US embassy cable - 03ANKARA5269

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005269 
 
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 
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2003 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Rumsfeld the most powerful defense secretary in U.S. 
history - Hurriyet 
Saddam's men target Iraq's economy - Sabah 
Unlike Kurds, Americans want Turkish troops in Iraq - 
Turkiye 
Pakistani troops to Iraq via Turkey - Milliyet 
America's nightmare: Another blackout - Hurriyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Tribes, fundamentalists behind attacks against U.S. 
troops - Cumhuriyet 
Pakistan, Turkey hold talks on Iraqi peacekeeping - 
Zaman 
12,000 guards for Iraqi oil pipeline - Radikal 
Iraqi opposition front against U.S. expansion - Yeni 
Safak 
Turkey's business giants in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Uzans have disappeared - Radikal 
U.S. wants Cyprus talks resumed by October - Cumhuriyet 
Blackout costs New York $1 billion - Zaman 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish troops to Iraq: The U.S. prefers that Turkish 
troops be deployed in the Fallujah-Tikrit-Bakuba 
triangle.  Turkey, meanwhile, has proposed to the U.S. 
that the Turks be given a separate sector of Iraq, in 
which they will also have a say on the reconstruction 
effort.  If the U.S. approves such an arrangement, 
Turkish companies will be given priority in 
reconstruction of that particular zone.  Papers predict 
that the cost of deployment will be lower than was 
initially estimated by TGS and MFA.  Revised estimates 
show the cost of deploying 10,000 troops would be about 
$3 million per month, including salaries. 
 
 
Papers quote an official at the U.S. Embassy as 
reaffirming that the United States would welcome a 
Turkish troop presence in Iraq.  The statement 
contradicts comments made over the weekend by PUK 
leader Talabani, who said he opposed a Turkish 
deployment. 
 
 
Ankara has assured Islamabad that it will facilitate 
the transit of Pakistani peacekeepers into Iraq, and 
will meet their logistical needs.  Turkey believes that 
by sending peacekeepers to Iraq, Pakistan can restore 
its international credibility, which was damaged by the 
9/11 attacks.  The visiting Pakistani Foreign 
Undersecretary Riyaz Khokhar was given detailed 
information by the MFA about Northern Iraq, the likely 
location for deployment of Pakistani troops. 
 
 
Iraqi reaction to Turkish troop deployment: All-news 
Turkish broadcaster NTV reported on Monday that Iraqi 
interim governing council members are voicing no 
objection to a possible Turkish peacekeeping operation 
in Iraq.  However, local Iraqis interviewed by NTV said 
that any country cooperating with the Americans would 
be regarded as an occupying force and could face 
attacks.  Some Iraqi interim government members believe 
that Turkish troops should be deployed in Ambar, in 
western Iraq. 
 
 
Ankara demands U.S. action against the PKK: 
"Cumhuriyet" claims that Turkey has become impatient 
with the U.S. reluctance to take action against the 
PKK/KADEK presence in Northern Iraq, despite an amnesty 
law passed by Ankara to encourage defectors from 
terrorist organizations.  The paper claims that a U.S. 
delegation will soon visit Ankara to discuss the issue. 
 
 
Energy minister postpones Israel visit: Dailies report 
that Energy Minister Hilmi Guler postponed his visit to 
Israel at the request of the Israeli government due to 
rising tension in the region.  A framework agreement 
was to be signed during the visit regarding the sale of 
Turkish water to Israel. 
 
 
Police searching for the Uzans: Turkey is carrying out 
its most comprehensive financial security operation in 
recent years as police seek members of the Uzan family 
in connection with the seizure of Imarbank.  The 
prosecutor's office has issued an arrest warrant for 
several family members for refusing to hand over 
Imarbank documents.  Leading members of the family were 
nowhere to be found after the warrants were issued. 
This raised suspicions about a possible mole in the 
security organization.  Minister of Transportation 
Binali Yildirim said that the license for Telsim, the 
mobile phone company owned by the Uzans, might be 
annulled for the illegal transfer of family shares to 
another company. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq; Power Blackout 
 
 
"Northern Iraq" 
Yilmaz Oztuna observed in conservative Turkiye (8/19): 
"Ankara seems disturbed with the `we don't want Turkish 
troops' rhetoric of Talabani.  We should evaluate the 
issue not only from a broader perspective -- because 
Talabani does not want Pakistani soldiers either -- but 
also with self-criticism.. Talabani and some Kurdish 
figures are able to make such remarks because of our 
mistakes as well.  Turkey failed to have a presence in 
the Iraq war.  Permitting U.S. renovation of ports and 
bases in Turkey and then deciding not to be involved in 
the war is, in itself, evidence enough of Turkey's 
political mistake..We are not capable of preventing 
anti-Turkey activities abroad.  However, we should be 
able to face our own political mistakes and take action 
to correct them..The developments in Iraq are 
indicating a more difficult time ahead, particularly in 
preserving Iraq's territorial integrity.  There is a de 
facto autonomy in northern Iraq that is awaiting the 
proper atmosphere for independence.  Those who argue 
strongly against Turkey's military presence in Iraq 
should see the issue from this angle as well." 
 
 
"Power Blackout" 
Hadi Uluengin wrote in mass appeal Hurriyet (8/19): 
"The blackout brought the world's most technologically 
advanced nation to a halt.  It was like one of the 
chaos scenes in a science fiction movie.  No public 
transportation, no telecommunication.  Moreover, money 
even did not matter since credit cards were useless 
too.  It was a total collapse of the technologically 
modern society..The U.S. blackout should remind us of 
the fact that modern technology is doomed to experience 
weaknesses or failures.  Technology is a very complex 
structure and human beings should not take everything 
for granted in order not to live through a New York- 
alike chaos once again..It does not necessarily require 
living in a primitive manner, but it does require a 
revision of the relation between people and 
technology." 
 
 
DEUTSCH