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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 001211 
 
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 
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Atalay Meets Kurtulmus and Journalists Regarding The 'Kurdish 
Initiative' 
Media outlets report that within the framework of his ruling AKP's 
'Kurdish Initiative,' Interior Minister Besir Atalay met yesterday 
with the Islamist Saadet Party (SP) leader Numan Kurtulmus. 
Kurtulmus said he submitted to Atalay a project for the resolution 
of Turkey's Kurdish question.  He said the state should cease 
routine security operations against the PKK, and the PKK should lay 
down its weapons.  After meeting Kurtulmus, Atalay went to Istanbul 
to hold a meeting with writers, academics, and journalists.  Atalay 
said after the meeting that the government's opening was based on 
"thorough research" about the situation in the region.  Atalay later 
told the press he expected to wrap up his meetings by the end of the 
week.  Papers report Atalay will meet Tuesday with the 
representatives of Turkey's leading business grouping TUSIAD and the 
leftist labor union DISK to discuss his government's 'democratic 
move.' 
 
The Barzanis 'Closely Follow' the 'Kurdish Initiative' in Turkey 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports Kurdish Regional Government 
(KRG) leader Massoud Barzani was "closely following" the AKP 
government's 'Kurdish Initiative.'  Barzani wants a formula to be 
found for the PKK defectors who earlier took shelter with the KRG. 
Barzani estimates there are around 5,000 "refugee terrorists" living 
in northern Iraq.  The KRG wants some 11,000 Turkish citizens 
staying at Camp Makhmur to return to Turkey, according to 
Cumhuriyet. 
 
Meanwhile, Islamist-oriented Zaman reports the KRG Prime Minister 
Nechirvan Barzani called on "all to back the Kurdish initiative in 
Turkey."  "We support President Gul and PM Erdogan's statements on 
the matter.  We hope the other political parties in Turkey will also 
support this initiative," said Barzani.  He added the initiative 
would contribute to the stability in Iraq and the Middle East, 
saying "A peaceful solution in Turkey will help other peaceful 
solutions in the region." 
 
Editorial Debate on Kurdish Initiative 
 
Erdal Safak wrote in mainstream Sabah: "When DTP sent its views to 
PKK's imprisoned leader Ocalan, the list of ideas covered a 
constitutional guarantee for ethnic differences and the PKK to be a 
part of political process.  In the end, Ocalan's revised version 
contained even stronger demands, including a federal structure which 
no government can even dare to think about.  At this point, 
everybody should act reasonably and in a sensible manner for a 
successful outcome of this process." 
 
Ismet Berkan wrote in liberal-intellectual Radikal: "Even though 
Ocalan is someone who should be listened to, his recent ideas go 
beyond the acceptable limits.  What he is envisioning is an 
ethnic-based republic which is impossible.  Kurds and their leaders 
should better focus on freedom and equality for everyone formula 
which can serve as common ground for all." 
 
Yasemin Congar wrote in leftist Taraf: "Ocalan is expected to put 
forward his road map officially through his lawyers.  Worried about 
opposition parties reaction, the government is thinking of 
preventing its dissemination.  That is a very wrong approach. The 
government and state institutions are not supposed to shape the 
policy line based on Ocalan's ideas, however the value of creating a 
climate for lively debate among Kurds along with these ideas should 
not be underestimated." 
 
Tamer Korkmaz wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "Unlike 
previous attempts, this time there is a proper ground to address the 
Kurdish issue.  The state has a strategy as well as power to 
implement a project.  This time it is going to happen through 
internal dynamics as opposed to foreigners imposing their terms, 
 
ANKARA 00001211  002 OF 004 
 
 
such as America.  The U.S. has lost the war in Iraq and Turkey has 
emerged as regional power in due course.  Thus Turkey has the power, 
energy and influence to go ahead through its own dynamics." 
 
Martyrs' Families Give Message by Laying A Black Wreath at the AKP 
Headquarters 
Hurriyet, Sabah, Milliyet, Cumhuriyet, Vatan, Radikal, Posta and 
others:  Today's papers extensively cover the protests by the 
martyrs' families to the government's Kurdish initiative. 
Mainstream papers Vatan and Milliyet report that the families of the 
martyrs laid a black wreath at the AKP headquarters in Ankara to 
protest the government's Kurdish initiative and then visited the 
opposition parties CHP and MHP for support.  The families wanted to 
talk to Prime Minister Erdogan, but reports indicate AK party 
officials told the families that Erdogan was not at the headquarters 
but one of his deputies could listen to the families' problems. 
However, the families rejected the offer and said they will not talk 
to anyone but Erdogan.  Following a protesting speech and laying a 
black wreath in front of the AKP headquarters, the families went to 
visit their sons' cemeteries.  Hurriyet says a group of families of 
the martyrs' visited opposition party MHP headquarters yesterday and 
conveyed their reaction to the AKP's Kurdish initiative to the MHP 
officials.  After listening to the families, MHP deputy chair Oktay 
Vural told the journalists "It is a shame for this nation to accept 
a terrorist organization's suggestions.  Shame on the government and 
the Prime Minister for taking a copy of the road map prepared by the 
jailed terrorist leader, and acting accordingly."  Meanwhile, 
another group of the families visited the main opposition CHP 
headquarters and conveyed their request for the opposition parties 
to talk on their behalf.  CHP deputy Secretary General Algan 
Hacaloglu received the families and said "the CHP is against all 
kinds of initiatives which take the PKK terror organization as 
interlocutor." 
 
In an interview to Cumhuriyet daily, main opposition CHP's Deputy 
Chairman Onur Oymen criticized the AKP government for "making 
reconciliation talks with terrorists."  Reminding the government's 
earlier records, Oymen said "There are already enough faults in the 
AKP's history.  They are branded by the Constitutional Court as a 
center for anti-secular acts. And now they are in efforts to destroy 
fundamental values of Turkey, such as national unity, national 
identity as well as nation-state model."  Oymen added that CHP will 
not talk with the government on Kurdish initiative unless a concrete 
plan or project has been put forward. 
 
10 Years of Earthquake Funds Unaccounted For (Vatan) 
Mainstream Vatan reports that following the Marmara earthquake in 
1999, a total of $16 billion and surtaxes have been collected from 
the people.  Nearly $3.5 billion came as the foreign aid.  But still 
thousands of hospital and school buildings await to be restored. 
Now people ask where have all the money gone?  Four governments have 
come to power in ten years but they never explained how they used 
these taxes.  There are speculations that billions of dollars were 
used to patch budget gaps.  Recently, the main opposition party CHP 
gave a questionnaire motion to the parliament for the whereabouts of 
the earthquake taxes. 
 
Eight Inmates to be sent to Imrali Prison 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet reports the government decided to 
transfer eight prisoners to Imrali prison where the PKK's head 
Abdullah Ocalan is serving his sentence.  Justice Minister Sadullah 
Ergin said they would decide, according to the laws, which convicts 
would be transferred, adding that only the convicts who received 
life sentences without parole would be sent to Imrali. 
 
Turkey's EU Secretariat to Employ Armenian Turks (Hurriyet) 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports Turkey's 'Secretariat-General for EU 
Affairs' will employ researchers and translators of Armenian 
heritage, who will be "pre-selected" by the   Armenian Patriarchate 
in Istanbul.  "We are seeking young people from the Armenian 
community who are willing to work at the Secretariat-General for EU 
 
ANKARA 00001211  003 OF 004 
 
 
Affairs," says an announcement on the webpage of the patriarchate. 
Burak Erdemir, Deputy Secretary-General for EU Affairs, said, "We 
have no employees coming from the minority groups; we need people 
from all segments of our social structure." 
 
Terror Has Struck the Caucasus (Hurriyet) 
Media carry straightforward reports indicating a suicide bomber set 
off an explosion that killed at least 20 at a police building in 
Russia's Ingushetia province yesterday.  Leftist Taraf calls the 
attack, "A Bomb Attack Against the Ingush Police."  Mainstream 
Milliyet notes the Ingush leader accused Islamist militants of 
bearing responsibility for the attacks.  In "The New Address for 
Tension: Ingushetia," Islamist-oriented Zaman emphasizes the rising 
tide of violence in Ingushetia constitutes, "the most important 
security problem for Moscow to resolve," and the situation, "weakens 
Russia's policy for the Caucasus region." 
 
Operation Reliant Mermaid Angers Iran 
In "Military Exercises Anger Iran," mainstream Milliyet reports 
Iranian President Ahmadinejad has expressed outrage at Operation 
Reliant Mermaid, a search and rescue exercise initiated yesterday by 
Turkey, the U.S. and Israel in the eastern Mediterranean.  In a 
speech in Tehran on Sunday, Ahmadinejad made a reference to Turkey 
when he said, "Some of our neighbors have adopted policies which 
serve the interests of the Zionists."  In addition, Milliyet reports 
he said, "We are sorry for those countries around us and those 
neighbors who are at the service of the Zionists and are providing 
means for Israel's hegemony over the world. They don't understand 
that they are facilitating the Zionists. We hope they will one day 
wake up." The exercises started yesterday and will continue until 
Friday. A total of eight ships, four helicopters and three search 
and rescue planes from all three countries are participating in the 
exercises. 
 
A New Incirlik Base in Northern Iraq (Aksam) 
Media outlets report the commander of American Forces in Iraq, 
General Ray Odierno, said American troops could be deployed in the 
"problematic areas" in the northern parts of Iraq in order to work 
with the Iraqi government and local forces to secure the safety of 
the villages on the border areas between the Arabs and Kurds as "a 
confidence building measure."  In "A New Incirlik Base In Northern 
Iraq," mainstream Aksam reports the U.S. is considering troop 
deployment around the Mosul-Kirkuk region.  Under the headline, "The 
U.S. Seeks Troop Deployment in Northern Iraq," Islamist-oriented 
Zaman reports General Odierno stated American soldiers would work as 
"peacekeeping forces" between the "Arab and Kurd rivals in the 
region."  In "We Want to Stay in Northern Iraq," leftist-nationalist 
Cumhuriyet reports General Odierno said the U.S. plan for deployment 
would be discussed at a three-party meeting with the central Iraqi 
government and the Kurdish Regional Government in Baghdad to be held 
in September.  Mainstream Hurriyet headlines, "The Johnnies (Are 
Going) To Kerkuk," and the paper reports "Disagreements over 
petrol," and other issues are "creating fears of new ethnic tensions 
between Kurds and Arabs in northern Iraq." 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- Four soldiers were killed when a hand grenade exploded 
accidentally on one of them in the eastern province of Elazig. 
 
- One person is killed and 37 others are injured in explosion in a 
fireworks factory in the province of Sakarya. 
 
- Turkish unemployment rate has been declining over the past three 
months.  Turkey drops from the third to the fifth place in the 
international unemployment ranking. 
 
- 15 academics in Mardin's Artuklu University participate in Kurdish 
language courses opened by the university while awaiting the 
 
ANKARA 00001211  004 OF 004 
 
 
response of the Higher Education Board (YOK) for opening a Kurdish 
language and literature department in the university. 
 
- Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) will hold a meeting on 
August 20. 
 
- Turkey is to introduce big penalties for downloading of music and 
films on the Internet, acts that violate copyright laws. 
 
- The number of civil servants in Turkey increases by 25,000 over 
the April-June period and reaches 2.9 million. 
 
- On Wednesday, PM Erdogan will inaugurate Turkey's biggest marina 
in the Mediterranean tourist town of Didim. 
 
World 
 
- Richard Holbrooke, President Obama's special representative for 
Pakistan and Afghanistan, will join the meeting of the "Friends of 
Democratic Pakistan" to be held in Istanbul on August 24-25. 
 
- An accident during repair work at Russia's largest hydroelectric 
plant kills at least 10 workers, while as many as 65 others are 
injured. 
 
- Militiamen are torturing and killing gay Iraqi men in a systematic 
campaign that has spread from Baghdad to several other cities, the 
New York based Human Rights Watch said in a report. 
 
- Employees at Dimona nuclear reactor in Israel reportedly have been 
forced to drink uranium as part of an experiment. 
 
- Turks in Belgium stage protests to denounce the killing of a 
Turkish inmate in Jamioulx Prison. 
 
SILLIMAN