VZCZCXRO5501
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #1059/01 2051019
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 241019Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0308
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0200
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 6055
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 4027
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 7444
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 7330
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3914
RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU
RHMFIUU/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU
RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001059 
 
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: TURKISH MEDIA REACTION 
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Constitutional Court Annuls Parts of the Land Mine Law 
All papers:  The Constitutional Court on Thursday invalidated some 
parts of the recently passed law for clearing mines on the 
Turkish-Syrian border.  With the new bill, it will be possible to 
use the cleared area for agricultural purposes.  However, the 
Constitutional Court has suspended the provisions that allowed the 
de-mining company to use the land for up to 44 years for 
agricultural activities.  Mainstream Vatan says that in the last six 
years, main opposition party CHP applied to the Constitutional Court 
to demand the annulment of 143 bills passed by parliament. 
Mainstream Hurriyet notes that in June 2009, all the opposition 
parties with seats in Parliament filed a lawsuit at the 
Constitutional Court demanding the invalidation of some parts of the 
law on the grounds that those articles were against the 
Constitution. 
 
Turkey, Iraq, and the U.S. to Discuss Makhmur Camp (Taraf) 
Leftist Taraf reports that on Tuesday, officials from Turkey, the 
U.S. and Iraq will hold a summit meeting in Ankara to discuss the 
role of the Makhmur refugee camp in the "return home" of PKK 
militants in northern Iraq.  Makhmur was to become the first stop 
for the PKK militants willing to leave the mountains and return to 
their homes.  Taraf comments the Turkish government was taking 
"concrete steps to make the PKK militants lay down their weapons." 
 
 
Debate Over the Government's Possible Kurdish Plan 
 
Bejan Matur wrote in Islamist-oriented Zaman: "There are certain 
social reflexes buried in Turkish society which are against finding 
a solution to the Kurdish problem.  However a strong public affairs 
campaign can change this.  The current climate is good enough to 
turn this sentiment into a positive direction if both the state 
institutions and the DTP at the same time act on this nature." 
 
Yasin Dogan wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "There is so much 
talk about making Ocalan [PKK's imprisoned leader] a part of the 
negotiations regarding the Kurdish issue.  Ocalan's clout within the 
PKK cannot be denied but that does not qualify him as negotiator or 
interlocutor.  Leaders of Kurdish community in Turkey have to think 
in a broader perspective if they sincerely want to contribute to the 
solution finding process." 
 
Cengiz Candar wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal: "There are 
certain things the state can easily move forward and make an easy 
path toward finding a solution to the Kurdish problem.  The 
enhancement of the local administration structure will allow them 
administrative autonomy as described in the EU process as one of the 
things which the government can do immediately." 
 
Ece Temelkuran wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "There are many 
obstacles, besides the obvious ones, in efforts to find a solution 
to the Kurdish problem.  First and most important of all, Turkey's 
southeast reality does not match with the Ankara reality because 
country's prime minister does not even want to listen to the voices 
of his southeastern deputies.  They are outspoken and open to 
listening to what Ocalan has to say while PM Erdogan seems 
determined to act with no democratic maturity." 
 
 
FM Davutoglu Appoints New, Younger Ambassadors 
Papers report the Turkish Foreign Ministry has appointed new 
ambassadors to 45 embassies around the world.  Papers underline that 
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has brought fresh blood to the top 
positions in the ministry with the appointment of "younger" 
diplomats.  Deputy Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu, Turkey's 
former ambassador to Israel, will be replacing Ambassador Ertugrul 
Apakan as the new undersecretary of the MFA.  Ambassadors Namik Tan, 
Halit Cevik, Selim Yenel, Naci Koru and Hakki Akil, who all served 
 
ANKARA 00001059  002 OF 003 
 
 
abroad until recently, will be the new deputy undersecretaries.  The 
current deputy undersecretary, Ambassador Unal Cevikoz, will remain 
in office.  Davutoglu has informed the ambassadors of their new 
positions, and called their wives to convey the ministry's gratitude 
for supporting their husbands, say papers. 
 
U.S., Turkey Economies Getting Better (Zaman) 
Islamist-oriented Zaman reports "good news" from the U.S., where 
Ford announced a USD 2.3 billion of profits this year.  The Istanbul 
Stock Market (IMKB) also reached its highest point in 2009, says 
Zaman, adding the Turkish Lira has gained value over the U.S. Dollar 
and the Euro since October 2008, says Zaman. 
 
Turkey ranks top in anti-Americanism (Vatan) 
Mainstream Vatan reports the PEW survey results show Turkey ranked 
at the top of the list of countries with anti-American sentiments - 
only 14 percent expressed positive feelings about America. 
Mainstream Milliyet says "President Obama failed to change Turks' 
opinion on the U.S." and highlights that the American image improved 
worldwide after President Obama took charge, while Turkish people 
continue to feel distant to both the U.S. and to the European 
Union. 
 
U.S. Killed Bin Laden's Son "Accidently" in a Missile Attack (Aksam) 
 
Mainstream Aksam cites NPR radio's interview with a US official 
saying that "(Osama) Bin Laden's son Saad wasn't in a high position 
within the Al-Qaeda organization.  We did not target him 
individually.  He was killed just because he was at a wrong place in 
a wrong time."  Mainstream dailies Sabah and Vatan also cite the NPR 
radio interview with a US counter-terrorism official to report that, 
according to US Intelligence service, Laden's son was killed during 
a missile attack in Pakistan, at the beginning of the year. 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak carries the headline, "A Son Was 
Killed." 
 
A 'Racism Objection' from Obama (Cumhuriyet) 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports from Washington that 
President Obama said police forces in the U.S. treat the blacks and 
Hispanics "disproportionally," and added the "race issue" continues 
to be a problem in the country.  On the arrest of Harvard University 
Professor Henry Louis Gates over suspicion of "theft" while the 
professor was trying to enter his own house, Obama said police had 
acted "stupidly."  "It's a fact that this country has a long history 
of police detaining African-Americans and Latinos," said Obama. 
Gates was released after he was kept under custody for a couple 
hours, says Cumhuriyet. 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- CHP leader Deniz Baykal told a press conference PM Erdogan was 
creating "big expectations" with his remarks regarding the Kurdish 
question, but then was failing to meet the expectations. 
 
- A military training fighter jet crashed in Malatya, but the two 
pilots survived the crash with light injuries. 
 
- Turkey's economy administration is working on measures to curb 
public spending. 
 
- Number of foreign tourist visiting Turkey has declined in June. 
 
World 
 
- Northern Iraq goes to the ballot boxes for elections on Saturday. 
 
 
- President Obama said despite the continuing violence in Iraq, the 
U.S. was on schedule to withdraw troops out of the country by the 
 
ANKARA 00001059  003 OF 003 
 
 
end of 2011. 
 
- Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic says he wants access 
to DNA from mass graves to show that the death toll in the 1995 
Srebrenica massacre of Muslim men has been "exaggerated." 
 
- Russian President Medvedev has announced a pilot project that will 
require schoolchildren to take classes in religion or secular 
ethics. 
 
JEFFREY