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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001073 
 
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 
MONDAY, JULY 27, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
The AKP's Kurdish Initiative Prepares for Debut 
All papers:  Sunday's mainstream Sabah reports that the Turkish 
Government is getting ready to take "brave steps" in order to solve 
the Kurdish issue.  PM Erdogan will review the different 
alternatives of a plan, which will be prepared by Interior Minister 
and other government officials.  Before submitting the plan to the 
parliament, the government wants to discuss the plan with state 
institutions and the NGOs.  According to the plan, the PKK militants 
- excluding top PKK leaders- will be granted amnesty and will be 
given guarantees that they will not be jailed.  A special 
rehabilitation program will be prepared for militants who agree to 
lay down their weapons and return to their homes.  PKK leaders will 
be given a chance to go to a third country from northern Iraq. 
Sabah notes that the method used to disarm the PKK members will be 
discussed at tomorrow's trilateral mechanism meeting between 
Turkey, the U.S. and Iraq.  Today's Sabah reports that the 
trilateral mechanism will convene in Ankara tomorrow at the level of 
Interior Ministers.  Turkey's Interior Minister Besir Atalay will 
host the meeting. Iraqi National Security Minister Sirvan al-Vaili 
will lead the Iraqi delegation and Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government 
official Kerim Sincari will attend the meeting also.  U.S. military 
personnel from Iraq will participate at the meeting on behalf of the 
U.S. 
 
In a related story, mainstream Hurriyet reports that, according to 
the TV channels and internet sites close to PKK, Jailed PKK leader 
Ocalan said "I just responded to President Gul and PM Erdogan's 
indirect calls and announced that I will reveal a 'road map' on 
August 15 to resolve the Kurdish issue.  I am not who I was in the 
past, and the state is not the same state.  The past remains in the 
past.  Fighting, violence and death are not in my logic any longer. 
I am a radical democrat now." 
 
Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party's high level official, 
responsible of international issues, Safeen Dizayee, spoke to 
Hurriyet newspaper regarding the controversies over the Turkish 
government's Kurdish initiative.  Dizayee said "violence cannot 
solve the problems.  The time to solve the problem through weapons 
should come to an end for both sides.  PKK is a domestic issue of 
Turkey.  It is true that a part of PKK structure is based on our 
territory.  We were even accused of not fighting against PKK.  But 
there is a new era since April 2008, and it really gives hope to 
me."  Dizayee also remarked about the Makhmur camp in northern Iraq 
and said "In Makhmur camp there are 11,000 Kurds who are Turkish 
nationals.  But no Turkish officials ever come to the camp to hear 
about their problems and expectations.  We know that the majority of 
the people in the camp want to go back to their country.  If there 
is room in the camp, the PKK militants in the mountains, after 
laying down their weapons, could be kept in the camp." 
 
Editorial opinion on Kurdish Initiative 
 
Semih Idiz wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "As Turkey discusses some 
possible steps toward solving the Kurdish issue, Washington is 
watching developments in Turkey very closely.  Various American 
sources indicated that Washington does not want to end up seeing a 
Turkish-Kurdish conflict especially on the eve of the U.S. 
withdrawal from Iraq.  There is still fear the Kurds will try to 
establish an independent Kurdish state in some Turkish circles 
however this is definitely out of question for America and its 
interests.  At this point, Washington expects some pragmatic steps 
toward a solution to the Kurdish problem, such as a plan for 
amnesty.  Americans also believe that Turkey should be able to put 
Ocalan into the process if needed.  Given the everyday stories in 
Turkish press, he is pretty much a part of the process anyway." 
 
Mehmet Yilmaz wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "There is a lesson to 
learn from past experience that the Kurdish issue cannot be solved 
through military means.  We should be able to discuss more radical 
 
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steps and some other ways to address the issue.  There is a 
significant degree of consensus within army and the government on 
resolving the issue.  PKK and DTP should realize that the 
disarmament of the PKK has to be the immediate first step." 
 
Ahmet Altan wrote in leftist Taraf: "Both the Turks and the Kurds 
have understood that neither side will achieve anything through 
armed struggle.  Not only Turkey, but also the world wants this war 
to end.  State officials have tried to explain the oddity Turkey has 
been going through with the clich of 'Turkey's special position' -- 
for years, they have scared us with 'communism'; and replaced it 
with 'fundamentalism' when communism ended.  If this war ends, this 
'separatism' issue will also end.  Fundamentalism, no matter how 
much noise it makes, has not found a concrete base for itself.  The 
conservative image the AKP cadres have been giving, even when they 
try to impose on urban dwellers the lifestyle of town dwellers, is 
not the manifestation of fundamentalism, but the manifestation of 
the rage of a segment which was despised for too long.  As they get 
accustomed to being in power, they will cease such behavior.  An 
ending of, however, this 'fear' will also end the clich of 
'Turkey's special position.'  When this clich ends, the secret 
domination of Turkey's armed and unarmed bureaucrats will be 
history; this is why today's secret dominators do not want it to 
end.  This was actually the main duty of the Ergenekon gang -- 
keeping alive the sense of fear constantly.  Now, some inside the 
state are still trying to save this gang and resurrect the fear. 
This is the main goal of the attempt to replace the Ergenekon 
prosecutors and those who investigate the murders unaccounted for in 
southeast Turkey.  They want to save the Ergenekon  suspects and 
continue the war in the southeast by stoking tensions through 
mystery killings.  The people of Turkey want change.  An important 
portion of the state have understood that in case we do not change, 
this state will not be able to save itself from being turned into a 
mob, and drag this country into a terrible chaos.  They are, 
therefore, determined.  Ergenekon will not be abel to save itself, 
the February 28 will not come back, and this war will end.  History 
and life make this a necessity.  That is why today both Ocalan and 
Ankara are in a race to find the most sensible roadmap." 
 
Opposition Makes Modest Gains in Iraqi KRG Parliamentary Elections. 
 
The top international story today notes that the opposition made 
some surprising gains against KRG President Massoud Barzani's 
Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP, and Iraqi President Jalal 
Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK during this weekend's 
parliamentary elections.  Both the KDP and the PUK are expected to 
retain power.  Mainstream Sabah headlines, "Talabani Lost in His 
Hometown," noting, "Nusherwan Mustafa's opposition group, Change, 
beat the PUK in  Talabani's hometown Suleymaniye.  Barzani won 70 
percent of the presidential vote," and "the opposition had 37 
percent of the parliamentary vote, which is enough to dent the hold 
in parliament of the KDP and the PUK."  Mainstream Milliyet writes 
in, "The Man Changes the Balances," that "as the third power 
standing against Barzani and Talabani, Mustafa generated hope among 
Kurds.  He gets his power from women and youth."  In "Fraud 
Complaint from The Change movement," leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet 
reports the leader of the Change Movement, Nusherwan Mustafa, 
complained of "fraud" and accused the PUK and KDP of bussing 
unregistered voters to polling stations to cast ballots.  Liberal 
Radikal headlines, "Here Comes the Third Leader for Iraqi Kurds." 
While mainstream Milliyet writes, "Change's Success Cracks the 
KDP-PUK alliance." 
 
U.S. Steps Up Diplomacy in the Middle East. 
Media report U.S. Middle East special envoy George Mitchell's visit 
to Syria as part of the U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. 
Liberal Radikal and Islamist-oriented Zaman report "The U.S. Middle 
East envoy said he had 'candid and positive' talks with President 
Bashar al-Assad, and that the U.S. administration is determined to 
achieve a 'truly comprehensive' Arab-Israeli peace settlement." 
Papers report on Syria's stalled, Turkish-mediated peace talks with 
 
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Israel, Mitchell said "Our near-term goal is the resumption of 
negotiations. Comprehensive peace is the only way to guarantee 
stability, security, and prosperity for all of the states in the 
region." 
 
A Decrease in Islamaphobia in Europe. (Yeni Safak, Zaman, Taraf and 
Sabah) 
Papers are carrying the British Observer story about the significant 
decrease in Islamaphobia in Europe and particularly mention how 
Turks living in Europe are resisting radicalism. "Turks are not 
sympathetic to radical Islam and they are resisting to it" says 
mainstream Sabah.  The paper also notes that fear from Muslims among 
Europeans have dropped to the lowest levels since 9/11.  Islamist 
oriented Zaman writes "Europeans' Fear From Muslims Was Proven 
Baseless." 
 
Modern Slavery: Work and Travel. (Yeni Safak)  Liberal Radikal, 
mainstream Aksam, mainstream Star and Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak 
report Turkish students travelling to the U.S. with the Work and 
Travel program are working under "slavery conditions" and are being 
abandoned by the companies sending them to the US.  The students 
complain about losing their sanity because they are being "worked 
like slaves."  Yeni Safak reports, "The Turkish American Association 
Federation officials have received many complaint messages and have 
recently found homes for 30 students in New York."  Mainstream Sabah 
headlines, "The Kunta Kintes of the 21st Century." 
 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- Two DTP activists have been killed in the province of Sirnak. 
 
- DTP official Nurettin Demirtas completes his compulsory military 
service. 
 
- 15 people were arrested in Ankara, Konya and Bursa, during 
operations against the Hizbut Tahrir terrorist organization. 
 
 
World 
 
-  According to a survey conducted in Southern Cyprus, 72 percent of 
the Greek Cypriots have no hopes for a settlement in the peace talks 
 
 
- French President Sarkozy is rushed to the hospital after 
collapsing while jogging. 
 
- Iran's President Ahmedinejad dismisses the intelligence and 
culture ministers. 
JEFFREY