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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001152 
 
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, AUGUST 10, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Ambassador Jeffrey Comments on Kurdish Issue and Nabucco-South 
Stream 
Mainstream Aksam carried an interview with Ambassador Jeffrey 
highlighting his comments on Kurdish initative and past experiences 
from American history.  Followings are the main highlights from 
Ambassador Jeffrey's interview as appeared in Aksam on August 8 and 
9: 
 
"The current Kurdish initiative is very important.  Turkey is the 
most powerful and stable country in the region.  Any strength within 
domestic issues makes Turkey a powerful actor in the international 
arena." 
 
"The U.S. tried to tackle its own domestic issues in 1960s. 
Watergate and the shameful practices against African Americans 
weakened us and had a negative impact on U.S. decisions regarding 
international issues.  Had we dealt with these domestic problems 
better, we would have been able to formulate a better strategy 
regarding Vietnam." 
 
"Currently the U.S., Turkey, Iraq and the Iraqi KRG are working 
toward isolating the PKK.  The first steps in the fight against the 
PKK were military in nature, but more needs to be done.  A terrorist 
movement cannot be fully concluded without taking social, economic, 
political and psychological measures." 
 
"The Turkish government is taking good steps on the Kurdish issue. 
This is a Turkish plan, not an American plan.  We are also waiting 
to find out the details.  How to proceed on dealing with the problem 
is entirely up to the Turkish political system." 
 
"Our message to the DTP is to distance itself from the use of 
violence as much as possible.  Democracy and the power of the weapon 
are not mutually compatible.  Our suggestion to everyone is to stand 
by democracy." 
 
"We think Turkey's strong commitment to the Nabucco project is very 
important and we believe that moving forward on this project will be 
the right decision.  It is Russia's right to sell its gas to Europe 
but we are concerned over the fact that Russian gas is controlled by 
a state monopoly and thus strategic interests can be mixed with 
commercial interests.  Natural gas should be a commercial product 
that benefits everyone." 
 
Will South Stream Be Useful for Turkey? (Hurriyet) 
Monday's mainstream Hurriyet reports Zeyno Baran of the Hudson 
Institute told the EU Observer that if the South Stream pipeline is 
constructed, the "Nabucco Pipeline project will not happen, at least 
for Caspian gas," and, "By signing the South Stream agreement, 
Turkey has shown that it does not care about the diversification of 
Europe's gas supply or freeing the countries in Central Asia and the 
Caucasus from Russian influence.  The Europeans must see how close 
Turkey has moved toward Russia," emphasized Baran. 
 
Hurriyet also carries Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu comments from 
an interview with Kanal 7, 'Turkey has freed itself from the Cold 
War mentality.  There shouldn't be any reactions coming from the 
Europeans."  Davutoglu added, "There is need for a gas and oil 
pipeline from the north toward south, and it is rational, and not 
ideologically motivated, behavior for Turkey to see it pass through 
its soil."  Davutoglu also stressed both Nabucco and the South 
Stream projects would carry on. 
 
Editorials on Energy Pipelines 
 
Erdal Saglam wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "The Turkish government 
has put forward strong steps for the sake of political favoritism 
and the recent deal has made Turkey even more dependent on Moscow 
than ever before.  We will see the consequences of this crucial 
 
ANKARA 00001152  002 OF 003 
 
 
mistake later.Diversifying energy routes for Turkey was given as the 
main excuse for the recent energy deals with Russia but this does 
not give enough justification." 
 
Hakan Albayrak wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "It shows 
Turkey's immense strength and powerful diplomacy that Ankara is now 
capable of making energy deals with Russia while it becomes a part 
of Nabucco at the same time.  Turkish diplomacy enjoys a fully 
independent attitude as this strong NATO member country can 
establish strong ties with Iran as well.  Similarly Turkey's 
commitment to the EU and its commitment to an expanded relationship 
with Syria are happening in parallel to each other." 
 
Omer Taspinar wrote in mainstream Sabah: "Thanks to the South Stream 
project, Russia has now obtained the power to cut off gas flow to 
Ukraine whenever it wants to.  Such a situation in Ukraine will 
certainly have an impact on the entire region as well as will have a 
negative impact on U.S. interests.  Individually speaking, Ankara 
will benefit from being an energy terminal instead of a transit 
route.  Yet in the end of this energy game, Moscow is the winner by 
managing to bypass EU and the U.S. and by making Ukraine fully 
dependent on Russia." 
 
President Gul on The Kurdish Initiative 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah:  President Gul talked to journalists en 
route to Ankara from Bitlis.  Mainstream Hurriyet reports Gul said 
"Let us look at the realities.  This is the most important issue of 
Turkey today.  I am pleased to hear ongoing debates on the issue and 
to see that the point of view is gradually changing."  Mainstream 
Sabah also quotes Gul as saying, "We should not hide our heads in 
the sand.  There is a historic opportunity to solve the Kurdish 
issue.  There are many developments that inspire optimism.  The 
political jargon has changed.  The citizens want to solve the 
problem.  We should take advantage of these developments which are 
the result of deep and intense efforts."  Milliyet highlights Gul 
referred to the Kurdish literature masterpiece "Mem u Zen" as part 
of Turkish culture. 
 
Sunday papers widely covered President Gul's speech in Bitlis. 
Speaking at a ceremony in Bitlis Gul said "Many mistakes were made 
in the past and all that should end.  Democracy leaves room for the 
free expression of different views without causing divisions and 
fighting.  All citizens of Turkey have equal rights.  Good will, 
effort and a constructive approach are needed to solve the problems. 
 Sunday's Vatan reports that Gul undertook a critical step amid 
debates about possibilities for restoring the Kurdish names of the 
villages in the Southeast and referred to Guroymak town with its 
Kurdish name "Norsin". 
 
Opposition Leaders' Reaction to Gul's Comments 
Vatan, Radikal, Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak , Tercuman and others: MHP 
leader Devlet Bahceli, who attended his party's convention in 
Antalya, criticized President Gul for calling Bitlis' Guroyak 
district by its former Kurdish name, "Norsin."  Bahceli said, "The 
Turkish Republic's president is responding to PKK demands before 
even establishing any democratic opening.  Will you call Istanbul 
Constantinople next?" Bahceli also said the government's project is 
planned in order to divide and break up the country. The government 
is carrying out what terrorist leader Ocalan could not do with arms, 
through initiatives they call a democratic opening. 
 
Liberal Radikal reports that CHP leader Baykal, attending the 
Dadaloglu cultural festivities in Kayseri, said "Everybody can have 
an ethnic identity by nature and everybody of course has a lineage. 
It is an honor for one to embrace and protect his/her ethnic 
identity.  But, our ethnic identities should not lead us to feel 
enmity and hatred to other ethnic identities. We will love and 
respect each other.   We will never forget that we are members of 
the Turkish nation." 
 
Mehsud: Pakistan's "Man With Seven Lives" (Radikal) 
 
ANKARA 00001152  003 OF 003 
 
 
Liberal Radikal notes there is confusion over whether a U.S. drone 
attack killed Pakistan's Taliban Chief Baitullah Mehsud, "Whether 
Mehsud is dead or alive remains a mystery," as, "He has almost 
turned into a literary character as if he is a man with seven 
lives."  While Pakistani officials confirmed his death after a 
missile attack from the CIA's unmanned drone, Mehsud's assistant 
Hakimullah Mesud denied his death to the BBC, added Radikal.  The 
paper also quoted U.S. NSC Adviser James Jones as saying, 
"Baitullah's death is 90 percent confirmed," yet the report stated 
there was a lack of clarity about Mehsud's status. 
 
Mainstream Hurriyet focuses on "the inner power struggle within the 
Taliban after the death of Baitullah Mehsud."  Hurriyet notes that 
the U.S. "seems certain about his death," and the Taliban "is trying 
to gain some time by denying the reports regarding Mehsud until the 
Taliban in Pakistan can find a new leader." 
 
Obama Sends A Letter to Syrian President Asad 
Mainstream Sabah cites the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar report that 
President Obama "sent a three-page letter to Syrian leader Asad last 
month urging for dialogue and for mutual contribution to the Middle 
East peace process." Reportedly, U.S. Middle East envoy George 
Mitchell delivered the letter during his visit to Damascus. 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- CHP leader Deniz Baykal said the government did not care about 
solving the problems of the Turkish people, and added that the AKP 
government will collapse in the next elections. 
 
- One soldier is killed and two others are wounded in a skirmish 
with the PKK terrorists in the province of Hatay. 
 
- Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the government's Kurdish 
Initiative was a historic move for the unification of Turkey. 
 
- Over the first seven months of the year, 20,226 Turkish workers 
went to work abroad. 
 
- The Memur-Sen union of civil servants demands 11 percent wage hike 
on the eve of collective bargaining talks with the government. 
 
World 
 
- Iran has confirmed it has three American hikers in custody.  The 
Americans strayed into Iran while hiking in the mountains of Kurdish 
territory in neighboring Iraq. 
 
- Three small bombs explode in places frequented by tourists in the 
capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca. 
 
- A woman visiting a Shiite shrine in southern Iraq has died of 
swine flu, making it the first death from the virus in the country. 
 
JEFFREY