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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001267 
 
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 27, 2009 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
Erdogan Receives Martyrs' Families 
Media outlets report that Prime Minister Erdogan, who met Wednesday 
with family members of martyrs and veterans in Ankara, said no 
speculation would be allowed over Turkey's unitary structure. 
Erdogan noted the "democratic initiative" was a project of unity 
with the aim of solving the terrorism problem.  He added that Turkey 
has to abandon emotionally based approaches and take the next step 
together as a nation.  Erdogan also stressed that if some steps had 
been taken 24 years ago, Turkey would perhaps would not have been in 
its present situation.  After the meeting, the martyrs' families 
told the media that PM Erdogan informed them that a declaration of a 
general amnesty was "out of the question." 
 
Basbug, Erdogan Call On PKK Militants To Surrender 
Papers report that military General Staff (TGS) Chief General Ilker 
Basbug has said that PKK terrorists who recently surrendered to 
security forces were "all released" and called on them to trust the 
Turkish judiciary.  "On July 14, terrorists surrendered to security 
forces, and ten of them were released immediately by the courts. 
Two were arrested, while the remaining two will be tried without 
detention," said Basbug.  On the other hand, Prime Minister Erdogan 
followed suit and said that there was "nothing to be afraid of". 
 
Bahceli: The AKP Sets The Scene For Ethnic Separatism 
Papers report MHP leader Devlet Bahceli has said Turkey was going 
through difficult times regarding the Kurdish question and called on 
everyone to "take a position on the issue."  Bahceli claimed that in 
recent months, the ruling AKP government has been setting the scene 
for ethnic separatism under the name of "resolution and 
opportunity."  He accused the government of carrying out a level of 
"destruction equal to that of an outside invader." 
 
Meanwhile, papers report the MHP will hold a conference on August 
29, at which chairman Devlet Bahceli will evaluate the "Kurdish 
initiative" process.  Papers said that the party administration 
reportedly ordered mandatory participation at the conference 
entitled "The Dissolving of Both Our Country, Turkey, and Our 
Ideals." 
 
Editorial Commentary on the Kurdish Initiative/TGS Statement 
 
Yalcin Dogan commented in mainstream Hurriyet:  "The Kurdish 
operation and the PKK separated themselves from Abdullah Ocalan 
(Apo) between 1999-2005.  It was Turkey's biggest mistake not to 
take any action regarding the Kurdish issue during that period. 
Because, now Apo and the PKK, the PKK and the Kurdish operation are 
re-joining again.  Apo has became the most popular person among the 
Kurds again.  Now, there is a huge test in front of the AKP 
government: To stop Apo's progress and to break it at some point, 
and to reveal their own program.  It seems that the AKP is failing 
to explain what kind of solution they are working toward.  The AKP 
is unable to explain itself and is heading toward being isolated." 
 
Semih Idiz wrote in mainstream Milliyet:  "Opposing the AKP 
government's Kurdish initiative strongly, the MHP insists that the 
military has the last word on this issue.  Main opposition CHP also 
is hiding behind the military.  I was talking with a foreign 
diplomat yesterday and he said "you need a civilian initiative 
before the Kurdish initiative."  It is only natural for the military 
to talk on  issues related to Turkey.  However, it is so odd that 
each time the military speaks, the civilian wing gets electrified 
and believes that the last word has been said on the issue.  That is 
why we definitely need a civilian initiative.  If we continue to 
accept everything the military says as 'law', Turkey will have a 
real hard time ahead of it." 
 
Kadri Gursel wrote in mainstream Milliyet:  "What I understand from 
the TGS statement is that the military doesn't want a peaceful and 
democratic solution to the Kurdish issue.  And, as long as the AKP 
 
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government fails to admit that they don't agree with this statement, 
we have no reason to believe that the government is sincere in 
searching for a solution." 
 
Fehmi Koru wrote in Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak:  "Democracy is not 
a system where civilians hold the drum and the military holds the 
knocker.  In democracies, the same hand holds the drum and the 
knocker which are the elected civilian office holders.  Other than 
the military's remarks, the position of the two opposition parties 
affects the process (Kurdish initiative) negatively.  Now AKP has to 
pursue a policy to make everyone feel that the civilians are in 
control.  The cost of ending an initiative, which was 
enthusiastically received by everyone, will be very difficult.  The 
government should work toward advancing and successfully finalizing 
this process while making the opposition parties to pay a heavy 
price." 
 
Four Soldiers Killed Due to Punishment, Not Accident 
Media outlets cite a report by Taraf daily yesterday that on August 
17, four soldiers were killed in the eastern province of Elazig 
after a lieutenant gave one of the privates, Ibrahim Ozturk, a hand 
grenade whose pin he had pulled out to punish him for sleeping 
during his night watch.  It had previously been claimed that four 
soldiers were killed when a hand grenade exploded accidentally as 
they were patrolling the area against the outlawed PKK. 
Tumer reportedly told the other officers that he had given Ozturk a 
live hand grenade to teach him a good lesson.  Tumer also said he 
punished the private in line with the military's training 
procedures, according to papers. 
 
Holbrooke Blames Gulf Countries Over Money Flow To Taliban 
Islamist-oriented Zaman reports the U.S. Special Representative for 
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, told CNN in Istanbul 
that it was "oil money" coming from the Gulf countries that helped 
Taliban stand.  Holbrooke said Taliban received donations from the 
Gulf countries in amounts of  more than billions of dollars the 
organization gets from poppy production and heroin trade.  Holbrooke 
also blamed, without giving names, some foundations for supporting 
Taliban, and stressed that cutting the money flow to the terrorist 
organization was an important part of the war, reports Zaman. 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- Financial Times draws attention to the statement issued by Turkish 
military chief General Ilker Basbug and says the Turkish military 
backs the ruling government's Kurd move. 
 
- Higher Education Board (YOK) will hold a meeting Thursday during 
which they will discuss a request for the establishment of 'Kurdish 
Language and Literature Department' in Mardin's Artuklu University. 
 
 
- Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey was working on its 
own economic stabilization program, adding they were ready to accept 
the IMF's proposal for supporting this program. 
 
- TGS Chief General Ilker Basbug will host an iftar dinner for 800 
martyrs' families on September 2. 
 
- The sixth round of collective bargaining talks between the 
government and labor unions has been completed.  The government 
offers to give civil servants 2-percent wage hike in the first half 
of 2010. 
 
- Nobel prize holder novelist Orhan Pamuk, before his visit to 
Moscow on Thursday, told Russian magazine Timeout Moscow that 
freedom of expression does not exist in Turkey yet and that 
Ataturk's and Turkish military's present understandings of 
secularism are completely different. 
 
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World 
 
- Iraqi President Talabani has described Turkey's Kurdish opening as 
an "important step," and adds that Turkey should not miss the 
opportunity for solving the Kurdish question. 
 
- The Council of Europe Local and Regional Administrations 
Convention issued a written statement expressing pleasure over the 
"Kurdish initiative" of the Turkish government. 
 
- Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top Shiite leaders, has died of 
lung cancer. 
 
- Bosnian forensic experts find the remains of at least 60 people 
killed by Bosnian Serb forces early in the 1992-95 war. 
 
- Syria reports its first death related to swine flu. 
SILLIMAN