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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001184 
 
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 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Ambassador Jeffrey Follows Up On Obama's Cairo Speech 
 
Mainstream Posta carries Ankara Bureau Chief Hakan Celik's interview 
with Ambassador Jeffrey regarding the Obama administration's 
outreach efforts to the Muslim world and Obama's approach to 
relations between the U.S. and Turkey.  In "We Have Abandoned 
Calling (Turkey) Moderately Islamic," Ambassador Jeffrey says, "In 
his Cairo speech, President Obama stressed that the U.S. has respect 
for Islam," and "We do not think it is appropriate to categorize a 
religion by using words like 'moderate.'"  In addition, Jeffrey 
noted, "The PKK problem did serious damage to relations between the 
U.S. and Turkey," and "I don't know why some in Turkey thought that 
we supported the PKK," but "We have supported Turkey in its struggle 
with the PKK since the 1980s."  Jeffrey also expressed support for 
Turkey's democratic reform process, the normalization process 
between Turkey and Armenia, and the key role that Turkey plays in 
the region. 
 
Interior Minister Meets Opposition and NGO Leaders Regarding the 
'Kurdish Initiative' 
Media outlets report that Interior Minister Besir Atalay met with 
the leaders of social democrat political party DSP, the 
Islamist-nationalist BBP and conservative DP as well as the union of 
chambers, TOBB, in order to discuss his government's 'Kurdish 
Initiative.'  Liberal Radikal reports that on Wednesday, Atalay 
visited Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the chairman of the union of chambers, 
TOBB, within the scope of the government's "democratic move" which 
aims to find a solution to Turkey's Kurdish question. 
Hisarciklioglu said TOBB's vision was improving rights and freedoms 
in Turkey to EU standards.  "Turkey must have a first class 
democracy," said Hisarciklioglu.  In their meeting, DSP leader Masum 
Turker reportedly told Atalay, "There should be no U.S. shadow cast 
over this process," and "We must solve this problem among 
ourselves."  DP leader Husamettin Cindoruk said, "We will support to 
the end a democratic initiative which is taken under guarantees 
within the framework of a fresh constitution to be fully democratic 
and at contemporary standards, and which covers all the citizens of 
the Republic of Turkey," according to Radikal. 
 
Editorial Debate on Government's Kurdish Initiative 
 
Mehmet Yilmaz wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "The DTP's, Emine Ayna 
recently assured that none of the actors in the Kurdish process can 
possibly be eliminated.  She also made it very clear that the PKK 
and its imprisoned leader Ocalan should be included in the process. 
This makes one thing obvious: the PKK is determined to sabotage the 
government's initiative." 
 
Yasin Dogan wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "The government 
will have to be very careful not to rush towards a settlement. 
First of all this is a procedure which takes time and secondly, any 
hasty action has the potential to create more problems of other 
kind.  The current initiative does not necessarily mean the problem 
should be solved at all costs." 
 
Sahin Alpay wrote in Islamist oriented Zaman: "As part of the 
ongoing process, if there is going to be an effort to talk with PKK 
militants in mountain camps in order to persuade them to return 
home, there should be an effort to approach imprisoned Ocalan as 
well.  It does not necessarily mean to free him but listen to his 
opinions instead.  Ocalan spent already 10 years in jail and 
probably had enough time to look back and realize the mistakes of 
the use of violence." 
 
Fikret Bila wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "The ruling AKP made a 
mistake by excluding opposition parties from the process.  In fact 
there are ways to be found to ensure their engagement.  The main 
opposition CHP's earlier offer on the subject can easily be a 
starting point for consensus.  CHP leader Baykal had said before the 
 
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government's initiative that everything including an amnesty plan 
could be discussed when and if PKK declares leaving weapons and 
denounces violence.  The government should take this idea as a 
common platform which can easily bring the three main parties in the 
parliament and eventually the DTP." 
 
 
Ocalan Will Not Ask For 'Special Treatment' For Kurds in Roadmap 
(Radikal) 
Liberal Radikal's main story on page one outlines what could be 
expected in the anticipated "roadmap" to be announced by the PKK's 
imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, based on the recent statements of 
some Kurdish activists with alleged links to the PKK chief.  Radikal 
says Ocalan was neither going to table "separatist demands," nor 
demand a confederation, federation or autonomic administrative 
structure.  He will not demand changes in the constitution to assess 
ethnic identities as the "constituent elements of the Turkish 
state."  Ocalan is not expected to ask for "special treatment" for 
the Kurds, but will accept "constitutional citizenship" as well as 
the principle of "equal citizenship."  He is expected to suggest the 
solution lies in "improving democracy and human rights criteria to 
the European level."  Ocalan's roadmap also requests an expanded 
version of the AKP's "public sector reform law," which was vetoed by 
former President Sezer, according to Radikal. 
 
The AKP Government's First Economic Step for the Kurdish Initiative 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports that while the debates on the Kurdish 
move continue the government took the first economic step of the 
project.  State Minister Cevdet Yilmaz announced that three billion 
Turkish lira will be allocated from the unemployment fund for 
Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) and Eastern Anatolia Project (DAP). 
 Yilmaz said that the economic measures were more important than 
cultural and social arrangements in solving the problems of the 
region. 
 
DTP Eruh Mayor: "We Will Announce Ocalan's Road Map in Eruh" 
Mainstream Vatan reports that Siirt province's Eruh town DTP Mayor 
Melik Oktay said that he will reveal jailed PKK leader Abdullah 
Ocalan's road map for the Kurdish issue during 'Eruh Nature, Art and 
Culture Festival' on August 15.  Oktay said "Eruh is an important 
place from the political angle.  Therefore, during this process, we 
will give a big start for the peace from Eruh.  This is our target. 
We want to gather the biggest group of people in here.  Ocalan's 
road map is considered very important among the Kurds and I believe 
that everyone will be happy to hear it in here." 
 
In a related story, mainstream Sabah reports that jailed PKK leader 
Abdullah Ocalan's brother Osman Ocalan, who left PKK in 2004 and 
lives in Suleymaniye province in northern Iraq, said that he finds 
the Turkish government's Kurdish initiative very positive and he is 
ready to return to Turkey to contribute in this initiative. 
 
 
Israel Says 'One Minute' To Turkish Mediation With Syria (Vatan) 
Media carry Israeli Deputy PM Ayalon's statement to Reuters in which 
he said Israel is no longer interested in conducting indirect peace 
talks with Syria.  Because Turkey had mediated the Israeli-Syrian 
indirect talks up until late last year, media note that Avalon's 
statement translated into Israel's 'rejection' of Turkey's 
mediation.  Mainstream Hurriyet headlines, "Israel: Turkey's 
Mediation Is Finished."  Mainstream Haberturk headlines, "Israel 
Doesn't Want Turkey."  Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak headlines, "They 
Are Rejecting Turkey the Moderator."  CNN Turk reports, "Israel Says 
'No' To Indirect Talks with Syria," as, "Israel closes the door." 
Mainstream Vatan calls the move "Israel says 'one minute' to Turkish 
mediation with Syria," in a reference to PM Erdogan's outburst at 
the Israeli President during a panel discussion on Gaza at the Davos 
economic summit earlier this year. 
 
Google "Supports" Armenian Genocide Claims Mainstream Vatan and 
conservative Bugun report that following the pressure by the 
 
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Armenians, Google eliminated the links to the Turkish Association's 
sites on the internet rejecting the "Armenian Genocide" allegations. 
 
 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- An old man is expelled from the meeting hall in Rize, Erdogan's 
hometown, when he shouts that the PM was mismanaging the economy. 
 
- The chief prosecutor denied media reports claiming there was an 
investigation into allegations that the CHP accepted funds from the 
Friedrich Ebert Foundation. 
 
- Aram Tigran's family will take the remains of the Armenian-Kurdish 
singer to Brussels as Turkey denied the family's request for burying 
Tigran in Diyarbakir. 
 
- Collective bargaining talks between the government and civil 
servants will be kick-started August 15. 
 
- Returning from a visit to Iraq in which he accompanied Foreign 
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Industry Minister Zafer Caglayan said Iraq 
was going to pay its debts to Turkish companies. 
 
World 
 
- Turkish Red Crescent will reportedly extend food aid to thousands 
of needy Syrian families. 
 
- State Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Wednesday that Turkey and 
Libya would probably sign a free trade agreement (FTA) in September. 
 
 
- An attempt to set fire to an apartment used by Turks is reported 
in Bremen, Germany. 
 
- Mehdi Kerrubi, a defeated reformist candidate in Iran's disputed 
presidential election, has called for an investigation into claims 
that anti-government protesters were raped while in custody. 
 
- China will hold the largest-ever tactical exercise involving 
50,000 heavily-armored troops moving thousands of miles to test 
Chinese military's long distance mobility. 
 
SILLIMAN