US embassy cable - 03ANKARA5966

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005966 
 
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 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Kurds sole winners in Iraq war - Milliyet 
Wolfowitz: Turkish troops essential for Iraq stability - 
Turkiye 9/21 
Gen. Myers: We need 15 - 20,000 Muslim troops in Iraq - 
Hurriyet 9/20 
Ozilhan: Cyprus the largest obstacle to Turkey's EU drive - 
Millliyet 9/21 
Katsav: Turkey, Israel can give a lesson in friendship - 
Hurriyet 9/21 
Katsav: We have no intention of killing Arafat - Milliyet 
9/20 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Wolfowitz: Turks will bring peace, stability to Iraq - Zaman 
9/21 
Government inclined to send troops to Iraq - Zaman 
Saddam flirts with U.S. - Radikal 
165 US casualties in Iraq since May - Radikal 
Britain, Germany, France search for common ground on Iraq - 
Radikal 9/21 
Bush said to manipulate experts on Iraqi WMD - Cumhuriyet 
Blix: U.S., Israeli WMD are a source of concern - Yeni Safak 
Guantanamo's imam Yee apprehended - Zaman 
America's Muslim captain under detention - Yeni safak 
Putin won't send troops to Iraq - Cumhuriyet 
Clinton remembers Srebrenica victims - Radikal 9/21 
Thousands of Muslims welcome Clinton in Srebrenica - 
Cumhuriyet 9/21 
New proposals by Denktas - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish troops for Iraq: Foreign Minister Gul said before 
going to New York for the UN General Assembly meetings that 
a UNSC resolution on Iraq is important, but not essential, 
for deploying Turkish peacekeepers in Iraq.  If foreign 
troops are to stay in Iraq, Gul said, Iraqis would prefer to 
have Turkish soldiers.  Gul added that a motion for 
deploying troops in Iraq would be submitted to the 
parliament in October.  Papers do not expect the issue to be 
handled by the government before the AK Party congress on 
October 12. 
 
 
NSC meeting: The National Security Council (NSC) meeting 
held last Friday did not announce any concrete decision 
regarding Turkey's possible contribution to the Iraqi 
stabilization mission, weekend papers report.  President 
Sezer warned the government not to make any commitment on 
troop deployment before passing a related motion through the 
parliament.  MFA bureaucrats and the military have urged the 
government not to delay a decision, says "Milliyet." 
"Hurriyet" reports that the government and the military have 
agreed that Turkey should contribute actively to the Iraqi 
peacekeeping force in order to defend its interests. 
 
 
TUSIAD against Turkish soldiers in Iraq: Weekend papers 
report that Turkey's businessmen have taken a U-turn 
following a statement by TUSIAD Chairman Tuncay Ozilhan on 
Friday saying that the government should await a UN decision 
before deploying troops in Iraq.  Previously, TUSIAD had 
favored Turkey's participation in the war against Iraq. 
Commentators believe TUSIAD has adopted an "EU view" on the 
Iraq issue. 
 
 
Wolfowitz meets TOBB chairman: In a meeting with Turkey's 
union of chambers (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu in 
Washington, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said 
that Turkey and the U.S. share common interests in Iraq, 
Sunday papers report.  Wolfowitz pointed to the success of 
Turkish peacekeepers in Bosnia, and stressed that Turks are 
necessary to stabilize the situation in Iraq.  Wolfowitz 
noted that the U.S. is closely watching the PKK/KADEK, and 
assured Hisarciklioglu that Turkey need not  worry about 
possible PKK attacks. 
 
 
Israeli President's visit to Turkey: Visiting Israeli 
President Moshe Katsav said after meeting with Prime 
Minister Erdogan last Friday that Turkey and Israel could 
show to the world that an Islamist party and the Jewish 
state can become friends.  Katsav invited Erdogan to visit 
Israel.  Arafat is the largest obstacle for peace, Katsav 
claimed, noting that the Palestinian leader had done nothing 
to fight terrorism. 
 
 
PM Erdogan to send Tuzmen to Tehran: State Minister Kursat 
Tuzmen will make an official working visit to Tehran between 
September 30 and October 2.  U.S. concerns had forced 
Erdogan to suspend his own plans to visit Iran.  By sending 
Tuzmen and a business delegation to Tehran, Erdogan gave the 
U.S. a message that Turkey would not cut ties with its 
neighbors. 
 
 
Fresh proposals by Denktas on Cyprus: Monday's "Cumhuriyet" 
reports that Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas has invited 
Greek Cypriots to return to their homes and businesses in 
the deserted town of Varosha (Maras.)  Denktas invited the 
education ministers of the two zones on the island to 
discuss the education problems of minority children.  He 
complained that Greek Cypriot authorities are confiscating 
goods purchased by Greeks in the north, leading to a 
significant imbalance in two-way trade. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq/UN Role 
 
 
"UN Resolution is very unlikely" 
Erdal Guven opined in the liberal-intellectual Radikal 
(9/21): "There is a general expectation from the upcoming UN 
meeting that a new resolution about Iraq will be passed. 
However, if the expectation includes an American willingness 
to turn over civilian authority to Iraqis and military 
authority to the UN, then it is unrealistic.  The US will 
not be able to leave Iraq despite the humanitarian, economic 
and political costs of the current mission. . There was a 
reason for the US invasion of Iraq -- to establish a model 
in the Middle East.  It is out of the question to expect a 
US withdrawal until that model is established under US terms 
and conditions.  . Thus, the US is inclined to conduct its 
Iraq policy within its own parameters.  Neither the UN nor 
the Iraqis will play a role beyond what the US allows." 
 
 
"Everybody has a different game card" 
Nilgun Cerrahoglu argued in the social democrat-intellectual 
Cumhuriyet (9/22): "The Berlin summit ended in complete 
failure due to the fact that the three leaders had a 
different agenda for Iraq.  Blair, who continues to adhere 
to the Bush line, continues to look for a limited UN 
resolution that would pave the way for foreign troop 
deployments in Iraq.  On this subject, three prominent 
countries keep popping up: Turkey, India and Pakistan. 
According to the Bush-Blair plan, the US will retain 
political as well as military authority.  The German and 
French leaders do not support this approach, and their 
stance clearly demonstrates the diplomatic failure of the 
Bush-Blair duo. . Turkey, on the other hand, is a picture of 
weakness.  Ankara does not want to upset Washington, and 
economic benefits are playing a significant role in the 
decision-making mechanism.  In fact, the US is in a helpless 
situation given the lack of international legitimacy and the 
absence of a real political strategy.   Under these 
circumstances, why should Turkey consider throwing itself 
into the fire?" 
 
 
EDELMAN