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Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005966

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL
JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2003


THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- ---------


HEADLINES


MASS APPEAL
Kurds sole winners in Iraq war - Milliyet
Wolfowitz: Turkish troops essential for Iraq stability -
Turkiye 9/21
Gen. Myers: We need 15 - 20,000 Muslim troops in Iraq -
Hurriyet 9/20
Ozilhan: Cyprus the largest obstacle to Turkey's EU drive -
Millliyet 9/21
Katsav: Turkey, Israel can give a lesson in friendship -
Hurriyet 9/21
Katsav: We have no intention of killing Arafat - Milliyet
9/20


OPINION MAKERS
Wolfowitz: Turks will bring peace, stability to Iraq - Zaman
9/21
Government inclined to send troops to Iraq - Zaman
Saddam flirts with U.S. - Radikal
165 US casualties in Iraq since May - Radikal
Britain, Germany, France search for common ground on Iraq -
Radikal 9/21
Bush said to manipulate experts on Iraqi WMD - Cumhuriyet
Blix: U.S., Israeli WMD are a source of concern - Yeni Safak
Guantanamo's imam Yee apprehended - Zaman
America's Muslim captain under detention - Yeni safak
Putin won't send troops to Iraq - Cumhuriyet
Clinton remembers Srebrenica victims - Radikal 9/21
Thousands of Muslims welcome Clinton in Srebrenica -
Cumhuriyet 9/21
New proposals by Denktas - Cumhuriyet

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BRIEFING


Turkish troops for Iraq: Foreign Minister Gul said before
going to New York for the UN General Assembly meetings that
a UNSC resolution on Iraq is important, but not essential,
for deploying Turkish peacekeepers in Iraq. If foreign
troops are to stay in Iraq, Gul said, Iraqis would prefer to
have Turkish soldiers. Gul added that a motion for
deploying troops in Iraq would be submitted to the
parliament in October. Papers do not expect the issue to be
handled by the government before the AK Party congress on
October 12.


NSC meeting: The National Security Council (NSC) meeting
held last Friday did not announce any concrete decision
regarding Turkey's possible contribution to the Iraqi
stabilization mission, weekend papers report. President
Sezer warned the government not to make any commitment on
troop deployment before passing a related motion through the
parliament. MFA bureaucrats and the military have urged the
government not to delay a decision, says "Milliyet."
"Hurriyet" reports that the government and the military have
agreed that Turkey should contribute actively to the Iraqi
peacekeeping force in order to defend its interests.


TUSIAD against Turkish soldiers in Iraq: Weekend papers
report that Turkey's businessmen have taken a U-turn
following a statement by TUSIAD Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan on
Friday saying that the government should await a UN decision
before deploying troops in Iraq. Previously, TUSIAD had
favored Turkey's participation in the war against Iraq.
Commentators believe TUSIAD has adopted an "EU view" on the
Iraq issue.


Wolfowitz meets TOBB chairman: In a meeting with Turkey's
union of chambers (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu in
Washington, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said
that Turkey and the U.S. share common interests in Iraq,
Sunday papers report. Wolfowitz pointed to the success of
Turkish peacekeepers in Bosnia, and stressed that Turks are
necessary to stabilize the situation in Iraq. Wolfowitz
noted that the U.S. is closely watching the PKK/KADEK, and
assured Hisarciklioglu that Turkey need not worry about
possible PKK attacks.


Israeli President's visit to Turkey: Visiting Israeli
President Moshe Katsav said after meeting with Prime
Minister Erdogan last Friday that Turkey and Israel could
show to the world that an Islamist party and the Jewish
state can become friends. Katsav invited Erdogan to visit
Israel. Arafat is the largest obstacle for peace, Katsav
claimed, noting that the Palestinian leader had done nothing
to fight terrorism.


PM Erdogan to send Tuzmen to Tehran: State Minister Kursat
Tuzmen will make an official working visit to Tehran between
September 30 and October 2. U.S. concerns had forced
Erdogan to suspend his own plans to visit Iran. By sending
Tuzmen and a business delegation to Tehran, Erdogan gave the
U.S. a message that Turkey would not cut ties with its
neighbors.


Fresh proposals by Denktas on Cyprus: Monday's "Cumhuriyet"
reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas has invited
Greek Cypriots to return to their homes and businesses in
the deserted town of Varosha (Maras.) Denktas invited the
education ministers of the two zones on the island to
discuss the education problems of minority children. He
complained that Greek Cypriot authorities are confiscating
goods purchased by Greeks in the north, leading to a
significant imbalance in two-way trade.


EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq/UN Role


"UN Resolution is very unlikely"
Erdal Guven opined in the liberal-intellectual Radikal
(9/21): "There is a general expectation from the upcoming UN
meeting that a new resolution about Iraq will be passed.
However, if the expectation includes an American willingness
to turn over civilian authority to Iraqis and military
authority to the UN, then it is unrealistic. The US will
not be able to leave Iraq despite the humanitarian, economic
and political costs of the current mission. . There was a
reason for the US invasion of Iraq -- to establish a model
in the Middle East. It is out of the question to expect a
US withdrawal until that model is established under US terms
and conditions. . Thus, the US is inclined to conduct its
Iraq policy within its own parameters. Neither the UN nor
the Iraqis will play a role beyond what the US allows."


"Everybody has a different game card"
Nilgun Cerrahoglu argued in the social democrat-intellectual
Cumhuriyet (9/22): "The Berlin summit ended in complete
failure due to the fact that the three leaders had a
different agenda for Iraq. Blair, who continues to adhere
to the Bush line, continues to look for a limited UN
resolution that would pave the way for foreign troop
deployments in Iraq. On this subject, three prominent
countries keep popping up: Turkey, India and Pakistan.
According to the Bush-Blair plan, the US will retain
political as well as military authority. The German and
French leaders do not support this approach, and their
stance clearly demonstrates the diplomatic failure of the
Bush-Blair duo. . Turkey, on the other hand, is a picture of
weakness. Ankara does not want to upset Washington, and
economic benefits are playing a significant role in the
decision-making mechanism. In fact, the US is in a helpless
situation given the lack of international legitimacy and the
absence of a real political strategy. Under these
circumstances, why should Turkey consider throwing itself
into the fire?"


EDELMAN

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