are opposed to Turkey's EU entry 
and are now creating problems for Turkey in NATO" as "France and 
Germany, supposedly due to the economic crisis, are now opposing the 
appointment of a Turk as Assistant Secretary General of NATO." 
Mainstream Sabah headlines "Trouble for Turkey's New Seat in NATO" 
and notes "England, Germany and France are opposed to Turkey taking 
one of the five Assistant Secretary General positions due to the 
economic crisis." 
 
F-35 Becomes Victim of Cyber Attack.  Media outlets note that cyber 
hackers broke into the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program; 
emphasis is placed on reports that at least one breach took place in 
Turkey.  Mainstream Milliyet headlines in "Terrifying Piracy Hits 
the U.S." that "The primary suspect is China," and "part of the 
attack took place in Turkey when data was compromised in Turkey." 
Liberal Radikal headlines, "They Hacked the Pentagon from Turkey?" 
and notes "The 300 billion dollar project" was attacked by hackers 
and "Russia and China are on the list of suspects."  In "A Cyber 
Attack against The Pentagon," mainstream HaberTurk notes "Chinese 
cyber spies have broken into the files of the U.S.'s most expensive 
defense program," and "Turkey is a partner in this program." 
 
'War' Breaks Out between Turkey's Kurdish TV Channel and Roj TV 
Mainstream Aksam reports in 'War Between Roj TV and TRT-6' that the 
competition between state-owned broadcaster TRT's Kurdish-language 
channel TRT-6 and Roj TV, which Turkey requested to be banned in 
Denmark for being PKK's broadcaster, has now passed to their 
satellites. At first TRT-6's broadcast was going to be launched from 
the Hotbird satellite, which also broadcasts Roj TV.  Then, TRT-6 
chose another satellite, Turksat. The paper notes Roj TV also had to 
switch satellites due to technical problems and low quality of the 
broadcasts in the Southeast from the Hotbird satellite. 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- 37 suspects were taken into custody in operations against Al-Qaeda 
network in six provinces. 
 
- The EU urges Turkey to undertake concrete steps for reforms. 
 
- Petrol Ofisi, owned by Dogan Media Group is suspended from public 
tenders. 
 
World 
 
- Armenian sources say Armenian President Sargsian had a telephone 
conversation with the US Vice-President Joseph Biden. 
 
- Demonstrators rallied in front of the parliament in Tbilisi to 
demand resignation of President Saakashvili. 
 
- Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani warned Israel against the 
attack on its nuclear facilities by saying "Iran will respond in a 
way that they will not be able to sleep peacefully anymore." 
 
JEFFREY