Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ANKARA3186
2003-05-14 14:29:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

Tags:  OPRC KMDR TU 
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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 003186

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
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003


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


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


HEADLINES


MASS APPEALS
Al-Qaida is back: 29 dead - Milliyet
Al-Qaida takes stage again - Sabah
Welcome with bombs: 29 dead - Turkiye
Ladin's Iraq retaliation: 29 dead - Vatan
Al-Qaida hits father Bush's company, Vinnell - Hurriyet
Powell: Terror a threat on civilized world - Sabah
General Franks turns down promotion - Milliyet
Wolfowitz: I didn't ask Turkey to apologize - Sabah
Berlusconi mediator between Bush, Ankara - Hurriyet
IISS: Military might topple AKP government - Aksam
Tehran to cut support to Hizbullah - Vatan


OPINION MAKERS
U.S. is hit in Riyadh - Radikal
Bloody welcome for Powell in Saudi Arabia - Cumhuriyet
Americans experience September 11 horror in Saudi Arabia -
Zaman
September 11 in Riyadh - Yeni Safak
Amb. Pearson w/ Guler: Ties with U.S. warming - Radikal
Greek Archbishop: No place for Turkey in EU - Zaman
Parliament of Europe: Turkey's military slows down reforms -
Yeni Safak
U.S. media toward monopolization - Radikal


FINANCIAL JOURNALS
Riyadh bombing rockets oil prices - Dunya
U.S., UK organize London meetings for Iraq cake - Finansal
Forum


BRIEFING


Ambassador Pearson visits Energy Minister: All major dailies
reported that U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson
called on the Minister of Energy, Hilmi Guler on Tuesday to
discuss Kirkuk-Yumurtalik, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil
pipelines and the Shah Sea project. Minister Guler voiced
hope that the U.S. will open the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline,
and finalize the BTC and Shah Sea projects soon. Ambassador
Pearson said that the U.S. wanted to see the Shah Sea
project tied to the BTC, and assured Guler that the Haifa
route could not be an alternative to the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik
pipeline, papers note. Pearson also asked for support for
removal of UN economic sanctions on Iraq which will
accelerate oil distribution from Yumurtalik, Turkey.


Wolfowitz: Deputy Secretary of Defense, Wolfowitz denied to
having urged Ankara to apologize in his interview with CNN-
Turk last week. Papers quote him as saying that . `What I
said was Turkey should see that it erred in grasping the

situation in Iraq, and that this failure should have been
discussed.'


Berlusconi: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose
country is due to assume the EU term presidency in July,
says Turkey could join the bloc as early as 2007 with
Romania and Bulgaria, reports say. `Even in case of no
solution, the Cyprus issue should not hinder Turkey's EU
accession. A divided Cyprus should not have joined the EU,'
Berlusconi said. He also vowed, in his talks with President
Bush during his upcoming visit to the U.S., to press for
Turkey getting a share in Iraq's rebuilding.


TOBB hopes for a share in Iraq: In Washington for talks with
the State Department and IMF officials, Turkey's Union of
Chambers (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu voiced
expectation that the U.S. will not block Turkish firms from
getting jobs in post-war Iraq, all dailies and TV networks
report. Despite some recent strains, economic cooperation
between U.S. and Turkey must continue advancing,
Hisarciklioglu said.


IISS report on Turkey: All media report on the London-based
Institute for International Strategic Studies' (IISS) annual
report said Turkey's military might take power in the face
of fundamentalist moves by the AKP government, all papers
report. TGS will first try non-military means to prevent
radical attempts by AKP, but will not hesitate to intervene
directly at a critical stage even under the risk of possible
reaction from the Western world, the report emphasized. The
IISS report sees the deadlock in Cyprus as a hindrance to
Turkey's EU membership, and notes that EU members Germany
and France have been upset about the U.S. support for
Ankara's EU drive.


`Repentance Law': TGS is worried that a `Repentance Law'
drafted by the government might help PKK/KADEK's
politicization attempts, "Cumhuriyet" reports. Targeting
mainly the militia cadres of the PKK/KADEK in Northern Iraq,
the draft brings cuts in penalties, and some social
rehabilitation help to defectors. However, the government
is acting carefully to avoid inciting anger among relatives
of terror victims, the report says.




EDITORIAL OPINION


a) Powell visit/Riyadh bombings
b) Iraqi rebuilding


"The roots of terror"
Fehmi Koru argued in Islamic-intellectual Yeni Safak (5/14):
"Trying to find a reason or excuse on terrorist acts is not
only a dangerous thing, but also a meaningless effort. The
best way of eliminating terrorism is to be able to take
proper measures. However, the measures and ways of the Bush
administration in handling Middle Eastern-based terrorism
seem to be providing no results at all. One of the reasons
for the failure of coping with terrorism stems from the
perception of US decision makers. The overall intention
might be different, but the US decision mechanism continues
to draw a direct link between Islam and terrorism.
Therefore those with evil minds find this perception very
facilitative for their executing terror. They easily find
volunteers to carry out their dark aims. It is like a
vicious circle. The more a parallel is made between Islam
and terror, the more the terrorists find ways for their
goals to be achieved. . This is the time to think about
finding other ways to handle terrorism on a global scale.
One of them might be the US determination to end injustices
globally."


"The return of SCIRI leader to Iraq"
Fikret Ertan wrote in Islamic-intellectual Zaman (5/14):
"The return of Hakem to Iraq is a significant step in the
restructuring of Iraq. He is one of the major figures in
his SCIRI leadership capacity and he comes with enough
influence to have a say in the future of Iraq. . If he
manages to unite all three Iraqi Shiite groups under his
leadership, which might be his goal, Iraq's political future
will certainly center around what he says and what he does."


PEARSON