ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001126 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 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2003 THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- HEADLINES MASS APPEALS Tough bargaining: Turkey, U.S. make final offers - Turkiye U.S. steps up pressure on Turkey - Vatan Turkey, U.S. agree on military issues - Milliyet U.S., Turkey bargaining deadlocked over aid package - Hurriyet 522 U.S. military vehicles arrive before parliamentary decree - Aksam Kurds, Arabs, Turkomen compete for control of Kirkuk - Sabah OPINION MAKERS Turkey cool to final U.S. offer; tension rising - Zaman Erdogan challenges: U.S. Congress must approve aid package - Radikal Final U.S. offer: $26 billion - Radikal Minister Babacan: We've turned down final U.S. offer - Cumhuriyet Erdogan: No parliamentary approval without written agreement - Yeni Safak FINANCIAL JOURNALS SSSB foresees no trouble between U.S., Turkey - Dunya NATO's defense wing authorized to shield Turkey - Finansal Forum BRIEFING Iraq: Dailies say SecState Powell strongly warned Prime Minister Gul in a telephone call on Wednesday that the U.S. is growing impatient and that military action against Iraq could be carried out without Turkey's support. Gul has asked for written guarantees from Washington in order to convince the parliament to support a decision on U.S. troop deployments. Deputy Prime Minister Sener said that the GOT has not yet reached agreement with the U.S. regarding the deployment of U.S. troops. White House Spokesman Fleischer is quoted by Turkish papers as warning that the offer extended by the U.S. is final, and that there is not much time left. Papers speculate that the tough bargaining has increased tension between Washington and Ankara. Reports suggest a $6 billion discrepancy between the U.S. offer and Turkey's demands. Dailies write that the U.S. Administration has rejected Turkey's request for $32 billion, including $10 billion in grants. The U.S. has promised Turkey a share from Iraqi oil revenues, according to "Radikal." Papers agree that the U.S. will not give Turkey more than $26 billion. "Milliyet" carries the details of a `draft agreement' between the U.S. and Turkey on military cooperation. Turkish and American troops will be commanded by national commanders; U.S. troops will be subject to Turkish law; the security of U.S. troops transiting into northern Iraq will be provided by Turks; only U.S. forces will enter Mosul and Kirkuk; the number of U.S. troops in Turkey will not exceed 50,000, and Turkey will deploy 60,000 troops in northern Iraq. Papers also expect the U.S. to make additional trade concessions to Turkey within the framework of proposed QIZ legislation. Dailies report that a U.S. vessel unloaded 522 military vehicles, including tanks, at the port in Iskenderun. Meanwhile, AKP leader Erdogan said on Wednesday that even if the U.S. meets Turkey's demands, the GOT still prefers to see the report by UN arms inspectors before moving ahead. Erdogan added that the economic aid package for Turkey should be approved by the U.S. Congress. On the other hand, "Hurriyet" claims that the TGS has notified the government of the need to restore emergency rule in Southeast Turkey -- namely in Diyarbakir, Batman, Siirt, Mardin, Sirnak and Hakkari -- in the event of war. EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq "The brinksmanship policy" Ismet Berkan opined in liberal-intellectual Radikal (2/20): "Despite the final offers, at least so they seem, uttered by the Turkish and the US sides, the bilateral negotiations are still going on. This is clearly a brinksmanship policy. . Interesting part of this story comes with the fact that the US is not giving up the northern front option, thus the bargaining continues although it is said to be over. On the other hand, this kind of brinksmanship style of policy requires a "Plan B" in case the first one does not work. The US certainly has an alternative plan and seems determined to carry out the operation from the south if necessary. We do not know if this government has a plan B in this story." "Who is the ingratitude?" Fehmi Koru argued in Islamic-intellectual Yeni Safak (2/20): "When you observe the ongoing negotiation process, one clearly can see that this is not a discussion between the so- called `strategic partners.' The US is imposing its terms and conditions upon Turkey, which in no way can be described as partnership. Yet the worse is to come, because at the most critical stage of the discussions, the US officials saw no harm to themselves in threatening Turkey openly by saying `either our terms are accepted, or Turkey pays for serious consequences.' . The US is asking Turkey to be on its side in a war for which the US has failed to convince the world about its reasons. The strategic partner rhetoric is so comfortably uttered yet we don't see the representatives of the US administration have been acting accordingly. Somebody must remind the fact to the US: Turkey is not desperate and helpless." PEARSON