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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001609 
 
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, NOVEMBER 9, 2009 
 
Media Highlights:  Sudan's Bashir Cancels Visit-Turkish Commentators 
Criticize Government;  Iran: IAEA Offer;  Amb. Jeffrey Comments on 
Turkey's 
Democratic initiative and Iran;  PM Erdogan with Journalists; Alevis 
Rally in Istanbul 
 
"Good News: Bashir is not Coming" (Radikal) - OIC's COMCEC Meeting 
Continues in Istanbul 
All papers extensively cover the developments after Sudanese 
President Omar al-Bashir cancelled his visit to Istanbul to attend 
the ongoing the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) 
meetings.  A commentary in today's Milliyet says that Ankara used 
"special channels" to tell Bashir that Turkish prosecutors might 
issue an arrest warrant on his arrival in Turkey.  Islamist-oriented 
Yeni Safak comments that Bashir cancelled his visit to Istanbul out 
of "consideration" to relieve the Turkish government in the face of 
pressures over the Sudanese president's visit.  "Good News: Bashir 
is not Coming," reads a front page headline in Monday's Radikal. 
The paper guesses the OIC might have asked Bashir to not go to 
Turkey.  Papers report Bashir phoned President Gul and said he would 
not be able to come to Turkey because of "internal problems" at 
home.  Saturday papers have reported Assistant Secretary of State 
Philip Gordon voiced hopes that the messages to be given to Bashir 
in Istanbul would be "parallel to the message issued by the EU and 
the US."   Papers also quote Prime Minister Erdogan as saying Sunday 
he saw no evidence of genocide in Darfur, and adding that "a Muslim 
cannot do such things." 
 
Editorials on al-Bashir 
 
Ahmet Hakan in mainstream Hurriyet criticized the words PM Erdogan 
used to defend Sudanese leader Bashir "A Muslim cannot commit 
genocide."  Instead of "cannot" Erdogan should say "should not."  We 
have many examples that Muslims commit genocide and massacre. 
Muslim leaders committed massacre in Syria's Hana town and in Iraq's 
Halepce town.  If a person is cruel, no matter which religion he 
belongs to, it should be our duty to scream to his face that he is 
cruel." 
 
Ferai Tinc in mainstream Hurriyet believes that the timing of 
Erdogan's defending Bashir was very wrong.  She said "Erdogan's 
words did not match with the EU's foreign policies.  Nothing will 
change after this hour even if Bashir doesn't come.  Because the 
list of "Ankara's friends" is already being distributed around." 
 
Mehmet Tezkan in mainstream Milliyet questions whether  a Muslim 
actor in leading role of a massacre makes the whole massacre legal? 
 
Semih Idiz in Milliyet believes that it is a very positive 
development that Bashir is not coming to Turkey.  But, it wasn't 
easy to reach this position.  And , at the end, Turkey reached a 
position that it bows to the pressure.  Moreover, Erdogan defending 
Bashir right after Ahmedinejad, will definitely incite the debates 
regarding "solidarity between Mujahidin." 
 
Okay Gonensin in mainstream Vatan criticizes Erdogan's stance 
regarding Bashir and says "someone should explain to the Prime 
Minister the gravity of his words regarding the Muslims not 
committing massacre.  If a person can say this, that means his first 
criteria in evaluating the people is definitely the religion.  It is 
really very sad for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey to 
defend a murderer dictator like Bashir.  And, I cannot make any 
further comments for a defense that is based on religion!" 
 
Riza Turmen in Milliyet explained the legal side of Turkey's 
responsibility on Bashir's arrest decision.  Turmen said "Turkey did 
not sign the Rome agreement which issued an arrest warrant for 
Bashir.  That is why when the US and the EU warned Turkey to arrest 
Bashir and hand him to ICC, Turkey said the ICC decision is not 
binding for Turkey.  However, there is article 1593 of UN Security 
Council decision which orders all countries, whether signatory of 
 
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the Rome agreement or not, to be in full cooperation with the ICC 
decisions.  Therefore, Turkey's responsibility in this case doesn't 
rely on  the ICC decision but relies on the UN Security Council 
decision." 
 
IRAN:  Nuclear Material to Turkey? 
Leftist Nationalist Cumhuriyet reports in "Surprise Proposal from 
IAEA" that Muhammad al-Baradei said Iran could store enriched 
uranium in Turkey until Russia provides it with nuclear fuel.  All 
media, including TV, reporting that Iran has yet again turned down 
the IAEA offer that Iran ship its enriched uranium to neighboring 
Turkey as a way to ease U.S. and European concern over its nuclear 
ambitions. 
 
Ambassador Jeffrey: Turkey's 'Democratic Initiative' Not a US Plan; 
US Perspective on Iran 
Mainstream, pro-government Star and leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet 
carry excerpts from Ambassador James Jeffrey's statements in a 
one-on-one with the bureau chief of the Islamist-oriented television 
channel Kanal 7 TV on Sunday.  In "According to Our Vietnam 
Experience -- Military Success Is Not Enough,"  Star emphasized that 
Ambassador Jeffrey said on the Turkish government's Kurdish 
"Democratic Initiative" the experiences from the wars in Vietnam, 
Afghanistan and Iraq showed military success was important, but had 
to be coupled with economic, cultural and diplomatic measures. 
Jeffrey said the "Initiative" was not a US plan.  "Turkey is a big 
and independent country, we only provide support now and then," he 
stated.  On a question whether the relationship between Turkey and 
Iran discomforted the US, Jeffrey said "We are not bothered, but 
expect Turkey-Iran ties to proceed within the framework of the UN 
decisions, and in line with them." 
 
Erdogan: No Confidence Problem with Military 
All media outlets report Prime Minister Erdogan came together with 
journalists in a televised "question and answer" session Sunday 
night.  Erdogan said there was no "problem of confidence" between 
the AK Party government and the military over alleged plans to oust 
the governing party.  "We have been in a positive process with the 
military over the past seven years," emphasized Erdogan.  Erdogan 
also said his government's Kurdish "Democratic Initiative" would be 
debated in the parliament this week, and strongly criticized the 
opposition parties' stance on the matter.  Erdogan stressed he 
"deemed important" his upcoming December 7 visit to the US.  "There 
are issues we have to handle jointly.  It is said that the US would 
exit from Iraq in 2011, but such a decision would be too early and 
wrong," said Erdogan. 
 
Alevis Come Together in Mass Rally in Istanbul 
Liberal Radikal reports that on Sunday, hundreds of thousands of 
Alevis came together in a "historic" rally held in Istanbul to voice 
expectations and demands from the government.  The Alevis demand 
legal status for their prayer houses (Cemevi,) prevention of 
construction of mosques in Alevi villages, annulment of compulsory 
religious education, abolishment of the religious affairs 
directorate, Diyanet, and a new constitution.  Radikal says at least 
250,000 participated in the rally whereas Cumhuriyet puts the figure 
as 500,000 and police records as 40,000. 
 
Upcoming events: 
 
Q November 9: President Gul will join the Standing Committee for 
Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the OIC (COMCEC) held in 
Istanbul. 
Q November 9: In Istanbul, Gul will hold an informal meeting with 
Afghanistan and its neighbors. 
Q November 9: Prime Minister Erdogan will meet with Dr. Aras 
Konjhodzic, the head of the Balkan American Federation. 
Q November 10: The government will take its Kurdish "democratic 
initiative" to the parliament for debate. 
Q November 11-12: Afghanistan Reconstruction Summit will be held in 
Istanbul. 
 
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TV News (NTV) 
 
Domestic 
 
Q Opposition MHP leader Devlet Bahceli is reelected party chairman 
at a convention held Sunday. 
Q CHP MP Kemal Kilicdaroglu says the situation in Turkey can be 
described as "covert fascism" because there is no independence of 
the judiciary in Turkey. 
Q Labor unions plan to go on strike on November 25. 
Q The Turkish Consumers' Rights Association has issued a call for 
the boycott of genetically modified products. 
Q An IMF report says Turkey was one of the few countries to report 
growth in the last quarter of 2009. 
 
World 
 
Q Iranian President Ahmadinejad has arrived in Istanbul to 
participate in the OIC meetings.  On Sunday, Ahmadinejad met with 
President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan. 
Q Syrian leader Bashar Assad said Syrian-heritage militants within 
the PKK would not be arrested if they return to their country. 
Q Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov has refused to sign the 
decree on the recall of Bulgaria ambassadors to Turkey and the US, 
despite the proposal of the Cabinet. 
 
JEFFREY