US embassy cable - 03ANKARA5750

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005750 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Baghdad wants Turks to come under UN mandate - Hurriyet 
Gul: Turkey can deploy 10,000 troops in Iraq - Vatan 
Iraqi tribal chiefs invite Turkish troops - Sabah 
Talabani: Kurds aim to establish a trade bridge with Turkey 
- Turkiye 
Bomb attack against U.S. HQ in Irbil - Hurriyet 
Bush approves $8.5 billion loan for Turkey - Sabah 
Rice: Turkey would make an outstanding contribution to 
Iraq's stability - Aksam 
Weston to Denktas: Go! - Milliyet 
Weston: Peace will come if Denktas leaves - Vatan 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Boucher elaborates on Bush remarks - Cumhuriyet 
Iraqi tribes against Turkish troops in N. Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
Arab League invites Iraq interim government - Cumhuriyet 
Americans believe Iraq war enhanced terror threat - Zaman 
Denktas drafting an alternative to Annan Plan - Yeni Safak 
`Surprise' Cyprus plan by Denktas, Turkey - Zaman 
Tough warning from Weston on Turkish Cypriot elections - 
Radikal 
First tranche of U.S. loan on September 20 - Yeni Safak 
Yerevan scraps capital punishment - Radikal 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Denktas slams Weston on Cyprus remarks: Turkish Cypriot 
leader Rauf Denktas said on Tuesday that he is working on a 
new plan to solve the Cyprus problem.  Denktas said the new 
plan, which he predicted would be a `huge success,' had 
Ankara's backing.  Meanwhile, Denktas and the Turkish 
Cypriot government denounced U.S. Cyprus Envoy Thomas Weston 
for welcoming the decision of opposition parties to form an 
election alliance.  Weston also said he shares opposition 
concerns about the possible importation of pro-Denktas 
voters from the Turkish mainland.  Denktas said that Weston 
and the Turkish Cypriot opposition were plotting together 
against his government, "Zaman" reports. 
 
 
U.S. says Bush statement was misinterpreted: "Hurriyet" 
quotes U.S. officials as saying that President Bush's remark 
that Northern Iraq is `moving toward self-government' was 
misinterpreted.  Washington reiterated its support for 
Iraq's teritorial integrity, and noted that the north of 
Iraq had experienced self-government since the first Gulf 
War.  U.S. officials noted that Turkey had been actively 
contributing to the protection of that region for years. 
 
 
Turkish peacekeeping deployment in Iraq: Foreign Minister 
Gul said on Tuesday that the GOT would make a decision about 
the deployment of Turkish peacekeepers by late September. 
The U.S. has presented Turkey various alternatives about the 
possible location of Turkish troops, Gul added.  Dailies 
report that the U.S. is favorable toward the transit of 
Turkish troops through Northern Iraq despite objection from 
Kurdish groups.  However, the U.S. does not agree on the 
need for Turkey to establish military stations and logistic 
supply centers along the transport corridor into Iraq.  A 
U.S. delegation will be in Ankara Thursday to discuss the 
peacekeeping mission in Iraq and the PKK/KADEK presence in 
Northern Iraq. Foreign Minister Gul said that the U.S. 
delegation would come to Turkey next week. 
 
 
Iraqi tribal chiefs in Ankara: Leaders of the Iraqi Tribal 
Confederation of about 1000 clans told Foreign Minister Gul 
on Tuesday that Turkey should deploy troops in Iraq under a 
UN umbrella.  The tribal chiefs warned Gul that Turkish 
troops would only incite further conflict if they acted 
together with the U.S.  Gul assured the Iraqi chiefs that 
Turkey would go to Iraq to establish peace, and would not 
act as a police force.  The Iraqis are positive about 
Turkey's contribution to Iraq's stabilization. The tribal 
chiefs will proceed to Istanbul for meetings with Turkish 
businessmen. 
 
 
Ahmad Chalabi due in Ankara: Ahmed Chalabi, current leader 
of the Iraqi Governing Council, will soon visit Ankara as 
the official guest of Prime Minister Erdogan to discuss a 
possible Turkish troop deployment.  Chalabi prefers that the 
number of Turkish soldiers to be deployed in Iraq not exceed 
10,000, "Radikal" reports. 
 
 
 
 
Armenian minister says border with Turkey to be opened: 
Armenian Defense Minister Serj Sarkisyan told an Armenian 
newspaper that the Turkish-Armenian border would be opened 
within a few months, "Hurriyet" reports.  Sarkisyan said 
that both countries would benefit from the opening of the 
border crossing. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
 
a) State of the Union-Iraq 
b)   Middle East 
 
 
"The Realities" 
Sami Kohen analyzed in mass appeal Milliyet (9/10): "The 
State of the Union address caused concerns in Ankara over 
the Iraqi Kurds issue due to President Bush's mention of 
`self government' of northern Iraq.  . American diplomats 
clarified to their Turkish counterparts that there is no 
diversion from the US policy for territorial integrity of 
Iraq, and Bush's remarks should not be misinterpreted. . 
This incident should make us more aware of a reality as 
well.  Turkey failed to be capable of forming a long-term 
strategy for Iraq instead of showing reaction to every 
single remarks from or about northern Iraq. . There are red 
lines drawn by Turkey, which already lost their practical 
value.  Turkey should revise its policy based on new 
situations and establish a progressive policy as opposed to 
the current `reaction-based ` policy." 
 
 
"Peace is only a dream" 
Irfan Sapmaz wrote in tabloid Star (9/10): "The settlement 
of Palestine issue remains a far fetch dream especially 
after the US intervention in the region.  Israel felt more 
encouraged in its aggressive policy against Palestine due to 
Washington's approach to name every Palestinian groups as 
terrorists. . The recent suicide attacks as well as Israel's 
reprisals are not making the atmosphere any better. 
Moreover the speculation about Israel's having around 300 
nuclear warheads also leading to a conclusion for deep 
pessimism for the achievement peace in Middle East." 
 
 
EDELMAN