Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ANKARA3958
2003-06-19 13:30:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

Tags:  OPRC KMDR TU 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003958

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
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2003


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


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION


-------------- --------------


HEADLINES


MASS APPEALS
Bush: Iran a nuclear threat - Aksam
Bush won't tolerate Iranian nuclear weapons - Turkiye
French support to mullahs - Vatan
Grossman: Gul will be given warm welcome in U.S. - Vatan
Gul to U.S. in July - Hurriyet
U.S. disarms PKK in N. Iraq - Sabah
Iraqi snipers hunt coalition troops - Sabah
Greek envoy complains of Turkish military flights over Greek
islands - Hurriyet
Verheugen: Cyprus solution needed before May 2004 - Milliyet


OPINION MAKERS
Demonstrations growing throughout Iran - Radikal
U.S. officials confirm strategic partnership with Turkey -
Radikal
Powell visit might bring cease-fire to Mideast - Zaman
Americans fire on Iraqi demonstrators - Cumhuriyet
Verheugen: Need for solution before 2004 non-negotiable -
Zaman
Denktas blocks efforts for Cyprus solution - Radikal
Alan Larson: Turkey attractive for investment - Yeni Safak


FINANCIAL JOURNALS
U.S. grant awaiting IMF review - Dunya
High fares keep cruise ships away from Turkish ports -
Finansal Forum


BRIEFING


MFA delegation in U.S.: Ankara's package of measures on
Iraq, presented to the U.S. by the MFA delegation led by U/S
Ziyal, has been welcomed by American officials. Turkey and
the U.S. have agreed to hold a high-level military meeting
in November, and a meeting of the Economic Partnership
Council in the Fall. Dailies point to a statement by Phil
Reeker, in which he underlined the long-term strategic
partnership between the two countries. Dailies also carry
Grossman's remarks urging the U.S. and Turkey to look to the
future following the tension over the Iraq war. `We have a
long list of things to do together,' Grossman said. He also
noted that Foreign Minister Gul was welcome to visit the
U.S. anytime. Amb. Ziyal said at a press conference in
Washington on Wednesday that FM Gul may pay an official
visit to the U.S. in the next month. "Cumhuriyet" says that
in an effort to please the U.S., Ankara is reshaping its
Iraqi policy, normalizing ties with ARMENIA, and moving away
from Arafat, Iran and Syria.
EU harmonization laws: The parliamentary justice committee

approved the 6th EU harmonization package and submitted it
to the general assembly to be discussed on Thursday. All
signs point to a swift approval procedure, with new positive
amendments on the anti-terror law and Kurdish broadcast and
education. Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil
Cicek said Ankara hoped to receive a date for membership
negotiations before December 2004. The European
Commission's Turkey Representative, Hans-Jorg Kretschmer,
said he was pleased that the package had been forwarded to
parliament without being discussed at the National Security
Council (NSC).


Anti-corruption move; $1 billion U.S. grant: The
Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee is expected to
decide on an investigation of former ANAP leader Mesut
Yilmaz and five other former cabinet members on charges of
irregularities and graft in energy contracts and
privatization. Investigations could pave the way for
criminal prosecution of the former politicians. Meanwhile,
dailies report U.S. Congressional sources as saying that the
$1 billion U.S. grant for Turkey could be delivered in four
tranches within a five-year period, depending on the
completion of the fifth review of Turkey's $16 billion IMF
package.


WT article blames Ambassador Pearson: Most papers carry
excerpts from a Washington times article holding U.S.
Ambassador Pearson as responsible for leaking to the press
negative information about Turkey during negotiations with
Ankara leading up to the Iraq war.


American Corners: In coordination with local chambers of
commerce, the U.S. Embassy inaugurated American Corners in
the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep, Bursa and Kayseri. The
Corners will serve as information offices to help Turks
manage business and educational relationships with their
American counterparts.




EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq


"Iraq"
Cengiz Candar opined in the conservative DB Tercuman (6/19):
"Turkey should evaluate its policy about the future of this
region rather than obsessing over the rhetoric of the
Turkish-American relationship. Turkey's stance on the
region's future will be the most determining factor in
shaping its relations with the US. Given that fact, it is
useless to stick with the line that `America does not know
what to do in Iraq, but Turkey can do a lot for the US
there.' . Turkey better be answering the following question:
Does Turkey really know what type of Iraq it wants to see in
the post-war era? How will Turkey try to realize its
vision? The future of Turkish-American relations is
directly linked to these questions."
"A War after the war in Iraq"
Sami Kohen observed in mass appeal Milliyet (6/19):
"Following the end of Iraq war, it seems that the US is
seeing a new type of war in Iraq. Recent incidents, which
appear to be growing, might signal a `war after the war' for
the US. This has the potential to continue for a longer
period, and might cause more US casualties than the war
itself. .The current atmosphere in Iraq - illegality,
unemployment, and poverty -- is problematic enough to drive
Iraqis mad. The existing power vacuum is negative enough,
and anti-American sentiment among various ethnic and
religious groups is only making it worse. .Military
strategists in the Washington administration knew well how
to win the war. Yet political strategists seem to have
failed to plan for establishing order in the post-war
period. . The US will be facing an even more serious
situation unless it manages to establish a new political and
economic order in Iraq as fast as possible."


PEARSON