US embassy cable - 03ANKARA1126

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001126 
 
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 
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                         ------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Tough bargaining: Turkey, U.S. make final offers - Turkiye 
U.S. steps up pressure on Turkey - Vatan 
Turkey, U.S. agree on military issues - Milliyet 
U.S., Turkey bargaining deadlocked over aid package - 
Hurriyet 
522 U.S. military vehicles arrive before parliamentary 
decree - Aksam 
Kurds, Arabs, Turkomen compete for control of Kirkuk - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Turkey cool to final U.S. offer; tension rising - Zaman 
Erdogan challenges: U.S. Congress must approve aid package - 
Radikal 
Final U.S. offer: $26 billion - Radikal 
Minister Babacan: We've turned down final U.S. offer - 
Cumhuriyet 
Erdogan: No parliamentary approval without written agreement 
- Yeni Safak 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
SSSB foresees no trouble between U.S., Turkey - Dunya 
NATO's defense wing authorized to shield Turkey - Finansal 
Forum 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Iraq: Dailies say SecState Powell strongly warned Prime 
Minister Gul in a telephone call on Wednesday that the U.S. 
is growing impatient and that military action against Iraq 
could be carried out without Turkey's support.  Gul has 
asked for written guarantees from Washington in order to 
convince the parliament to support a decision on U.S. troop 
deployments.  Deputy Prime Minister Sener said that the GOT 
has not yet reached agreement with the U.S. regarding the 
deployment of U.S. troops.  White House Spokesman Fleischer 
is quoted by Turkish papers as warning that the offer 
extended by the U.S. is final, and that there is not much 
time left.  Papers speculate that the tough bargaining has 
increased tension between Washington and Ankara.  Reports 
suggest a $6 billion discrepancy between the U.S. offer and 
Turkey's demands.  Dailies write that the U.S. 
Administration has rejected Turkey's request for $32 
billion, including $10 billion in grants.  The U.S. has 
promised Turkey a share from Iraqi oil revenues, according 
to "Radikal."  Papers agree that the U.S. will not give 
Turkey more than $26 billion.  "Milliyet" carries the 
details of a `draft agreement' between the U.S. and Turkey 
on military cooperation.  Turkish and American troops will 
be commanded by national commanders; U.S. troops will be 
subject to Turkish law; the security of U.S. troops 
transiting into northern Iraq will be provided by Turks; 
only U.S. forces will enter Mosul and Kirkuk; the number of 
U.S. troops in Turkey will not exceed 50,000, and Turkey 
will deploy 60,000 troops in northern Iraq.  Papers also 
expect the U.S. to make additional trade concessions to 
Turkey within the framework of proposed QIZ legislation. 
Dailies report that a U.S. vessel unloaded 522 military 
vehicles, including tanks, at the port in Iskenderun. 
Meanwhile, AKP leader Erdogan said on Wednesday that even if 
the U.S. meets Turkey's demands, the GOT still prefers to 
see the report by UN arms inspectors before moving ahead. 
Erdogan added that the economic aid package for Turkey 
should be approved by the U.S. Congress.  On the other hand, 
"Hurriyet" claims that the TGS has notified the government 
of the need to restore emergency rule in Southeast Turkey -- 
namely in Diyarbakir, Batman, Siirt, Mardin, Sirnak and 
Hakkari -- in the event of war. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  Iraq 
 
 
"The brinksmanship policy" 
Ismet Berkan opined in liberal-intellectual Radikal (2/20): 
"Despite the final offers, at least so they seem, uttered by 
the Turkish and the US sides, the bilateral negotiations are 
still going on.  This is clearly a brinksmanship policy. . 
Interesting part of this story comes with the fact that the 
US is not giving up the northern front option, thus the 
bargaining continues although it is said to be over.  On the 
other hand, this kind of brinksmanship style of policy 
requires a "Plan B" in case the first one does not work. 
The US certainly has an alternative plan and seems 
determined to carry out the operation from the south if 
necessary.  We do not know if this government has a plan B 
in this story." 
 
 
"Who is the ingratitude?" 
Fehmi Koru argued in Islamic-intellectual Yeni Safak (2/20): 
"When you observe the ongoing negotiation process, one 
clearly can see that this is not a discussion between the so- 
called `strategic partners.'  The US is imposing its terms 
and conditions upon Turkey, which in no way can be described 
as partnership.  Yet the worse is to come, because at the 
most critical stage of the discussions, the US officials saw 
no harm to themselves in  threatening Turkey openly by 
saying `either our terms are accepted, or Turkey pays for 
serious consequences.'  . The US is asking Turkey to be on 
its side in a war for which the US has failed to convince 
the world about its reasons.  The strategic partner rhetoric 
is so comfortably uttered yet we don't see the 
representatives of the US administration have been acting 
accordingly.  Somebody must remind the fact to the US: 
Turkey is not desperate and helpless." 
 
 
PEARSON