ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004178

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, JULY 1, 2003

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


HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION


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HEADLINES


MASS APPEAL
Congressman Biden: Turkish troops to Iraq - Hurriyet
U.S. treats Iraqi prisoners brutally - Hurriyet
Iraqi prisoners were denied water, toilet - Sabah
U.S. tortures Iraqi prisoners - Aksam
Straw: No reason to attack Iran - Aksam
Sezer delays EU adjustment - Sabah
Gul asks for Powell's support for Cyprus solution - Milliyet
Saddam rumored to wander through Baghdad streets - Vatan


OPINION MAKERS
Call intensifying for Turkish troops to Iraq - Zaman
Amnesty International: U.S. violates international law in
Iraq - Cumhuriyet
Iraq: USA's new Guantanamo - Yeni Safak
U.S. launches `Operation Rattlesnake' to get Saddam -
Radikal
Iran to extradite Al-Qaida members - Yeni Safak
Israel withdraws from Gaza - Yeni Safak
Israel's `secret prisons' unveiled - Zaman
Israel boycotts BBC - Radikal
Italian minister: Turkey's military guarantor of regime -
Cumhuriyet




BRIEFING


U.S. Congressmen ask for Turkish troops: U.S. Congressmen
have urged the American Administration to seek the support
of NATO members like Turkey, Germany and France who did not
cooperate fully with the U.S. in the war with Iraq. These
countries could help the U.S. solve the security problem in
Iraq. `This might be a way to convince the Iraqis that the
U.S. is not an occupier,' Joseph Biden said over the
weekend.


President vetoes EU adjustment laws: President Sezer has
vetoed sections of a package of reform laws designed to
bring Turkey into compliance with EU membership standards.
Sezer voiced concern that the amendments to the anti-terror
law would leave acts of terrorism unpunished. Mainstream
and liberal papers criticize Sezer for creating an obstacle
on Turkey's road to the EU. AKP officials were disappointed
by the veto, and said the parliament will send the package
back to the President without changes.


Gul to U.S. in late July: "Hurriyet" claims that the U.S.
and Turkey have started preparations for a visit to the U.S.
by Foreign Minister Gul in the last week of July. Hurriyet
believes the Gul visit will pave the way for an official
visit to Washington by Prime Minister Erdogan.


Gul gives Powell Cyprus message: Foreign Minister Gul told
Secretary Powell at WEF meetings in Amman last month that

SIPDIS
the Cyprus problem could be resolved if some modifications
are made to the UN-sponsored peace plan. Gul also asserted
to Greek Foreign Minister Papandreou and UN Secretary
General Annan that Turkey was exerting considerable effort
for a reaching a Cyprus solution.


Turkish Cypriot opposition unites against Denktas: The
Social Liberation Party (TKP),the most prominent opposition
group in Northern Cyprus, has established the `Peace and
Democracy Movement' in alliance with two leftist parties and
16 NGOs. The coalition is also backed by businessmen,
academics, and artists. The leading leftist party, the
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) has not joined the block.
Commentaries expect pro-Denktas parties in North Cyprus to
form an alliance as well.


Ambassador Signs Agreement for Beef Cattle Feasibility
Study: Papers report that Ambassador Pearson and
representatives of Run Agra, a U.S. company, signed a letter
of intent with Yasar Holding's Camli Livestock Company for a
feasibility study for the use of U.S. cattle production
techniques in Turkey. The $460,000 agreement is being
financed by the U.S. Trade Development Agency, and is part
of an effort to increase Turkish beef production.


Amnesty International: U.S. mistreats Iraqi prisoners:
Amnesty International (AI) announced that it has collected
evidence showing American mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.
In a report submitted to the UN-sponsored human rights
conference in Baghdad, AI noted that hundreds of Iraqis
affiliated with Saddam's regime are being held in tent
camps, and have been denied the chance to meet with their
families or lawyers. The prisoners include not only high-
level officials of the former regime, but also looters and
petty criminals, the AI report noted.




EDITORIAL OPINION: US-Turkish relations in the post Iraq war


"Washington's view of the Turkish military"
Sedat Ergin observed in mass appeal Hurriyet (7/1): "The
atmosphere in Washington leads me to conclude that the
effects of Turkey's rejection of the parliamentary motion
during the Iraq crisis will not be easily eliminated. It
will really take time to cure the bilateral relationship. .
In Washington there is a strong antipathy toward the Turkish
military, which is blamed for the rejection of the US troop
deployment in Turkey. There are many on Washington scene
who put the blame directly on the military, and do not
consider the matter as an outcome of the democratic process.
.. It seems AKP propaganda about the issue (pinning the
blame on the military) has been influential in Washington as
well. The Pentagon in particular remains very upset with
the Turkish military, because it took the military for
granted from the beginning. There is also a failure to
appreciate the psychological effect among the public of the
spectre of the deployment of 60,000 US soldiers in Turkey.
By blaming the Turkish military for the entire affair,
decision-makers in Washington are avoiding admitting their
own mistakes."


"Formulating a foreign policy without Washington's support"
Murat Yetkin shared his observations in the liberal-
intellectual Radikal (7/1): "Washington blames the Turkish
military for the rejection of the motion to allow US troops
in Turkey during the Iraq crisis. The American military
shares this conviction. . The Pentagon and State Department
are more calm than the US military hierarchy, as
demonstrated by Secretary Powell's visit to Turkey and the
decision to provide $1 billion in aid to Turkey. . The whole
issue provides a lesson for both sides. From now on,
neither Turkey nor the US can take each other for granted.
In this way, bilateral ties will likely be carried to a new
level. Ties between Turkey and the US can be divided into
two periods: the first 40 years marked by a policy of
containment against Russia, and the last 10 years by a
policy of containment against Iraq. Instability in the
Balkans can be added to the factors shaping relations in
recent times. Turkey has always considered itself
indispensable for the US because of Incirlik airbase.
Whenever the Cyprus or Armenian issues were brought to the
agenda, Turkey's strategic importance was sufficient to
persuade the White House as well as Congress. . Now Ankara
will have to cope with these problems for itself. By
approving the March 1 motion, Turkey might have ensured the
backing of the US for a while, but US support would still
have diminished in the end. The rejection has caught Turkey
unprepared for this inevitability. There is, however, a
positive side as well. As a result of the rupture with the
United States, Turkey has gained a chance to shape its
foreign policy without relying on US support. Turkey now
might be able to develop healthier and stronger ties both
with the US and the EU."


PEARSON