Hürriyet, Turkey
Nov 15 2008

Wilson backs press freedom

ANKARA – The outgoing U.S. ambassador to Turkey said Friday that
freedom of press was very important for a democracy. Ross Wilson
hosted diplomacy correspondents at his residence before his departure
from Turkey early next week. He said he respected what journalists
were doing and urged them to continue performing their job.

"Freedom of press is very important for any democracy. You need to do
your job. Being a journalist is not easy, it’s not also easy in the
U.S., just keep doing it, remember the role you and free media plays
in any democratic society," he said.

Accreditations canceled His remarks came after the Prime Ministry
revoked the press accreditation of seven veteran journalists who had
covered the ministry, a practice that was deemed "censorship" by the
International Press Institute.

Wilson said freedom of press was an important power in all
democracies.

In his farewell speech, Wilson said it had been an honor to represent
the United States in Turkey, which he described as one of the most
important countries for his country in terms of bilateral ties.

The most challenging period during his tenure in Ankara was between
Sept. 2007 and April 2008, according to Wilson, when bilateral ties
strained over the Armenian genocide resolution passed by a
U.S. congressional committee, as well as the fight against the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

Wilson said confidence has been rebuilt between the two countries and
that the sharing of intelligence is crucial in the ongoing fight
against the PKK.

Fourth time in Turkey His successor James Jeffrey will come to Ankara
in early December, said Wilson, adding that Jeffrey, who speaks
Turkish, would be the first U.S. ambassador to serve in Turkey for the
fourth time.

The outgoing ambassador said he was most impressed by the hospitality
of the Turkish people and shared an anecdote in which a young local
approached him during his visit to Trabzon last April and asked if he
was Ross Wilson.

Wilson said he has not yet watched "Mustafa," a new documentary that
chronicles Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s life from
childhood to death. But he said he was planning to see the
much-discussed film.