MIDEAST MIRROR 24.10.18, SECTION C (TURKEY & IRAN)
From today’s Turkish press
KHASHOGGI AFFAIR: Ertugrul Ozkok adopts a cynical stance in center-right Hurriyet: "So what will happen now? The Khashoggi affair has ruined the image of the [Saudi] crown-prince, who U.S. President Trump personally tried to portray as a reformist. But we should not forget that the Middle East is a region of despotic leaders who continue to rule despite the horrible images. In other words, nothing will come of this. Unfortunately, the rules of the Middle East apply. In this region, life goes on as if nothing has happened. Brutality is the law of the jungle in the region."
Emin Colasan claims that the president is making unachievable demands in nationalist opposition Sozcu: "President Erdogan said nothing new about any phase of the Khashoggi murder case in his speech yesterday. He satisfied himself with offering a summary of events laced with slogans, accompanied by chants from party cheerleaders especially brought to parliament. He also laid out two demands: Firstly, that the Saudis should reveal the name of the local accomplice who allegedly buried the body. Secondly, that the 18 Saudi citizens – in other words the execution squad – should be tried in Istanbul. Because he knows that neither is going to happen, he had to end by saying 'it is within their [the Saudis'] discretion.'"
THE PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE: Mehmet Barlas asserts his faith in the current ruling alliance in pro-government Sabah: "In President Erdogan's words, maintaining the same line on fundamental issues such as structuring the new administrative system does not require being on the same page on all issues. In brief, the AKP [ruling Justice and Development] and the MHP [Nationalist Movement Party] have recently adopted different perspectives on matters such as a criminal amnesty, early retirement, and the students' oath. However, this does not mean that the 'People's Alliance' is over."
Yalcin Akdogan takes a similar view in pro-government Star: "The attitude towards the ruling alliance of a leader such as Erdogan – who makes all kinds of self-sacrifices for the good of the country, drinks poison if necessary, and never betrays or lets anyone down – should be perceived correctly. MHP leader Bahceli's sincere efforts for the alliance and in favor of a change in the political system are also well-known. Not formally cooperating in the upcoming local elections does not entail dismissing the wider agreement."
ATATURK'S LEGACY: Baris Doster invokes Turkey's founding father in nationalist opposition Cumhuriyet: "The Court of Cassation's decision regarding reading out the Students' Oath in schools has created a new debate. Ataturk's definition of 'who is a Turk' and the Turkish nation is very clear and contains no references to race or ethnic origin. When defining the Turkish citizen, he said: 'How happy are they who call themselves Turk.' He prioritized the foundation of the Republic while defining the Turkish nation by saying: 'The Turkish people who founded the Republic of Turkey are together called the Turkish nation.'"
Kazim Gulecyuz takes aim at the opposition in pro-Islamist opposition Yeni Asya: "Because the government appears to be more eager than anyone else to claim the official old rhetoric and its symbols, it continues to send strange messages in that direction. It is as if it was trying to say: 'We are the best supporters of Ataturk'. And when the government takes such a stance, the opposition parties are delighted. Is this how one sends the message that 'we [the opposition] are the address that you have been searching for' to all the people who are looking for an alternative?"
Iran media watch
FOOTBALL CLUB VICTORY: The Iranian Persepolis football club advanced to the finals of the AFC Champions League 2018 on Tuesday in a breath-taking game. The team advanced to the Asian finals in a 1-1 draw with al-Sadd of Qatar in Tehran in the presence of thousands of enthusiastic fans. Most Iranian newspapers carried reports on their front pages this morning on Persepolis reaching its first-ever AFC Champions League final. Conservative Kelid wrote: "Arabs' respect for Persepolis." Reformist Arman dedicated its entire front page to jubilant footballers and fans and wrote: "Advancing to the finals emptyhanded", referring to FIFA's transfer ban imposed on Persepolis for two transfer windows in 2018. Hardline Javan and conservative Hemayat carried photos of yesterday's match on their front pages. In the previous match, Persepolis defeated the Qatari team in Doha 1-0. The final result was 2-1 to the advantage of the Iranian club.
IRANIANS CROSSING INTO IRAQ: Domestic broadcast media, including Channel One (IRTV1), Radio Iran (VIRI), and IRINN led their news bulletins with reports related to the Arba'een religious ceremony to be held in Iraq on 30 October. According to reports, up to 1.8 million Iranians have registered to take part in the pilgrimage to Iraq, of whom 1.5 million have already received visas and 950,000 have already crossed the border from Mehran and other border checkpoints. VIRI said that 420 flights would be added to regular flights to Najaf to facilitate pilgrims travel. IRTV1 showed Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi saying that borders are secured and his forces arrested members of three "terrorist teams" in the Southern Khuzestan Province. He was visiting a border checkpoint in the province.
KHASHOGGI: English-language Press TV led with a report on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that his country has some evidence that dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was planned. Erdogan demanded that all "18 people" behind the murder be brought to justice. In another development, U.S. President Donald Trump blasted Saudi Arabia's efforts to cover up the killing of Khashoggi as the "worst cover-up ever", but again indicated that he would not end arms sales to Washington's Middle East ally. Rolling news channel IRINN carried a report saying that many invitees have pulled out from the Future Investment Initiative conference that started on 23 October in the Saudi capital of Riyadh following the death of the Saudi journalist inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Over 13,000 people on Twitter and many others on Instagram and Telegram celebrated the victory of Iranian football club Persepolis in the semi-final match of AFC Champions League. "I've always said that passion wins matches, Persepolis proved once again that no matter what difficulty they have to overcome, they will triumph," a user posted in English. Elsewhere, over 17,000 Tweets were posted in 12 hours referring to a call for "civil disobedience of a million men and a general strike". The call was made by members of the newly-established opposition Farashgard (also known by their English name Iran Revival). "We believe that the current regime is destroying our country by its anti-Iran policies. We must act now to prevent any further destruction," a user wrote in English. Another user Tweeted: "We can change if we want. Long live freedom and democracy."