ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000742 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, JANUARY 29, 2003 THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- HEADLINES MASS APPEALS U.S. estimates 1 million to flee Iraq - Milliyet NYT: 20,000 U.S. troops to Turkish bases - Aksam Saddam, Blix: U.S. must reveal secret evidence of Iraqi WMD - Turkiye Erdogan, Baykal duel over Cyprus - Sabah IMF finds measures insufficient, warns - Vatan Shocking secret protocol between government, Karamehmet - Hurriyet OPINION MAKERS U.S., UK think Iraq's time is up - Cumhuriyet U.S. believes inspectors' report sufficient reason for operation - Radikal Anti-American winds in UNSC - Zaman 40 Nobel prize holder Americans against Iraq war - Zaman Critical week for Iraq: U.S. will bring evidence - Yeni Safak Cyprus envoy brings new maps - Cumhuriyet FINANCIAL JOURNALS Soros believes Turkey attractive for investment - Dunya Gul: No agreement with U.S. on war compensation - Finansal Forum BRIEFING Iraq: Dailies point to the `covert threats' laid down by Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Tarik Aziz, who said that Iraq would strike neighbors cooperating with the U.S. in a war. "Hurriyet" says that Turkey and the U.S. will set up a joint action center for refugees in Diyarbakir, and a support coordination center in Silopi. The centers, which will be run by the Turkish Red Crescent, will distribute aid material to refugees. The paper says reports Turkey is planning to set up 18 camps for refugees - 12 in northern Iraq, and 6 in Turkey. U.S. Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration, Richard Greene, discussed these issues in Ankara with MFA and Red Crescent officials on Tuesday. Some members of Greene's delegation will hold inspections along the Iraqi border. Cyprus: UN Cyprus envoy De Soto met in Ankara with MFA U/S Ziyal and Foreign Minister Yakis on Tuesday, and will hold talks with AKP leader Erdogan and Prime Minister Gul today. "Cumhuriyet" claims that De Soto presented Ankara with alternative maps for the division of land. De Soto stressed that revision to the UN Cyprus plan could be possible if �A;both sides agree on the changes. Opposition CHP leader Baykal strongly criticized Erdogan, who has slammed Denktas for pursuing a policy of `non-solution' for the last 20 years. The Turkish people did not elect Erdogan to tie the hands of Denktas, Baykal said. Erdogan in turn denounced Baykal, and said that the AKP has no intention of giving Cyprus away, but wanted a solution to the problem. Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas said on Tuesday that the UN plan would be acceptable if the Turks' sovereignty rights are recognized, the maps are changed, and Turkey's guarantor status is preserved. Economy: Papers expect the government this week to work on reforms necessary for the release of World Bank loans. The cabinet will discuss the privatization of Vakifbank, Turkish Telekom, and energy plants. "Turkiye" reports IMF officials as warning Turkey that the war compensation package promised by the U.S. would not be sufficient to meet Turkey's losses in a war. "Vatan" writes that the IMF is uneasy about the government's pledge to construct new motorways, and state incentives for farmers and entrepreneurs. The IMF sent a sharply-worded letter to the Treasury last Friday, saying that ties with the government would be cut unless fundamental measures demanded by the IMF are put into effect. The IMF is still awaiting the government to take steps to control the inflated employment in the public sector, according to Vatan. "Radikal" says that the U.S. Treasury shared the view that Ankara has deviated from the economic program. Meanwhile, Dogan Media Group papers "Hurriyet" and "Milliyet" alleged that the government is using public resources to rescue the Cukurova Group, which is owned by Mehmet Emin Karamehmet. Cukurova is the former owner of the troubled Pamukbank. The papers claim that a secret $6 billion protocol was signed by the government and SIPDIS Karamehmet as a way to save Cukurova. Reports also carry a Financial Times story saying that the IMF wants an investigation to see whether the Banking Supervisory Board (BDDK) has provided special privileges for Karamehmet. EDITORIAL OPINION: State of the Union - Iraq "Genuine way toward peace: Iraq without Saddam" Omer Celik, an MP from AKP wrote in tabloid Star (1/29): "The US should seriously think about the world-wide reactions about the Iraq issue questioning both the US `goals' and `methods.' It is very legitimate and very humane to stand against the war. Yet this is not where the issue ends. Saddam Hussein represents an incompatibility with the level of humanitarian progress, which goes from testing weapons on his own people to posing threat to the region. His way of leadership, which is fed with weaknesses and mistakes of his rivals, is no way acceptable to the people of Iraq or to the world. . The fact of the matter is that pro-peace methods did not yet produce a mechanism to end the political careers of Saddam-alike political figures. On the Iraq issue, standing against the war is a right thing but it somehow contributes to his political lifespan. . Today unfortunately the peace-seekers once again overlooked the issue of Iraqi people who suffers under a dictator's oppression. There is only way to prevent a war: paving the way for Iraq without Saddam. No peace initiatives will be exempt from oversight unless a clear stance against Saddam is declared. Any peace effort with the lack of anti-Saddam stance will lead an indirect support for war." "The speech of his life" Fikret Ertan gives an early comment on the State of the Union address in Islamic-intellectual Zaman (1/29): "The rhetoric of President Bush at his State of the Union address is critically important to the whole world. We will all see his approach to the Iraq issue. The speech writers and editors include Michael Gerson who is a radical Christian, and Karen Hughes who is a former journalist as well as Bush's confidant. It seems the speech will predominantly work on two issues; American economy and Iraq. . Bush is not the best man of speeches and he was criticized for his remarks during his other public addresses. But this time the State of the Union is considered as the speech of his life." PEARSON