Cablegate: Turkish Media Reaction

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU PREL KPAO
SUBJECT: TURKISH MEDIA REACTION
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2009

In Today's Papers

Atalay Meets DISK, TUSIAD Under 'Kurdish Initiative'
Media outlets report that under the frame of the ruling AKP
government's 'Kurdish Initiative,' Interior Minister Besir Atalay
visited Tuesday the leftist labor union DISK and Turkey's leading
business grouping TUSIAD. Atalay said after his meeting with DISK
officials, "This process, which is full of painful experiences, is
not only the problem of the AKP or the government but is the
responsibility of all of us." Atalay later met with TUSIAD board
members. Speaking after the meeting, Atalay said the association
had contributed to a number of social issues, adding the government
attached significant importance to the contributions of TUSIAD.
TUSIAD chairperson Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag said the democratization
process and public consensus were essential in solving the problem.

Erdogan May Meet Baykal, Bahceli On 'Kurdish Move' (Hurriyet)
Mainstream Hurriyet the AKP government will also consult its
'Kurdish Initiative' with the military General Staff (TGS) and the
National Security Council (MGK). The issue will be discussed at the
MGK meeting if requested by the military members of the council.
The government has reportedly taken into consideration the messages
coming from opposition CHP leader Deniz Baykal, and sources say
Prime Minister Erdogan was likely to meet Baykal as part of the
"democratic move." Erdogan may also meet Devlet Bahceli, leader of
the MHP, after the party's congress scheduled in November, comments
Hurriyet.

CHP Holds 'Secret Talks' With Opinion Leaders On Kurdish Question
(Zaman)
Islamist-oriented Zaman says on its front page the opposition CHP
has launched a "secret initiative" and that it meets with opinion
leaders regarding Turkey's Kurdish question. CHP met with over 20
opinion leaders and tribal leaders last week, and will make public a
report next week. The last touches on the report will be made after
examining the roadmap to be released by the PKK leader Ocalan,
according to Zaman. Islamist-oriented Yeni Safak says in spite of
its criticism of Prime Minister Erdogan's recent meeting with the
Kurdish DTP leader Ahmet Turk, CHP was now holding "secret meetings
with the DTP. In a meeting between the CHP's Kemal Kilicdaroglu and
the DTP's Fatma Kurtulan, the AKP government's "democratic move" was
discussed. The DTP asked CHP to support the new process, says Yeni
Safak.

Ocalan's Road Map Will Be Revealed At Conrad Hotel
Mainstream Vatan reports that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's
lawyers will go to Imrali today to collect Ocalan's "road map" for
the Kurdish issue. It has been learned that the lawyers are
planning to have press conference at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul
tomorrow and press, including the foreign press have been informed
about the event. Reportedly, Ocalan's lawyers contacted some
other hotels for the press event arrangements but, none of the
hotels accepted to host this event. According to Kanal D, agreement
with Conrad has not finalized yet but the media already started to
get accredited to the event.

President Gul Gives Message Of Unity
All papers: At a reception given by the Foreign Ministry, President
Gul said that the country's unity was the top priority. Gul
interrupted a journalist's question regarding the road map of jailed
PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and said "Forget Imrali (where Ocalan is
serving life imprisonment). They are not our interlocutor. Every
country should solve its problem by itself. Turkey's unitary
structure must be strengthened as a result of all works under way,
there should be no threat to this structure."

Editorial Debate on Kurdish Initiative

Taha Akyol wrote in mainstream Milliyet: "What imprisoned leader
Ocalan has been talking about is about a project of division based

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on ethnic differences. Instead of focusing on impossible ideas, the
DTP and others should take the reaching out EU standards as a main
goal to achieve which will certainly be a facilitative tool in this
process."

Mehmet Yilmaz wrote in mainstream Hurriyet: "The way Ocalan acts
looks as if he is a commander with achieved victory who offers a
peace plan. This kind of approach, along with some inflammatory
remarks by DTP members will not be helping the process at all.
Instead PKK has started to sabotage it already."

Hakan Albayrak wrote in Islamist oriented Yeni Safak: "There are
sensible statements coming from the DTP while Ocalan statements work
in the opposite direction. However it is a healthy thing to be able
to discuss every opinion in a complete free platform. This is the
very time to address the Kurdish issue because it is backed by
people strongly."

Bejan Matur wrote in Islamist oriented Zaman: "Turkey's Kurds are in
a struggle for their existence which will make Turkey a more
democratized country in the end. This process will have an impact
not only on Kurds' relations with the state but also it will
transform relations of Alevis, religious and minority groups with
the state. In addition to that, Iraqi Kurds are also in need of
getting closer to Turkey."

Muharrem Sarikaya wrote in tabloid HaberTurk: "The best description
regarding the Kurdish initiative came from Minister Babacan who
underlined the parliament as the venue for solution process."

Foreign Minister Davutoglu: "There Is No Special Request For
Afghanistan"
Mainstream Hurriyet quotes Foreign Minister Davutoglu as saying
"Turkish military performs duties in Afghanistan under the ISAF.
Naturally, when Turkey takes over the commanding duties, there will
be an increase on the troop numbers. However, there is absolutely
no request received for the combatant troops to be sent to
Afghanistan."

Afghan Elections
Media outlets note the elections in Afghanistan will be taking place
under the shadows of the Taliban, terror, bombs, poverty, and
weapons. Mainstream Sabah headlines, "An Election in the Shadow of
The Taliban," and the article reports, "The Afghan public is going
to the polls for the second time to select a president," but,
"However, the Taliban has killed 19 people in attacks over the past
72 hours and they have threatened those who go to vote." Sabah also
comments, "A war-weary Afghanistan is electing a president amid the
bombings." Mainstream Milliyet headlines, "An Election in the
Shadow of Terror," and notes, "The radically Islamist Taliban are
hoping there will be a low turnout." Islamist-oriented Zaman
headlines, "An Election in the Shadow of Weapons," and the paper
notes, "Afghanistan has been at war for the last 30 years," and
"Afghans are heading to the polls for the second time in the
country's history." Mainstream Haberturk headlines sarcastically,
"It's Democracy Time for Afghanistan," next to a photo of the
wreckage from a suicide bomb in Kabul.

Liberal Radikal carries a photo next to the headline, "This is The
Afghanistan-Type Electoral System."

Next to this photo, mainstream Haberturk headlines, "It's Democracy
Time for Afghanistan."

Khamenei: "Muslims - Let's Unite, Mahdi Is Coming" (Radikal)
Media outlets note Iran's religious leader has called on the Muslim
world to form an army in anticipation of the coming of Mahdi,
Islam's messianic savior. Mainstream Hurriyet reports on its front
page that Iran's Ali Hosseini-Khamenei called on "Muslim countries"
including Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, to
"unite and form an army" for the "imminent coming" of Islam's

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messianic savior, Mahdi. Hurriyet notes "Khamanei made a call to
the Islamic World," to "fight the U.S. and Israel."

U.S. Prepares A New Peace Plan for A Palestinian State (Zaman)
Islamist-oriented Zaman reports, "Barack Obama has a new plan to
solve the crisis in the Middle East," as Israel's PM Netanyahu is
considering "an un-armed Palestinian state" in which "Jerusalem will
be a capital shared between Palestine and Israel."
Leftist-nationalist Cumhuriyet headlines, "A Plan for An Unarmed
Palestine," and notes, "Washington is greeting (Egyptian President)
Mubarek by preparing a new plan," for the establishment of a
Palestinian state.

TV News (CNN Turk)

Domestic

- Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) will convene Thursday.
President Gul said the government's Kurdish initiative will be
discussed at the meeting.

- On Wednesday, the religious affairs directorate (Diyanet) will
hold the third Alevi Workshop in Ankara with the participation of
theologians and government officials.

- A 16-year old drug dealer is killed in a children's penitentiary
in Pozanti in Adana. The parents of the boy have applied to the
authorities, awaiting an explanation about the murder.

- Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh will visit Turkey on
Wednesday. Judeh will be received by President Gul.

- The second round of collective bargaining talks between the
government and civil servants' unions will be kicked off Wednesday.

- Around 1,000 teahouse owners rallied in Ankara to protest the
expanded smoking restrictions introduced by the government.

World

- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visits Damascus for security
talks with Syrian President Assad.

- Iranian President Ahmadinejad will submit his new cabinet list to
the parliament on Wednesday.

- Georgia's parliament votes unanimously to leave the Commonwealth
of Independent States.

- A Turk who owns a construction company in the Netherlands has been
stabbed to death in the fifth slaying of a Turk in the country over
the last one month.

- The IMF says global recession is now over and a recovery has
begun.

- South Korea is preparing to launch its first space rocket.

SILLIMAN

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