ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000934 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, FEBRUARY 6, 2003 THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE THEMES: HEADLINES BRIEFING EDITORIAL OPINION -------------- HEADLINES MASS APPEALS Powell: Iraq hid weapons; Iraq: Claims fabricated - Turkiye Powell: Ankara within new Iraqi missiles' range - Vatan Gul: Saddam lacks the capacity to attack us - Vatan Gul: Turkey did all it can, now we're with the U.S. - Milliyet Saddam caught red handed - Sabah Powell puts up evidence show - Hurriyet Gul: We are with the U.S. - Hurriyet Gul: Patriots are coming - Aksam Gul asks for money, U.S. sends Taylor - Milliyet OPINION MAKERS Nothing new from Powell - Cumhuriyet Don't drag Turkey into war - Cumhuriyet No evidence, just claims and threats by U.S. - Yeni Safak Parliament will say `yes' or `no' to massacre - Yeni Safak Powell: Iraq deceived inspectors - Zaman Powell wants war - Radikal No forward movement on Cyprus - Radikal FINANCIAL JOURNALS TUSIAD: Rising unemployment might stall economy - Dunya Merrill Lynch: Ankara's Iraq decision will relieve markets - Finansal Forum BRIEFING Iraq: Papers give extensive coverage to Secretary Powell's address to the UNSC in which he disclosed evidence regarding Iraq's WMD program. Powell demanded a UN decision for military action, but other UNSC members prefer to continue weapons inspections after analyzing the evidence put forth by the U.S.. "Vatan" reports in a front-page banner headline that almost all of Turkey is within the range of new missiles developed by Iraq. "Hurriyet" describes the evidence given by the U.S. as `like a horror movie.' Prime Minister Gul said on Wednesday that Turkey, in line with its national interests, should act together with its strategic ally, the United States. Gul stressed that Turkey has exerted all efforts for peace, and since all peaceful means have been exhausted, has decided to join the U.S. in a military action against Baghdad. The government is expected to submit to Parliament a draft authorizing modernization work on Turkish bases by U.S. experts. Gul said that Ankara, in order to secure parliamentary approval on February 18, would ask the U.S. for solid guarantees about compensation for Turkey's economic losses in a possible war. Papers speculate that Vice President Cheney, after speaking to Gul on the phone on Tuesday, ordered Treasury U/S Taylor to fly to Turkey to ease Ankara's concerns about war losses. Dailies comment that Taylor was coming to Turkey to bargain over the cost of a war, which Turkish economic ministry bureaucrats estimate at $23.2 billion in a short-term conflict. Papers also claim that Turkey and the U.S. have set up a subcommittee to discuss the restructuring of a post- war Iraq. Ankara is insistent that Turkomen should be represented in a future Iraqi central administration, which should be formed by the Iraqi people. President Bush's advisor on Iraq, Zalmai Halilzad will meet with MFA and Northern Iraqi Kurdish and Turkoman representatives in Ankara on Thursday. The U.S. and the Northern Iraqi Kurds want a federal Iraq, while Turkey demands a concrete guarantee that the disintegration of Iraq will be prevented after a war. Cyprus: U.S. Special Cyprus Coordinator Tom Weston said in Ankara on Wednesday that Iraq and Cyprus are separate issues, and that Turkey should make a clear distinction between the two. MFA Spokesman Buluc disagreed with Weston, saying that Iraq and Cyprus are strategic issues linked to each other for both the U.S. and Turkey. Meanwhile, papers carry Greek Cypriot leader Clerides' `shocking announcement' that the Greek side is ready to sign the UN plan and maps without further changes. Denktas, however, strongly opposed Clerides, and said that the Turkish Cypriots would not accept the plan without changes. Denktas added that the Greek Cypriots' willingness to accept the agreement showed their `true intentions.' EDITORIAL OPINION: Powell's presentation to the UNSC "Powell's presentation" Mehmet Barlas commented in mass appeal Aksam (2/6): "Powell's presentation to the UNSC is a serious development in itself, and reminds me of previous actions by Washington. The US has always acted unilaterally whenever it felt it necessary and urgent. . Secretary Powell's presentation about Iraq is similar to the Libya case. The US administration presented the phone records between Tripoli and the Libyan Embassy in East Germany, and then-president Reagan ordered the US bombing of Libya, including the residence of Qaddafi. . The phone records and other documents presented by Secretary Powell are a clear indication of the upcoming US strike." "The effect of the evidence" Sami Kohen wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (2/6): "The presentation by Secretary Powell to the UNSC stirred a debate in many countries about clarifying their positions in the event of a war. First of all, there are some question marks which range from the validity of this proof to the issue of legitimacy for conducting a military operation based on them. . It remains to be seen what the reaction will be, particularly by France and Russia but also in NATO and the UN. They all have to define the nature of their support in case of a US military action against Iraq based on the facts presented by Powell. . If a war is going to happen - and most probably it will - Turkey should be provided with a defense system prior to the strike. This requires a NATO decision. NATO has failed to reach a consensus on the issue thus far because of France and Germany. This has caused a serious weakness within the Alliance. We'll see whether they will change their attitude following Powell's presentation. If they don't, it will not only harm NATO's credibility but also damage Turkey's trust in the Alliance." PEARSON