US embassy cable - 03ANKARA6136

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006136 
 
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, SEPTEMBER 30, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Amb. Edelman: Our position against KADEK same as Ankara's - 
Sabah 
Edelman: Turkey must open Armenia border - Sabah 
WP: Erdogan reluctant to deploy peacekeepers in Iraq - 
Hurriyet 
Gul: We might deploy 10,000 troops in Iraq - Sabah 
AKP threatens to call early elections - Hurriyet 
Election puzzle - Milliyet 
Wesley Calrk: Bush seeks American Empire - Milliyet 
CIA complains about the White House - Hurriyet 
CIA looking for Turkish teachers - Turkiye 
Verheugen praises Turkey - Milliyet 
Greek Ambassador to Ankara: Turkey belongs in Europe - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Amb. Edelman assures Turkey on PKK - Radikal 
Edelman: We'll work together to eliminate PKK/KADEK in N. 
Iraq - Zaman 
U.S. official: Turkey must develop new approach on KADEK - 
Cumhuriyet 
Rumsfeld, Rice to pay the price for Iraq chaos - Yeni Safak 
Wesley Clark: I'll first sack Rumsfeld - Yeni Safak 
Powell still hopeful of Turkish contribution to Iraq 
peacekeeping - Cumhuriyet 
U.S. State Dept., Pentagon blame each other - Cumhuriyet 
U.S. Congress report blames CIA - Radikal 
Bremer hires former Saddam operatives - Radikal 
General Jones: NATO's priority shifting to Middle East - 
Zaman 
Iraq's occupation protested in Hollywood - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Pro-Kurdish party convicted for election fraud, early polls 
likely:  The High Court of Appeals (Yargitay) unanimously 
approved prison sentences given to the pro-Kurdish party 
DEHAP leadership for presenting false documents in order to 
take part in Turkish general elections held November 3, 
2002.  The High Election Board (YSK) is to decide whether 
the election results will be rendered invalid.  Under 
another scenario, votes cast for DEHAP might be declared 
invalid and distributed among the three parties in 
parliament.  In this case. , 66 seats would go to the 
opposition True Path Party (DYP), which currently holds 
three seats.  The YSK can turn down the application for 
reviewing the election results, or leave the decision to the 
parliament.  Papers do not expect the YSK to adopt a 
decision which will upset political stability in Turkey. 
`Political chaos is not an option,' the board's head has 
commented.  A deputy chairman of the ruling AK Party says 
the government will call early polls if the election board 
backs the conviction against DEHAP for election fraud. 
EU expansion chief Guenther Verheugen's office voiced 
concern that the decision might negatively influence 
political stability in Turkey.  Turkish markets responded 
negatively to the decision - the stock index dipped 3.6 
percent, and interest rates increased by half a point. 
Businessmen have warned that a negative decision by the YSK 
could cause turmoil in Turkey's economy. 
Ambassador Edelman issues messages for Turkey:  U.S. 
Ambassador Edelman said at an international defense 
symposium in Ankara on Monday that the U.S. wants Turkey to 
reach all its economic and political goals.  The U.S. has 
drawn a roadmap for destroying terrorism, said Edelman, and 
he urged Turkey to support the U.S. in this struggle. 
Edelmam stressed that the U.S. is ready to work with an 
empowered Palestinian prime minister to eliminate terrorism, 
and he noted that Turkey has considerable significance as a 
friend of Israel.  Edelman voiced support for the amnesty 
law passed by Ankara for those who defect from terror 
organizations.  The threat posed by the PKK/KADEK in 
Northern Iraq will be eliminated through cooperation between 
the U.S. and Turkey, Edelman emphasized.  He also pointed to 
the significance of the UN-sponsored peace plan for Cyprus. 
`Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas should not block progress in 
Cyprus anymore, he said.  The Cyprus problem must be 
resolved before the EU accession of  Greek Cyprus in May 
2004.'  Edelman also called for fair elections observed by 
international monitors in Northern Cyprus.  Ambassador 
Edelman called on Ankara to open its border with Armenia. 
U.S. official on Iraq, $8.5 billion loan for Turkey: 
Dailies write about comments by a U.S. Embassy official in 
Ankara on Iraq and the $8.5 billion U.S. loan for Turkey. 
The U.S. official said that the loan condition that Turkey 
not take unilateral action in Iraq was put in place at a 
time when Turkey had massed troops on the Iraqi border last 
April.  The official stressed that Iraq no longer poses a 
threat to its neighbors, and there is no need for unilateral 
Turkish action.  The U.S. would welcome a Turkish decision 
for sending peacekeepers to Iraq, but this is not a 
precondition for the loan, the American official said.  `The 
U.S. is determined to eliminate the PKK/KADEK presence in 
Northern Iraq.  Turkey has intervened in Northern Iraq 
several times in the last 12 years, but failed to remove the 
terror threat.  Maybe a new approach would be helpful,' the 
official said. 
Turkey to decide on Iraq peacekeeping soon:  Dailies report 
Foreign Minister Gul's comments to the Wall Street Journal 
that Turkey might deploy 10,000 peacekeepers in Tikrit, the 
most troublesome region in Iraq.  Papers cite the WSJ as 
writing that Ankara would wait for a UNSC resolution before 
deploying soldiers in Iraq.  Meanwhile, government spokesman 
Cemil Cicek said that Turkey would make a decision about 
contributing to the Iraqi peacekeeping mission next week. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq 
 
 
"Possibility of Changing US Policy on Iraq" 
Sami Kohen wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (9/30): "Is there 
any possibility that the US administration will change its 
Iraq policy?  The Bush administration does not even consider 
changing the basics of the policy, yet Washington is also 
willing to give a greater role to the UN.  The Bush 
administration's policy is based on unilateral, preemptive 
action.  This approach reflect the self-assured attitude of 
the United States.  Given the circumstances, no significant 
change is likely in American policy toward the region. . On 
the other hand, a change in the US administration would 
probably not lead to much change either.  A chat with 
Congressman Hastings, a Democrat, proved this analysis. 
Hastings said that the US would never withdraw from Iraq if 
the job is only halfway finished.  In the event of a 
Democratic administration, we should only expect more 
cooperation with the international community and some 
rhetorical changes." 
 
 
"The Limits of Power" 
Haluk Ulman commented in economic-political Dunya (9/30): 
"Despite the ongoing campaign to create a positive 
atmosphere between the US and the UN, no concrete result has 
been achieved from the bilateral meetings that President 
Bush had with French, German and Russian leaders.  The 
leaders of Europe are seeking a greater role for the UN in 
Iraq, and looking for the US occupation to end as soon as 
possible.  . Following the negative developments in Iraq, 
the Bush administration is really looking for the 
establishment of an international force.  Yet the Bush 
administration's unilateralist policy continues to be a 
hurdle for Washington.   Most of the countries are unwilling 
to participate in the absence of UNSC resolution." 
 
 
EDELMAN