The following are translations of excerpts from the Turkish press.
AKP HUNT FOR "XXX"
Ten of the 27 documents disclosed in Wikileaks concerning Turkey say that some AKP officials, coded "XXX," contend that there is no future for this government.
An AKP official said: "It seems like our friends sang like a canary. We are now after them. This shows us we do not know how and what to talk with foreign diplomats."
Two committees were established, both in Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the AKP, to investigate the identity of "XXX"s starting with members of parliament who attended some small dinners and receptions at the U.S. Embassy.
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/akp-xxx-avinda/343781/9/Siyaset
U.S. NUCLEAR BOMBS IN INCIRLIK
For the first time, it was formally confirmed that nuclear weapons, which were sent by the U.S. during the Cold War era, are still in Europe. In a document of the U.S. State Department dating back to 2007, the department's Undersecretary Philip Gordon says more than 200 atomic bombs are in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey. Regarding this leak, NATO said that it was illegal and dangerous.
http://haber.gazetevatan.com/raporda-sok-eden-satirlar/343741/1/Gundem
DAMAGE REPORT
The WikiLeaks webpage continued to cause chaos in the world with more than 50 new diplomatic cables posted on Tuesday. Now, everybody is discussing "who has won, who has lost" because of these documents. It seems that the United States will have no "diplomatic crisis" with any country if U.S. diplomats reveal some personal remarks that resemble rumors.
However, WikiLeaks' founder Assange said the webpage would make public a document alleging corruption from a giant U.S. bank.
The documents posted on the webpage indicate that the Arab states are more supportive than Israel is regarding a possible U.S. attack on Iran. Thus, the hand of the Israeli government that wants to stop Iran's nuclear program is strengthened.
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/planet/16405290.asp?gid=373
WE ARE NOT HYPOCRITES
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said: "There is no problem for us regarding the Wikileaks documents. Because we did not use two different languages. We did not speak one way in Tehran and another way in New York. We are ready to open all the archives."
http://www.gazetevatan.com/ka9.vatan
THESE INTERPRETATIONS CANNOT SPOIL OLD FRIENDSHIPS
President Abdullah Gül was asked about the Wikileaks documents that claim that there is strife between him and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Gül said: "These are interpretations of U.S. diplomats. None of them can spoil our old friendships. None of them prevents us from working for Turkey shoulder to shoulder."
Gül also stressed that the documents could cause distrust in diplomacy.
WE EXPECT EXPLANATION REGARDING SWITZERLAND CLAIMS
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said: "Wikileaks documents are very important. If a prime minister of a country is claimed to have eight accounts in banks in Switzerland, this is a serious claim. We are waiting for a satisfactory explanation from the prime minister. We don't make accusations; we say 'this is a claim'. But if concrete information is not presented, the prime minister will be affected by the claims."
http://www.milliyet.com.tr/iddialara-cevap-ver/siyaset/haberdetay/01.12.2010/1320615/default.htm
CONFESSION FROM PKK: WE PLANTED BATMAN MINE
The terrorist organization PKK, which has made a statement regarding an attack that killed four civilians four months ago, said it would punish those who planted the bomb with 20-14 years imprisonment. Fırat news agency, close to the PKK, said PKK sentenced Ferhat Felat to 24 years of imprisonment and Fikri Bermal to 20 years of imprisonment for planting the bomb that killed four civilians in the southeastern province of Batman. Nurettin Sofi, a top member of the PKK, said the organization was apologizing for the attack that killed four civilians including members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Gundem/2010/12/01/4_kisinin_oldugu_saldiriyi_4_ay_sonra_ustlendiler#
FOREIGN TRADE DEFICIT DOUBLED
According to figures of TurkStat, Turkey's exports increased 11.4 percent and reached U.S.$92.71 billion in January-October period. In the same period, import rose 30.5 percent and reached U.S.$147.82 billion. Foreign trade deficit also rose 83 percent and was posted as U.S.$55.11 billion.
http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/?kn=9
TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTRY: MKEK DID NOT SELL ANY OF ITS PRODUCTS TO IRAN
Turkish National Defense Ministry stated that Mechanical & Chemical Industry Corp. (MKEK) did not sell any of the weapons, ammunition and other equipments it produces to Iran.
The ministry on Tuesday commented on the news Wikileaks website published claiming that MKEK sold weapons to Iran and said that MKEK had to receive a written permit from National Defense Ministry before it could export to foreign countries.
If MKEK does not have this permit, products cannot cross the customs gate, a ministry spokesman said.
MKEK did not sell any of the weapons, ammunition and other equipments it produced to Iran, thus, the news Wikileaks published were groundless, stated the ministry.
http://www.aa.com.tr/tr/kategori-haberleri/
TURKISH PM'S MISSILE DEFENSE PIERCED BY WIKILEAKS
Senior Turkish officials' claim that plans for a radar system on Turkish soil have not been discussed prior to a recent NATO summit have been refuted by U.S. State Department cables released by the website WikiLeaks.
According to the documents, Turkey and the United States have been discussing the idea of such a system for nearly a year.
In one of the leaked cables sent to Washington, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey describes a Feb. 6 meeting in Ankara between U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his Turkish counterpart, Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül.
"Gönül told SecDef [Gates] that discussions about the radar were ongoing within the Turkish government and inquired about what alternate sites [the] U.S. was considering," Jeffrey wrote in the diplomatic cable.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu have both long dismissed reports that the United States had begun trying to persuade Turkey to allow a radar system to be based within its territory prior to the NATO summit held in Lisbon on Nov. 19 and 20.
"There has been no request made of Turkey. No request. As no request has been made of us, making a statement on the subject is useless. We won't face any sort of a fait accompli at the NATO summit," Erdoğan told reporters Oct. 16.
Similarly, Davutoğlu said, "Discussions on the matter were on principles rather than technicalities [technical aspects]."
The recently leaked cables seem, however, to completely contradict the top Turkish officials' statements. "We have made the point to the Turks that a decision to not base the AN/TPY-2 radar in Turkey is essentially a decision to opt out of missile-defense coverage for Turkey; this would not be a political consequence, but just a fact based on physics and geometry," Jeffrey said in an earlier cable to Washington that outlined the issues to be discussed during Gates' visit to Ankara on Feb. 6.
The ambassador advised Gates to raise the issue again with Erdoğan in a gentle manner while emphasizing the value the United States places on Turkey's participation in the project. Jeffrey's use of the word "again" indicates this meeting would not be the first time Erdoğan heard about the radar request from Washington.
In a meeting in the U.S. capital with President Barack Obama, Erdoğan insisted the project should be a NATO initiative because he did not want to bear its political cost, both in terms of domestic politics and Turkey's relations with Iran, the presumed target of the missile shield. The cable, however, clearly said, "Erdoğan is concerned that Turkey's participation might later give Israel protection from an Iranian counter-strike."
In response to the Turkish prime minister's concerns, Gates further emphasized that "without radar based in Turkey, significant areas in the eastern part of the country would not be covered by the system." If Turkey refused to offer its soil for the radar system, the United States said, it would be located in a Southeastern European country, leaving some parts of Turkey undefended against a potential missile attack.
According to diplomats familiar with the negotiations, the upcoming months will bring more behind-the-door discussions between the two allies about the controversial radar system. NATO agreed at the Lisbon summit not to single out Iran as a threat to be thwarted by the missile shield, a key demand by Ankara.
"The decision will be political," a diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. "But we still have time to further discuss the details."
NATO members approved a new Strategic Concept during the Lisbon summit that paved the way for the alliance to build its own missile shield to protect its members from a potential nuclear attack. It is still unclear, however, where the missiles will be deployed. Romania and Poland are both seen as top candidates. NATO countries are expected to discuss a plan in March and finalize it in June.
