VZCZCXRO1631
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0018/01 0061237
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061237Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1610
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0212
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 6711
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 4356
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 7705
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 7612
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4213
RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU
RHMFIUU/39OS INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 523 IZMIR TU
RHMFIUU/39ABG INCIRLIK AB TU
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUEUITH/AFLO ANKARA TU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000018 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, January 01, 2010 
 
Media Highlights: Airport Security and Yemen; FT: Turkey Turns its 
Back; Turkey-US-Iran Nuclear Diplomacy; Double Agent Traps CIA; 
Editorial on Turkish Foreign Policy; Tehran Blacklists Western 
Organizations; Bullets in the Mail to Judge; FM Davutoglu on 
Bulgarian Compensation Demands; TV Spotlight 
 
US Embassy Ankara - Turkey Media Reaction - January 6, 2010 as 
prepared by the Public Affairs Information Office 
 
How the US is Playing 
 
Airport Security and Yemen.  "Muslims Will Go Nuts With the New 
Airport Measures" (Milliyet) 
Turkish papers continue to give prominent play to new airport 
security measures and the debate around privacy.  "Chaos at 
Airports" says leftist-nationalist  Cumhuriyet while mainstream 
HaberTurk headlines "Full Body Scanners: A Threat for Celebrities 
and Children." In its headline story "Full body scanner caused an 
ethical debate" liberal daily Radikal sums up the debate under two 
major concerns: "Full body scanners may lead to child pornography" 
and "Celebrities feel uneasy about the possibility of internet-use 
of their scanned visuals."   Based on Turkish authorities' comments, 
the story adds that Turkey will continue with the current search 
procedure because "existing laws do not permit use of full body 
scanners."  Mainstream Milliyet's Mehves Evin wonders if these 
measures are part of a deliberate plan to deter Muslim immigrants to 
the UK and the US.  Noting the grave concern about privacy 
violation, "especially for conservative Muslims," she concludes: 
"Not only the MMW technology stirs a serious privacy concern but 
also it seems the Western world is finding a way to stop Muslims 
from migrating to the UK and the US in a politically correct 
fashion." 
 
Islamist Yeni Safak headlines "Yemen Alert in the White House" and 
reports that President Obama asked for an emergency summit to 
discuss the Yemen issue.  The paper makes a prediction that the 
14-country list will be expanded.  A columnist in Yeni Safak, 
Ibrahim Karagul argues about "security weakness caused by Israelis." 
 Implying a deliberate negligence by an Israeli security firm he 
writes: "Amsterdam airport security is carried out by an Israeli 
firm, and it is very interesting that this Nigerian guy got on board 
despite being on the list." 
 
Financial Times Comment on Turkey-US: "Turkey Turns Its Back" 
(Cumhuriyet) 
Financial Times (FT) blogger Gideon Rachman's column received 
prominent play in major Turkish newspapers under almost identical 
headlines: "The United States Is Losing Turkey" (Mainstream dailies 
Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan).  The reports carried a summarized 
version of the FT column highlighting "Turkey's foreign policy is 
getting closer to authoritarian regimes, like Iran and China as 
opposed to working in harmony with the US stance."  Meanwhile, 
liberal daily Radikal carried the entire column in a Turkish 
translated version. 
 
Nuclear Diplomacy Between Turkey-US-Iran (Hurriyet) 
Mainstream Hurriyet reports that following Iranian FM Mottaki's 
announcement that Iran could agree for Turkey to stock their 
enriched uranium, Turkey accelerated the active diplomacy to find a 
"common ground" between Washington and Tehran.  It was learned that 
following Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's phone conversation with 
US National Security Advisor Jim Jones and Iranian FM Mottaki during 
the last week of December, Turkey has tried to find common ground 
regarding the technical details of exchanging Iranian uranium.  If 
that effort is successful, Hurriyet says the US and Iran will be 
able to meet at the same negotiation table for the first time since 
¶1979.  In mainstream Milliyet, columnist Semih Idiz writes about the 
Iran nuclear issue question he put to visiting Japanese Foreign 
Minister Okada.  Minister Okada called the issue "a reason for 
instability."  Mentioning that both Japan and Turkey have tried to 
facilitate the transfer of enriched uranium to a third country, 
 
ANKARA 00000018  002 OF 003 
 
 
Okada said the "important issue is the transfer, it really does not 
matter which country makes it happen." 
 
"The Doctor Who Trapped the CIA" (Taraf) 
In "CIA Assailant Doctor Turns Double Agent," mainstream Sabah 
reports a suspected Jordanian double agent, Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal 
al-Balawi, who killed seven CIA officers in Afghanistan, was 
imprisoned by Jordanian intelligence to coerce him to track down 
al-Qaida's No. 2 in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.  Mainstream Milliyet 
says al-Balawi studied medicine in Turkey.  Islamist-oriented Zaman 
reports al-Balawi had told his family he would go to Turkey for work 
in March, hiding his true intention.  "The Doctor Who Trapped the 
CIA" is a page one headline in leftist Taraf which says al-Balawi, 
"an al-Qaida agent," was invited to Camp Chapman, an American base 
in Khost province on the Afghan-Pakistan frontier, on December 30 
but was not closely searched. 
 
In the Headlines 
 
Turkish Foreign Policy Goals 
Columnist Sami Kohen comments on a new set of goals designed by 
Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu during the last Chiefs of Mission 
conference in Ankara.  In mainstream Milliyet he notes a "rather 
comprehensive approach" to international issues and sums up FM 
Davutoglu's remarks as follows: "Turkish foreign policy is under 
revision after the post cold war situation.  Geographical importance 
will be emphasized.  Turkey will assume global roles and will try to 
turn crises into opportunities.  Democracy is essential, so is the 
EU accession goal.  Security and freedom should not be an alternate 
to each other." 
 
60 Western Organizations on Tehran's Black List (Radikal) 
All papers report Iran's Intelligence Ministry has banned its 
citizens from having contact with 60 organizations, including the 
BBC, Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Institute, the Israeli 
State Radio and the US-funded broadcasters, accusing the Western 
outlets of waging a "soft war" to topple the Islamic Republic. 
 
Threat With Bullet to 'Cosmic Judge' (Milliyet) 
"Threat with Bullet" which the Italian Mafia first used 200 years 
ago to give the message that "I will hit you everywhere", targeted 
judge Kadir Kayan and Public Prosecutor Mustafa Bilgili, who are 
carrying out the 'cosmic' investigation at the Regional Mobilization 
Command.  Kayan and Bilgili were sent envelopes, with 8 Kalashnikov 
bullets in each of them, by cargo yesterday. An immediate 
investigation was launched and the addresses and telephones on the 
envelope were proven false.  Mainstream Hurriyet notes that the 
bullets were accompanied by threatening notes.  Islamist-oriented 
Yeni Safak says that it was interesting that the number of bullets 
was the same as the number of soldiers who were detained and 
released in connection with the alleged plot for the assassination 
of Deputy PM Bulent Arinc. 
 
"What About the Turks Forced to Migrate From Bulgaria?" (Yeni 
Safak) 
In "Migration Was Not One-Sided," leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet 
reports Foreign Minister Davutoglu responded to Bulgarian demands 
for USD 10 billion in compensation for the properties of Bulgarian 
citizens who migrated from Turkey after 1913.  "What happened did 
not happen as a unilateral emigration.  Nearly two million Turks had 
to leave their homes in Bulgaria, heading back to Turkey.  Any 
discussion of these historical issues needs a wider debate.  But the 
continuation of it is in the good of both countries.  There is great 
benefit in avoiding making such statements which might harm the 
friendly relations between Turkey and Bulgaria," said Davutoglu. 
 
TV Spotlight 
 
Palestinian President Abbas in Ankara for a working visit.  Abbas 
will meet President Gul. 
 
 
ANKARA 00000018  003 OF 003 
 
 
Kurdish BDP group leader Nuri Yaman accused the AKP government for 
the closure of the DTP. 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan rejected opposition parties' calls for early 
elections in 2010. 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan announced 4.5 to 20.4 percent increases in 
pensions. 
 
Prime Minister Erdogan will visit Russia on January 12-13. 
 
About 55 people were injured Tuesday in clashes at the port in 
al-Arish between the Egyptian police and pro-Palestinian relief 
convoy activists trying to get into the Gaza Strip. 
 
Greek Cypriot President Christofias said he was against making an 
interim settlement in Cyprus. 
 
The United States reopens its embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana. 
SILLIMAN