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Viewing cable 07ANKARA1974, ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07ANKARA1974 2007-08-01 14:52 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Ankara
VZCZCXRO8201
OO RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #1974/01 2131452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 011452Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3230
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC//PA
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU
INFO RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 8260
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 3096
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 2181
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 6035
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5854
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2450
RUEUITH/DET 1 39LG ANKARA TU
RHMFIUU/USDOCO 6ATAF IZMIR 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 001974 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
 
 
In Today's Papers 
 
President Sezer Meets Party Leaders, Erdogan Consults with Gul, 
Arinc 
All papers report after meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan last 
week, President Sezer is to receive CHP and MHP leaders today. 
Papers note Sezer has not invited the leaders of DTP, the fourth 
party group in the parliament, saying the Kurdish MPs entered the 
parliament as independents, not under their party card. 
 
Meanwhile, papers report Erdogan came together with Foreign Minister 
Abdullah Gul and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc Tuesday to discuss 
ways to compromise with state organs and the opposition on the 
presidential election.  Papers expect Erdogan to ask the opposition 
to back Gul or pick another name from a list of candidates. 
 
Nationalist Writer Ergun Poyraz Court Case 
Islamist-oriented Zaman and others report on the unfolding case 
against nationalist Ergun Poyraz, who was arrested for being a 
member of a terrorist organization, for obtaining secret documents 
and other charges.  During his trial in connection with 27 hand 
grenades found in a house in Umraniye, Istanbul, he was questioned 
about the Turkish Land Forces' intelligence archive police found on 
his computer.  Poyraz denied in court any knowledge of the mentioned 
archive and said that he had written 15 books so far, and since he 
was an author, he received information and documentation from 
various sources.  Poyraz also claimed that he was approached by the 
retired non-commissioned officer Oktay Yildirim (who is in jail for 
possession of the 27 hand grenades) about a year ago to write a book 
about Yildirim's adventures in the southeast of Turkey. 
 
Dossier on Arms Smuggled from Iraq Given to Bush 
Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak reports on page one Turkey has 
submitted to the US a "blue file" containing details 1,283 Sig 
Sauer, Walter, Glock, and M-16 guns, which had been smuggled into 
Turkey from Iraq and had also fallen into the hands of the PKK 
terrorists who crossed into Turkey.  The guns were originally 
ordered by the US for use in Iraq.  The US investigation into the 
issue found out that weapons were sold from arms caches in Iraq. 
Four of the Americans responsible for the weapons were killed, one 
after the other, and it was learned that they had millions of 
dollars of bank accounts.  The Glocks used in the assassination of 
Roman Catholic priest Father Santoro in Trabzon and a high court 
justice in Ankara also came from Iraq.  Turkey is still waiting for 
a response to the file which was also submitted to President Bush, 
says Yeni Safak. 
 
Plans for Joint US-Turkey Operation in Northern Iraq 
All papers continue speculation on "Bush's Turkish Gamble," the July 
30 Washington Post column by Robert Novak, which claims 
Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman gave a "secret" briefing to 
some Congressmen with regard to a joint US-Turkish operation 
targeting the PKK leaders in northern Iraq.  Mainstream Sabah and 
Milliyet believe the operation plans were leaked by Centcom because 
the US military does not really want to fight the PKK.  Hurriyet 
claims Hillary Clinton did it due to her anger at Edelman for 
criticizing in a letter her approach to the war with Iraq. 
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet says the source could be a Democrat 
or Republican figure who doesn't want the US to spoil ties with its 
sole ally, the Kurds, in Iraq.  Papers believe because it was 
leaked, it was unlikely that the operation would be carried out. 
 
 
Iranian Diplomat on Iran's Nuclear Energy Policy 
Liberal Radikal interviewed the Iranian Charge d'Affairs in Ankara 
Golam Reza Bageri on Iran's nuclear energy policy.  Bageri said that 
"Iran had reached a point in nuclear energy development where it is 
not possible to take a back step and the Western world should agree 
and learn to live with a nuclear Iran."  Bageri added that "IAEA 
officials have started a new investigation on Iran's nuclear 
projects and they will soon see that Iran is not doing anything 
 
ANKARA 00001974  002 OF 003 
 
 
illegal.  Even though it takes time, a solution will be found to the 
issue."  Bageri also stressed that the natural gas agreement signed 
between Turkey and Iran is in the US interest as well, and as Iran 
has the second biggest gas resource after Russia, without using 
Iran's resources, the regional gas projects would not be able to 
find enough resources. 
 
Editorial Commentary on US Arms Sales to Arabs, a New Turkish 
Constitution 
Mehmet Altan writes in the tabloid daily Star: "The recent [Oxfam] 
report on today's Iraq, which shows that the country is in despair, 
has coincided with Secretary Rice's trip to Arab countries.  Before 
starting her tour, Secretary Rice announced the sale of weapons 
worth billions of dollars to the Arab world.  She was justifying the 
sale by claiming that it will not lead to instability.  She named 
Iran as the address for instability in the region.  In short, the 
arms dealers are back on stage again.  The arms dealers are causing 
poverty in the Middle East.  Like a vicious circle, poverty leads to 
crisis, and arms dealers come back in the name of preventing crisis. 
 It seems that the future of arms dealers and the future of the 
world have an inverse correlation.  When we see the end of arms 
dealers, it will be the bright beginning of humanity." 
 
Erdal Safak writes in the mainstream daily Sabah: "Turkey stands 
before an historic opportunity to make a new constitution compatible 
with modern standards.  The new parliament has a wonderful majority 
of representation as 85 percent of the voters' choices have places 
in the new parliament.  That means the representatives in the new 
parliament can act to shape the new constitution for Turkey from a 
position of strength.  Not only the ruling party, but others as well 
have agreed on the need for a new modern constitution for Turkey. 
Besides the studies by political party organs, there is a need to 
hold a nation-wide Constitutional Convention in order to pave the 
way for new drafts as varied as possible.  Turkey seems ready for a 
new and liberal constitution and it is the time now to make this 
happen." 
 
TV Highlights 
NTV (7 A.M.) 
 
Domestic News 
 
- Former deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said he does not 
share the view of army chief Buyukanit that the April 27 military 
memorandum had no impact on the parliamentary elections. 
 
- Independent candidate Baskin Oran has applied to the European 
Court of Human Rights, complaining that independent candidates were 
not on the ballots at the border gates and were denied access to 
state broadcaster TRT television during their election campaigns. 
 
- High Election Board will kick off procedures Thursday for holding 
an October 21 referendum on presidential election reforms. 
 
- Turkey complained in a letter to the UN Secretary General about 
oil exploration by the Greek Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean. 
 
 
International News 
 
- US State Department congratulated in a statement Prime Minister 
Erdogan and his AKP for their election victory. 
 
- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is allegedly facing a revolt 
from within his party from people led by his predecessor Ibrahim 
al-Jaafari who want him out of power. 
 
- The leader of Iraqi Kurdish region Massoud Barzani warned of a 
"real civil war" if the central government does not implement 
Constitutional article 140 on the future of Kirkuk. 
 
 
ANKARA 00001974  003 OF 003 
 
 
- Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said European leaders 
wanted to hold accession talks with a democratic Turkey. 
 
 
WILSON