US embassy cable - 03ANKARA5186

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005186 
 
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, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
 
 
UNSC to adopt Iraqi peacekeeping resolution - Aksam 
Oil flow from Kirkuk to Turkey resumes - Hurriyet 
Survey finds Bush neurotic, dogmatic - Milliyet 
CHP against troops deployment in Iraq - Vatan 
Erdogan, Gul due on EU tour - Sabah 
AKP turns two - Turkiye 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
 
 
AKP government to discuss w/ U.S. number of Turkish 
peacekeepers - Zaman 
Armitage vows to stay in Iraq until WMD are found - 
Cumhuriyet 
Iraq expects 10 million tourists - Radikal 
Libya to pay reparation for Lockerbie victims - Yeni Safak 
Israel might hit Iran's nuclear power plant - Zaman 
Modern Don Quixote, Castro turns 77 - Radikal 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish troops for Iraq peacekeeping: Turkey is expected to 
send 10,000 troops for Iraqi peacekeeping, becoming the 
third largest power in Iraq, dailies write.  Major General 
Umit Sahinturk, the Turkish liaison officer in Tampa, 
Florida will be in command of Turkish troops in Iraq, 
reports say.  Papers expect a delegation of lawmakers, 
military officers, and NGO members will visit Iraq for talks 
with local people.  Ankara is also planning to invite 
prominent Iraqi politicians and communal leaders to exchange 
views about the dispatch, papers add.  The parliament is 
expected to discuss a related motion for deployment in 
September. 
 
 
Despite objection by the KDP and PUK, Turkish troops will be 
given transit passage through Northern Iraq to Baghdad, 
dailies say.  Ankara will give the Northern Iraqi Kurdish 
leaders Barzani and Talabani the message that Turkish 
soldiers would carry out a humanitarian mission in Iraq, 
that they would mainly be engaged in health, education and 
infrastructure projects.  Ankara has warned the Kurdish 
groups of strong retaliation in the face of any attack 
against Turkish troops during the passage, papers stress. 
 
 
U.S. military visits to Turkey: Dailies expect some U.S. 
military delegation visits to Turkey to discuss the 
technical details of troops deployment before the National 
Security Council (NSC) meeting on August 22.  Ankara will 
ask the U.S. for safe passage guarantees through Northern 
Iraq, and will also discuss with the Americans logistical 
support, the number and location of Turkish troops, and the 
expense of deployment, papers say. 
 
 
AKP divided on troops deployment: Deputy Prime Minister 
Mehmet Ali Sahin said Turkey wanted a share in Iraq's 
rebuilding, and that a motion proposing deployment solely 
for security reasons would be rejected by AKP lawmakers, 
according to papers.  Some AKP deputies told the papers they 
would not vote for a motion envisaging a gendarme role for 
Turks in Iraq.  Some AKP members are concerned that possible 
Turkish casualties during Iraqi peacekeeping might shake the 
AKP government.  However, mainstream papers see a decrease 
in the number of AKP lawmakers objecting to the deployment. 
 
 
Turkey to buy Russian helicopters: "Yeni Safak" reports the 
chairman of Russia's Kamov Co., Sergei Miheijev as 
announcing in a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday that 
an agreement was about to be tied with Turkey regarding sale 
of 145 KA-50-2 attack helicopters jointly produced by Russia 
and Israel.  U.S. Bell-Textron Co. had won a contract 
offered by Turkey's Defense Industry Undersecretariat in 
2000.  The deal was cancelled when Americans objected to 
Ankara's demand that King Cobras should be produced in 
Turkey. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:   Iraq 
 
 
"The Fireman" 
Soli Ozel commented in mass appeal Sabah (8/14): "The gist 
of the argument to justify Turkish military presence in Iraq 
stems from `fire in Turkey's next door neighbor' rhetoric. 
It is indeed a fact that instability in Iraq is something 
Turkey cannot afford to live with.  And not only Turkey but 
also the world cannot afford any failure of the US, either. 
It is not realistic to believe that the US would consider a 
withdrawal from Iraq at the current stage, yet due to 
growing expenses, the Bush administration will have to go to 
the UN eventually. . Turkey is in the process of either 
taking an immediate decision to send Turkish troops or wait 
until the UN mechanism works.  In principle Turkey should 
send its troops for Iraq's stability yet it should be 
carried out within the framework of a peacekeeping force, 
like in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan." 
 
 
"The pragmatic approach" 
Sami Kohen wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (8/14): "It seems 
the government is inclined to send Turkish troops to Iraq 
but it has certain conditions.  The most important one is 
about Turkey's role.  Turkey wants more than a security role 
in Iraq to cover the restructuring as well.  In that 
respect, Turkish military image in Iraq will be way too 
different than American military.  When Turkey manages to 
achieve this goal, those who speak against the decision will 
completely lose their arguments, such as helping for the 
occupation force and protecting imperialistic aims etc.   It 
is for sure that Turkey's possible mission in Iraq will not 
be an easy task and contains risks.  Let's not forget 
however Turkish military assumed many risks and conducted 
difficult tasks and achieved success, such as in Kosovo and 
Afghanistan. . Moreover, if Turkey sits and watches the 
developments in its next door neighbor, it would cause 
Turkey to alienate itself." 
 
 
DEUTSCH