US embassy cable - 03ANKARA6291

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006291 
 
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, OCTOBER 7, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Turkish troops to Iraq's Sunni-Turkmen region - Sabah 
PM Erdogan: We must be in Iraq - Hurriyet 
PUK: Regardless of nationality, foreign troops in Iraq might 
face attack - Turkiye 
White House takes over Iraq responsibility from Pentagon - 
Hurriyet 
Rice holds reins on Iraq - Milliyet 
U.S. protecting Israel - Milliyet 
Simitis threatens Turkey - Hurriyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
World denounces Israel, U.S. warns Syria - Zaman 
Arab League denounces Israel, urges UN to intervene - 
Cumhuriyet 
U.S. blocks UNSC resolution denouncing Israel - Yeni Safak 
Sharon is pulling the region to war - Cumhuriyet 
Turkish troops due in Baghdad by mid-December - Yeni Safak 
American snipers will guard Iraqi oil pipelines - Yeni Safak 
Bush Administration gives Iraq authority to Rice - Radikal 
Rice is Iraq's new boss - Yeni Safak 
Putin: U.S. in Iraq looks like USSR in Afghanistan - Zaman 
UN peace plan for Cyprus will cost $28 billion - Radikal 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish peacekeepers to Iraq:  The Council of Ministers 
approved a motion for deploying Turkish troops in Iraq and 
submitted it to the parliament on Monday.  A Turkish troop 
contingent to be deployed in Iraq will operate under Turkish 
command, and will not act as a military unit reinforcing the 
occupation, according to the parliamentary motion. 
Government Spokesman Cemil Cicek said that besides 
contributing to Iraqi peacekeeping militarily, Turkey will 
extend support in various fields from health services to 
engineering.  Cicek said that Turkey, as a NATO member, 
cannot afford to be excluded from U.S.-led plans to reshape 
the Middle East.  Cicek said he was certain that the request 
would be approved.  Prime Minister Erdogan told his cabinet 
that Turkey will strengthen its hand in talks with the U.S. 
if parliament votes to send troops.  Dailies quote State 
Department Spokesman Boucher as welcoming the Government's 
decision.  U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Eric Edelman, voiced 
confidence that Turkish troops would provide a significant 
contribution in Iraq if the parliament opts to deploy 
troops.  Ankara wants to set up five military stations in 
Northern Iraq to deter possible provocative attacks, papers 
report.  "Radikal" claims that the U.S. is reluctant to meet 
the expenses of Turkish peacekeepers in Iraq, and has 
instead offered Turkey a larger share from Iraq's 
rebuilding.  Turkish soldiers will police the region, which 
stretches northwest of Baghdad to the Syrian border.  Sunni 
Arabs and many Turkmen will be under Turkish protection, 
"Sabah" reports.  "Zaman" writes that Turkey will be allowed 
to choose between the Kurdish town of Salahaddin and the al- 
Anbar region.  Following the approval of the motion, Turkey 
and the U.S. will sign an MOU regarding the nature and scope 
of the peacekeeping operations in Iraq. 
 
 
Ankara condemns Israeli raids, terrorism:  The MFA condemned 
last week's suicide attack in Haifa, Israel, which claimed 
20 lives.  The MFA also said the Israeli air raid on a camp 
near Damascus was unacceptable and constituted a violation 
of Syrian sovereignty.  The MFA expressed concern that the 
Israeli attack could trigger fresh tensions in the region. 
Simitis warns Turkey:  In a meeting with Prime Minister 
Erdogan in Rome last week, Greek Prime Minister Simitis said 
that Athens would not approve the EU's agreement to start 
accession negotiations with Turkey in late 2004 if there is 
no breakthrough in the Cyprus and Aegean problems.  Dailies 
report that EU leaders are busy discussing whether to add a 
`Cyprus warning' to a declaration to be released at the EU 
summit meeting in Rome on December 12-13. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Mideast/Iraq 
"What the Israeli Government Wants" 
Oral Calislar wrote in the social democrat-intellectual 
Cumhuriyet (10/7): "Following the Iraq war, the Israeli 
government pressured the US to impose sanctions against 
Syria and Iran, but to no avail.  It seems that the Sharon 
administration has decided to implement this plan by itself. 
There was speculation that Sharon played an influential role 
during the decision-making process in the US administration 
for the war in Iraq.  The Israeli bombing of Syria 
demonstrates that Israel is an active element in the hawkish 
policy of the Bush administration. . The situation in 
Palestine looks like a blood feud, and poses a great threat 
to the entire Middle East.  The mounting tension and 
increasing violence cast a serious shadow over the future of 
mankind.  Let us bear in mind that the problems of this area 
served as fertile ground for Al-Qaeda.  . Violence has never 
solved problems, and it never will.  The people of Israel 
should be able to stop the ongoing insanity and force Sharon 
from office." 
 
 
"Iraq is not the most important piece" 
Hadi Uluengin commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet (10/7): 
"Regardless of whether or not Turkey deploys troops in Iraq, 
we should realize the fact that the gist of the Middle East 
issue does not stem from Iraq.  Actually, it never did.  The 
heart of the issue is the ongoing Israel-Palestine dispute, 
and it will continue to be so. . Normalization of the Middle 
East region will remain a far-fetched dream as long as the 
Israel-Palestine dispute remains unresolved.  The US is the 
only power that can effect such a positive change, yet the 
Bush administration has no will to do so. . Unfortunately, 
the problem will likely  grow even bigger in the days to 
come.  The whole world will once again realize that the 
essence of the Middle East problem goes through Israel and 
Palestine, not Baghdad and Kirkuk." 
 
 
EDELMAN