ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001386 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 TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2003 THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- HEADLINES MASS APPEAL Grossman: Turkey losing its chance - Turkiye Grossman warns: Turkey to miss Iraqi train - Aksam Threats did not work, but U.S. could not discard Turkey - Sabah Upgrading of Turkish bases suspended - Hurriyet Kurds burn Turkish flags in Erbil - Vatan Cost of decree refusal: Government levies new taxes - Turkiye New tax `missiles' launched by government - Milliyet OPINION MAKERS Government seeks new bargaining with U.S. - Radikal Barzani has gone too far - Yeni Safak Barzani-Talabani solidarity - Zaman TGS Chief: We'll never allow a Kurdish state - Cumhuriyet Newsweek: Bush starts his day with religious texts - Zaman Weston: Erdogan gave assurances on Cyprus - Cumhuriyet FINANCIAL JOURNALS IMF likes the austerity package - Dunya Turkey, U.S. Chamber of Commerce in NY - Dunya Babacan: War fear obliged us to introduce new taxes - Finansal Forum BRIEFING Iraq: Analysts emphasize that the political cost to Washington is high if it attacks Iraq without the support of Turkey, for the American `Plan B' for striking Iraq solely from the south does not promise success. This view follows the rejection by the Turkish parliament of a decision for foreign troop deployment in Turkey. In an interview with the Turkish news channel NTV, Undersecretary of State Grossman voiced disappointment with the rejection of the decree, but stressed that Washington respected the decision adopted democratically by the parliament. All papers carry Grossman's remarks extensively, and put the focus on his warnings that Turkey might miss the opportunity for playing an active role in the restructuring of a post-war Iraq and the region. Grossman issued messages of hope with elements of threat, and warned Ankara to refrain from unilateral action in northern Iraq. "Radikal" carried the comments of AKP officials urging Washington to take a step forward to help the government convince parliament and the electorate regarding permission for foreign troop deployments on Turkish soil. Parliamentary speaker Arinc said that the motion permitting U.S. troops must not be presented to the assembly again in the same form. U.S. teams in Turkey for modernization of air bases and harbors have suspended work until permission is voted by the parliament, papers report. Diplomatic sources think that if a second vote by parliament is delayed, the U.S. might merely ask the GOT to use bases and airspace. `Negotiations with the U.S. continue. The parliamentary decision is merely a stage in this open-ended process,' Foreign Minister Yakis said. Meanwhile, thousands of Kurds staged an anti-Turkish rally in Erbil on Monday, burning Turkish flags and chanting "`Yes' to U.S. troops, `No' to Turks." Papers quote a high-level MFA official as saying that a sovereign Kurdish state would be regarded by Ankara as a cause for war. "Hurriyet" recalls that in March 1991, it was Turkey that provided 500,000 fleeing Kurds shelter and food while the international community chose only to observe the tragedy. "Radikal" claims that `diplomatic sources' have said that the U.S. participation in the latest Iraqi opposition meeting held in northern Iraq encouraged the Kurds to display this kind of reaction to Ankara. Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas has urged the UN to draft a new Cyprus plan through consultations with the two sides on the divided island. Denktas said he was in no hurry, since the Greek Cypriots would join the EU in any case. He is expected to visit Ankara this week before meeting with Annan and Papadopoulos at The Hague on March 10 to discuss the referendum issue proposed by the UN Secretary General. Reports comment that Ankara was skeptical about the referendum issue as well. As a guarantor state, Turkey is concerned about putting a `reluctant signature' on the ambiguous document. "Cumhuriyet" cites the Greek Cypriot daily "Fileleftheros" interview with Tom Weston, in which the U.S. Special Coordinator for Cyprus voiced satisfaction about the attitude of Ankara, and particularly of AKP leader Erdogan, regarding the Cyprus problem. EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq/Turkish parliament's decision "The Ankara-Washington line for a second decree" Hasan Cemal wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (3/4): "It seems that the AKP administration is going through a kind of brain- storming to determine the best possible atmosphere to re- introduce the authorization decree to the parliament. There is speculation about a second decree to be introduced in the event that certain steps are taken by the Bush administration with respect to the Turkomen and Iraqi Kurds, as well as some new economic gestures. Another fact here is that the Turkish military is unhappy about the denial of permission by the parliament. . The chances for introducing a second decree are very small prior to the election in Siirt province on March 9. Yet the fact of the matter is that the chances might be completely gone if Washington closes the door to Turkey." "A proud yet strategically short-sighted decision" Erhan Basyurt commented in Islamic-intellectual Zaman (3/4): "The parliament made a proud decision, yet it also contains the risk of being short-sighted in terms of Turkey's strategic interests. The decision validates Turkey's concerns about northern Iraq. The recent anti-Turkey demonstrations and other signs indicate that the Iraqi Kurds will focus more on achieving independence. . It would be wrong, however, for the government to produce a similar authorization decree in the short term. Leaving it to the flow of time and waiting until certain issues are clarified looks like a more reasonable approach at this stage. In that respect, Turkish parliamentary approval for the second decree might be an easier task if the UNSC passes a second resolution on March 7." "Who is behind the anti-Turkish sentiment: Kurds or the US?" Fatih Altayli argued in mass appeal Hurriyet (3/4): "The US has started playing its `Kurdish card' in an ugly way. It is the US who deliberately provokes the anti-Turkey sentiment in northern Iraq. Evidently this is part of US planning, but the demonstrations went beyond the limits by burning the Turkish flag. The timing of these events is worth thinking about. . Oddly enough, the Turkish parliament's decision prevents an American-Turkish intervention in northern Iraq, and this is exactly what the Kurdish groups want. Thus they should be thanking the Turkish parliament instead of burning the flags. . The US is playing a dirty game in northern Iraq." PEARSON