ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001702 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 18, 2003 THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- HEADLINES MASS APPEAL Bush to Saddam family: Leave or fight - Hurriyet Bush to Saddam: Leave or I'll strike - Vatan Second Bush War - Sabah Turkish leadership says `Yes' to U.S. - Sabah Powell to Gul: Now or never - Aksam First refugee flow toward Turkish border - Hurriyet U.S. money depends on troops decree - Milliyet UN inspectors leave Baghdad - Turkiye OPINION MAKERS Powell to Gul: Decide before Saturday - Radikal Bush goes mad, disregards UN - Yeni Safak Countdown to war; decree to parliament again - Zaman Iraqi civilians move toward Turkish border - Cumhuriyet Markets aflame - Radikal FINANCIAL JOURNALS U.S., UK giants to control Iraqi oil after war - Dunya War fear hits markets - Finansal Forum BRIEFING Iraq: Turkey's political leadership agreed at a summit meeting at the presidency on Monday that war is inevitable, and decided to take to parliament a second decree for deployment of foreign troops on Turkish territory. "Radikal" claims Secretary Powell called Foreign Minister Gul to urge him for a decision by Saturday. The Council of Ministers will convene in an extraordinary session today, and the decree will be taken to parliament before the vote of confidence for the Erdogan cabinet. Papers expect the motion to be voted on by the parliament on Thursday. Commentators agree that Erdogan will have a difficult time trying to convince his deputies that Turkey's interests require working together with the U.S. Dailies say the AKP leadership has asked the U.S. to put into effect the military, political, and economic cooperation package once the motion is approved. Dailies report U.S. officials issuing clear warnings about possible damage to U.S.-Turkish relations at the American-Turkish Business Council meetings (ATC) in Washington. Iraqi opposition groups will meet in Ankara at a summit meeting Tuesday under the auspices of Turkey and the United States. Northern Iraqi Kurdish groups will voice concern about a possible unilateral Turkish intervention in the region, and Iraqi Shiite and Arab representatives are expected to join discussions on a post- war Iraq tomorrow. Ankara will seek to secure a place for the Turkomen in a post-Saddam administration. Commentaries fear that Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen might engage in Balkan- type ethnic fighting over Kirkuk, the oil-rich town in Northern Iraq. Residents have started evacuating Kirkuk and Mosul, and are fleeing to the north near the Turkish border, according to reports. EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq "Along with the war, authorization issue is back" Hasan Cemal wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (3/18): "Realizing the urgency, the government now has two options: Asking for parliament's approval for both the deployment of troops and airspace rights following the vote of confidence, or moving the motion through parliament ahead of the confidence vote. Yet the financial markets cannot sit and wait to see which option is taken. We have already seen the initial signs of instability in the markets. . Secretary Powell gave a clear message by saying that `the time for diplomacy has ended.' Following the ultimatum from George Bush, Ankara is now once again seized by the issue of the decree. Bearing in mind the urgency, the government will probably go for the second option. The summit at the Presidential Palace acknowledged that war is imminent and inevitable. Yet the real question is this: wouldn't it have been more appropriate if Turkey had taken these steps earlier?" "Declaring the loser" Fehmi Koru argued in the Islamic-intellectual Yeni Safak (3/18): "The war-mongering trio did their best to take others to their side. Moreover, the world witnessed an unprecedented method of threats, blackmail and false information. Yet the US, the UK and Spain did not get any support for their war project except from each other. This is clearly a defeat for the war-mongering lobby. The war, even though it targets a very hated man like Saddam Hussein, failed to gain international support. Thus the project can be implemented, but will suffer from a lack of vitality. If they begin the war as they now threaten to do, the very first bullet will turn the US and UK into defeated powers in the eyes of the world." PEARSON