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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001771 
 
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, DECEMBER 14, 2009 
 
Media Highlights 
 
Ian Kelly's Statement Receives Prominent Play: 
In their Sunday editions, Turkish media gave prominent play to the 
US reaction (Hurriyet, Aksam, Sabah, Vatan, Taraf, Cumhuriyet). 
While some papers highlighted the limited US criticism by comparing 
it with the EU reaction, most papers carried the call for the 
continuation of the democratization process.  Cumhuriyet carried 
Kelly's full text and noted that the "EU called the closure decision 
an obstacle" while the US called for "caution."  Mainstream Aksam 
contrasted the EU and the US statements by labeling them "Europe is 
displeased" and "the US is cautious." 
 
Constitutional Court Bans DTP: 
All TV channels interrupted regular Friday evening programming to 
focus on the Constitutional Court's decision to close the DTP. 
Saturday's papers used banner headlines and gave extensive front 
page coverage to the court decision.  Saturday's mainstream Hurriyet 
headlined "The reason for the closure is DTP being the center of 
terrorist activities" and reported that the unanimous court decision 
banned 37 party members, including party chair Ahmet Turk and 
Diyarbakir deputy Aysel Tugluk, from politics for five years. 
Saturday's leftist Taraf condemned the court decision with a banner 
headline saying "They divided Turkey in Ankara" and said that 
"taking the Kurds political rights away will harm the peace process 
more than the massacre in Tokat."  Talking to journalists following 
the court decision, Ahmet Turk said "Closing parties is not a 
solution.  Problems can be resolved by common wisdom and dialog.  We 
still have hope that sooner or later the peace will win." 
Saturday's mainstream Sabah headlined the decision as a "Ban for 
Doves, Freedom for Hawks" and said that the more moderate co-chair 
of the DTP, Ahmet Turk was punished, and hawkish co-chair Emine Ayna 
was not touched.  Mainstream Haber Turk Saturday headline reads "For 
Not Having Distance from the PKK, DTP is Closed too", and notes that 
DTP is the fifth party using the same arguement, closed by the 
Constitutional Court.  All papers quoted Constitutional Court 
President Hasim Kilic as saying "No party has the right to use words 
or acts which contains terror, violence and pressure."  Mainstream 
Aksam noted that Hasim Kilic said that the ban was based on the 
ruling of the European Court of Human Rights issued for Spanish 
separatist party Batasuna.  However, Sunday's Taraf quotes Ahmet 
Turk as saying "the court decision is political."  Sunday's Vatan 
headline reads "Turkey's Reality" and reports that, less than 24 
hours after the closure of his party for its link to PKK, DTP chair 
Ahmet Turk sent his son to the military to fulfill his compulsory 
military service. 
 
DTP Close Down Aftermath: 
Media outlets treat the events related to the DTP closure aftermath 
with great concern and report developments under 'breaking news' 
headlines.  The street protests over the weekend in both the 
southeast and Istanbul as well as counter-reactions from Istanbul 
locals were the front page headline story in every paper and 
prominent on television channels.  Carrying photos from Diyarbakir 
and Istanbul, where some local residents went after the protestors, 
mainstream Aksam calls them "Terrifying Scenes" and mainstream 
Milliyet reports "Dangerous Mounting of Tension."  Islamist Zaman 
claims "PKK's new strategy is to produce counter-violence." 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports that Istanbul locals pointed guns at DTP 
demonstrators: "When DTP supporters began causing material damage to 
the area and when they crashed a cafe's window where Turkish flag 
was posted, people in the vicinity began chasing them while some 
carried guns.  A similar reaction occurred also in Mersin."  Leftist 
Taraf identifies "Scenes of Civil War" and nationalist-leftist 
Cumhuriyet headlines "Great Danger." 
 
Editorial Commentary: 
The closure of DTP has become the dominant subject for columnists 
who mostly agreed that the DTP failed to distance itself from the 
PKK.  Turkey's prominent pundits however call on the government to 
 
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continue with democratization.  Enis Berberoglu in mainstream 
Hurriyet points out the importance of the Kurdish problem stressing 
that the "DTP is closed but the Kurdish problem continues the same. 
Opposition parties should bring up suggestions for solution."  He 
also considers three main reasons leading to what he calls "an end" 
to the Kurdish initiative: "Imprisoned leader Ocalan did not want to 
give any say to the DTP while the DTP also did not distance itself 
from the PKK's political captive while the returnees from Iraq came 
to Turkey as if they were heroes."  Semih Idiz in mainstream 
Milliyet suggests the need for a new social contract by amending the 
constitution and notes: "Given the current situation, Turkey seems 
to be in a process of shooting itself in the foot regarding the 
Kurdish issue."  Yasin Aktay in Islamist Yeni Safak thinks the 
closure of DTP puts the government in a difficult position: "For 
dismembering the DTP, ruling party support is needed for processing 
DTP resignations.  If AKP does not move forward, it will be put 
under fire by the opposition.  Yet if it does, it may put the 
country immediately into an election situation."   The pundit thinks 
"continuing with democratization" will be a good way for the 
government to address the problem.  Omer Taspinar in mainstream 
Sabah writes that the closure of DTP will bring consequences "not 
only for domestic politics but also for international relations" and 
he believes Turkey's EU process will be negatively affected. 
 
MHP Rally: Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) held a rally in 
Ankara on Sunday with more than 50,000 supporters to protest the 
government's approach on the Kurdish initiative.   Calling the 
Kurdish initiative "a project to demolish Turkey," MHP leader 
Bahceli called on PM Erdogan to "give up on the project as soon as 
possible" and act with common sense.  (Papers) 
 
Call for Constitutional Amendment: Islamist Yeni Safak in an 
analysis, based on interviews with former members of the high 
judiciary and several experts, calls for constitutional amendments 
in order to avoid party closures in the future.  The report suggest 
that there be a revision to the "being a center" wording, which 
paves the way for party closures, and also that it be made more 
specific.  The report states that the EU style, i.e. Venice 
criterion, must be the guidance for the Constitutional Court when it 
comes to evaluating party closure files.  These steps need 
constitutional amendments and action has to be taken by the 
parliament, Yeni Safak notes. 
 
Human Rights Scorecard: 
In a prominent inside story, intellectual/Islamist-oriented Sunday's 
Zaman on 12/13 surveyed experts regarding Turkey's human rights 
record for the year noting "historical gains and upsetting 
disappointments."  Despite gains in religious freedoms, the paper 
found no decrease in the number of rights violations perpetrated by 
security forces in 2009, with five people dying while in custody and 
33 dying in prison as of Dec. 1.  In addition to 252 complaints 
filed over torture and ill treatment, Sunday's Zaman notes five 
demonstrators died and 269 were injured as a result of excessive 
force in 2009, and adds that heavy prison sentences for Kurdish 
children "is a cause for concern."  For women, Sunday's Zaman says 
there is the added dimension of gender-biased rights violations. In 
Turkey, where 42 percent of women are targeted by sexual or physical 
violence, "issues from domestic violence to official and unofficial 
discrimination, in the workplace and in education, continue to be 
pressing issues." 
 
FM Davutoglu and His Cabinet: 
Mainstream Milliyet's columnist Asli Aydintasbas wrote an analysis 
of Foreign Minister Davutoglu and his close aides.  Speaking with 
the Foreign Minister, the writer wonders if Turkish Foreign Ministry 
has sufficient number of experienced diplomats in order to address 
the changing role of Turkey in the global scene.  Answering the 
question, Davutoglu agrees: "We need more people for sure, as we do 
not have enough diplomats, experts and ambassadors.  The main reason 
is that the Turkish foreign diplomacy structure originally was not 
designed for Turkey's active global role."  Commenting on Turkey-US 
 
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ties, FM Davutoglu says: "Turkey is no longer a country which tries 
to respond to American demands.  It is now one of the two allies. 
For years there has been a psychology that America demands and 
Turkey pays for consequences if it does not accept them.  Now 
everybody accepts that we can be different."   According to 
Davutoglu, Turkish-American relations are getting even better and 
points out that there were six meetings between President Obama and 
PM Erdogan during this year alone. 
 
TV News (CNN Turk) 
 
Domestic 
 
- DTP officials are removing the DTP labels from their offices 
 
- DTP activists stage violent protests to denounce the closure of 
the party 
 
- Coal mine in Bursa is closed for six months after an explosion 
that killed 19 workers last week 
 
- Budget debates start in parliament on December 10 
 
 
World 
 
- The Jerusalem Post: "Turkey's hostility towards Israel is a 
strategic move" 
 
- The detention of around 1200 protestors in Copenhagen over the 
weekend draws reaction prior to the arrival of heads of state and 
government at the UN climate change talks 
 
- Italian PM Berlusconi was hit on the face and knocked to the 
ground after a political rally in Milan 
 
- Four people were injured in clashes with the police in Beirut 
during protests against the ban of DTP 
 
- Greek deputy FM Dimitris Droutsas says there is no place for 
today's Turkey in the EU 
 
SILLIMAN