US embassy cable - 03ISTANBUL894

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000894 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, TK, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: AKP ISTANBUL CONGRESS: "MUEZZINOGLU RELOADED" 
 
 
1. (U) Justice and Development (AK) Party Chairman and Prime 
Minister Tayyip Erdogan headlined the June 22 AK Istanbul 
Congress.  There were no surprises (in fact, no challengers 
at all) in the reelection of Istanbul Chairman Mehmet 
Muezzinoglu, and Erdogan's unscripted speech focused on 
predictably populist themes that would resonate with the 
10,000 party faithful and luminaries in the audience: 
 
 
- Education: promised free textbooks and private-school 
vouchers for 10,000 students; 
- Energy: promised new dams and cheaper electricity; 
- Foreign Policy: promised to push forward with EU membership; 
- Party Ideology: reaffirmed that AKP is a conservative 
democratic party that is open to all (i.e., headscarved or 
not) and committed to Ataturk's secularist principles. 
 
 
2. (U) Erdogan also made news by remarking that he would soon 
reveal estimates on the staggering extent of corruption in 
Turkey.  He warned the labor unions not to make unreasonable 
demands and cautioned all of his supporters not to expect the 
economic situation to improve immediately (i.e, give us at 
least 3 years).  In an indirect reference to Young Party (GP) 
Chairman Cem Uzan's verbal attacks and subsequent legal 
charges against him, Erdogan said that he was content to let 
the courts handle the issue.  Following his speech, Erdogan 
welcomed a few dozen new members into the party, most of whom 
had defected from local positions in the Motherland Party 
(ANAP), including Bahcelievler Mayor Saffet Bulut. 
 
 
3. (SBU) Comment: Erdogan's speech was a further 
demonstration of his political talent, charismatic appeal, 
and keen understanding of his constituents.  Clearly his 
die-hard Istanbul supporters are willing to give him and his 
government time to make their mark, but it remains to be seen 
whether the wider AK support base will be as patient. 
ARNETT