ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001811 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 FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2003 THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- HEADLINES MASS APPEAL Parliament authorizes Government to Declare War, Turkey will enter Iraq - Sabah Historical Admission - Sabah Occupation Begins - Milliyet Baghdad looks like Hell - Vatan Turkish Military Liaison Officers in Florida and Qatar inform Turkey about War - Hurriyet Land Operation Starts With Speed - Aksam OPINION MAKERS US Starts the War with Speed - Radikal Land Operation Starts Earlier than Expected - Zaman Stop This War - Yeni Safak Disgraceful Attack - Vakit World Reacts to the Operation - Cumhuriyet FINANCIAL JOURNALS Dunya : Bigger Attack is expected over the weekend Finansal Forum: Turkey Opens Air Space BRIEFING War on Iraq: Turkish papers dedicate their reporting almost entirely to the war in Iraq. The mass appeal papers published an "emergency special edition" right after the news broke about the initial bombing. Today the general tone is about the ongoing missile attacks as well as speculation as to the reason for the early bombing. Reports claim that CIA-based intelligence reports had revealed the locating about Saddam and his aides. Several papers report that the heavy bombardment continues with Cruise missiles, while the ground operation has been launched from the south. "Milliyet" reports that US troops captured two Iraqi cities in the southern port area. All major Turkish papers are filing their stories on the war by using international wire service reports to supplement information from their correspondents in Baghdad or Kuwait. "Hurriyet" reports that, unlike in the Gulf war, Turkey and the US have lost direct contact. In 1991 then-president Bush notified Turkey an hour before the war began, but this time Turkish leaders learned of the war from Turkish liaison officers in Tampa, FL. Papers also note the ongoing discussions between Turkey and the US about the terms and conditions of the overflight permission. "Yeni Safak" blames the government for hurrying to pass the resolution from parliament before reaching agreement on a related MOU. Several papers mention that Turkey wants to link the use of Turkish airspace with a Turkish army incursion into northern Iraq. The discussion about the shape of the MOU continued until early this morning, but to no avail. "Hurriyet" quotes Ankara diplomatic sources as saying "Turkey is waiting for certain answers from Washington at this point." From the internal standpoint, the overall tone in the press is that the AKP government has made an historical mistake and has handled the issue very badly. News reports and many editorial comments are questioning the decisions reached by policy-makers. They note that Turkey was `dreaming' by believing that the US had no `Plan B' for the war, and that Turkey's resistance could prevent the war from occurring. "Hurriyet" editor-in-chief Ertugrul Ozkok slams the AKP and their advisers as being "completely blind," and notes that Turkey will have to pay the negative consequences in the years to come. "Sabah" reports statements by former Foreign Minister Yakis, who admitted that they all believed that `Plan B' did not exist. Yakis said "evidently we were wrong and made a very serious strategic mistake." Islamist "Yeni Safak" pursues a different tone, calling on the world to stop the war. The front-page banner headline reads "illegitimate and unlawful." Ultra-nationalist "Ortadogu" characterizes the war as "a blood feud," and predicts that it will last much longer than expected. Stories in the press also highlight the "different priorities" within the AKP administration, citing PM Erdogan's visit to a small Anatolian city in the midst of war preparations. In an effort to convince the AKP to accept the overflight proposal, Tayyip Erdogan told his party members that there will not be a `third resolution' in the future. "When I was in Corum (a town in Central Anatolia) I understood that nobody cares about Iraq. They are thinking about the poverty they face in everyday life." EDITORIAL OPINION: War on Iraq "Pluses and minuses" Sedat Ergin analyzed the current status of US-Turkish relations in light of the war on Iraq in mass appeal Hurriyet (3/21): "The results of the bargain between Turkey's AKP government and the US administration can be summed up as follows: The most important and valuable gain for Turkey is the agreement with the US on the political principles of reshaping Iraq. Most important is the declaration that Iraq's resources belong to all peoples of Iraq. Naming the Turkomen as one of Iraq's founding peoples is also a very important gain for Turkey. . On the other hand, there is still uncertainty about the Turkish army's role in northern Iraq. If Turkey remains persistent on that issue, most probably the two sides will reach a consensus in the days ahead. . On the economic front, what Turkey received from the US seems to be no more than a one-page press release issued by the US Embassy in Ankara. We all knew that Washington supports Turkey's economic reform program - that is not news. . When it comes to the political losses, it would require another full-page commentary. Due to the fact that Washington is now implementing `Plan B' for the Iraq operation, there is a serious `crack' in the way Washington now sees Ankara. Just like a crack in a vase, the healing will take time and the crack will remain visible even at the end. . Given the current picture, we can conclude that Turkey's strategic importance has also suffered an erosion. Once the war is over, for instance, Incirlik airbase will lose its vitality as the US moves to the Middle East." "The wrong calculation" Sami Kohen commented in mass appeal Milliyet (3/21): "The war on Iraq began in an unusual way. Evidently, CIA intelligence reports led to the conclusion that Saddam and his aides could be located and targeted. However, the missiles went to the wrong address and, as we have seen, Saddam Hussein went on live television just three hours later. In the event that Saddam had been killed, the war may have ended. It seems that it was an idea endorsed by President Bush as well, but it did not succeed. . The current war poses a series of dangers to the international community, including the US. From the military standpoint, in addition to the possibility that Saddam will use chemical or biological weapons, there are big risks for the US both in the growing negative public reaction and the possible rise in international terrorism. From the political point of view, the US action is perceived as unilateral, which puts the US gradually in a state of alienation and also alters existing international balances. From the economic standpoint, the repercussions of the war will be on a global scale, and weak economies will be most badly affected." PEARSON