ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

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