US embassy cable - 03ANKARA2776

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 002776 
 
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, APRIL 29, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                    -------------------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Rumsfeld: Rejection of decree was disappointing - Aksam 
Garner: I won't stay for long in Iraq - Hurriyet 
CHP defends Gul visit to Syria - Milliyet 
Ankara to advise Damascus to cooperate with U.S. - Milliyet 
Shiites' protest of U.S. growing - Aksam 
Kurdish control over Mosul to end - Aksam 
Tarik Aziz: Saddam is alive - Hurriyet 
Verheugen: Civilians must control military - Milliyet 
One of ten Greek Cypriots go to Turkish side - Vatan 
Tikrit celebrates first birthday without Saddam - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Subtle warnings from U.S. Congressional delagation - 
Cumhuriyet 
Iraqi leaders to Garner: U.S. must leave soon - Radikal 
Iraqi opposition to found National Congress - Zaman 
U.S. disarming peshmerge - Yeni Safak 
Powell to Damascus to break anti-Israel policy - Yeni Safak 
Greek Cypriots flow to Turkish side - Yeni Safak 
Government prepares 6th EU adjustment package - Radikal 
Verheugen: Role of Turkish military must be rearranged - 
Cumhuriyet 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
U.S. wants to scrap 13-year of sanctions on Iraq - Dunya 
Turkish firms to U.S., UK for Iraq - Finansal Forum 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Iraq: Dailies report Secretary Rumsfeld as saying at U.S. 
Centcom HQ in Qatar that the U.S. was `disappointed' with 
Ankara's rejection of the motion for cooperation with the 
U.S. in the war with Iraq.  However, General Franks turned 
this disappointment into an advantage by ordering U.S. 
vessels to leave Turkish waters, Rumsfeld said.  Papers also 
carry in detail meetings held by Congressman Robert Wexler, 
the Cochairman of the Turkey Caucus.  Wexler said that the 
U.S. was `shocked' to see that Ankara was approaching Iran 
and Syria while the war with Iraq was going on, raising 
concerns in Washington that Turkey might join the `other 
front.'  In a meeting with Wexler, opposition party CHP 
deupty Onur Oymen reminded Wexler that a former U.S. 
Secretary of State had paid 22 visits to Damascus, skipping 
 
SIPDIS 
Ankara each time, when Syria was openly supporting 
terrorism.  Wexler said that Prime Minister Erdogan and 
Foreign Minister Gul reaffirmed Turkey's commitment to the 
strategic partnership with the U.S., and added that question 
marks about U.S. ties with Turkey had been removed.  Foreign 
Minister Gul is due in Damascus, Syria on Tuesday.  Turkey, 
Iran and Syria, neighboring countries with significant 
Kurdish populations, are worried that a division of Iraq 
might produce an independent Kurdish state.  Ankara has been 
careful to avoid the impression of forming a bloc with 
Tehran and Damascus, but now aims to strengthen ties with 
them since the U.S. is ambiguous about the future of Iraq. 
Gul is expected to urge theSyrian leadership to reduce 
tension with the U.S., papers speculate. 
 
 
Cyprus: Greek Cypriots queued up for 13 km in their cars to 
visit the Turkish side on Monday.  An estimated 100,000 
Greek Cypriots crossed the border to the Turkish Cypriot 
sector in one week.  The Greek Cypriot administration is 
expected to announce new incentives for Turkish Cypriots, 
such as granting work permits or allowing marketing of 
Turkish goods in South Cyprus.  The Greeks are also 
considering a deal with Turkish GSM companies to expand 
mobile phone communication in Cyprus.  The two communities 
on the island are expected to celebrate May Day together for 
the first time since 1974.  Tuesday's TV reported that the 
Turkish Cypriot administration has decided to allow Greek 
Cypriots visiting the north to stay in hotels for up to 
three days.  The Turks have also decided to open two new 
border crossings to ease passage of Greek Cypriots. 
 
 
New package for EU criteria: Papers report that Ankara is 
preparing new reforms to meet the Copenhagen Criteria, and 
thus begin accession talks with the EU in 2004.  According 
to the package, the role of the National Security Council 
(NSC) will be restricted, and Article 8 of the anti-terror 
law -- one of the main obstacles to freedom of expression -- 
will be scrapped.  The ban on Kurdish names will be removed, 
and broadcast in Kurdish will be allowed.  International 
observers will be allowed to monitor elections in Turkey. 
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said the government will 
cooperate with NGOs to meet the political criteria for 
accession.  EU expansion commissioner Verheugen said that 
accession talks with Ankara could begin in the first half of 
2005.  Verheugen stressed that the significance of the 
military in Turkey is clear, but that new regulations are 
needed to rearrange the role of the TGS in politics.  He 
added that no military representatives should take part in 
education and broadcast institutions. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Post Saddam governance 
 
 
"Rebuilding Iraq" 
Turgut Tarhanli wrote in the liberal-intellectual Radikal 
(4/29): "It seems that the US is inclined to keep the United 
Nations out of the picture in the future of Iraq's political 
structure.  As for the rebuilding, it is odd to see that 
American firms are given the major share in construction 
projects by the US, which happens to be the occupying force 
in the country.  . It remains to be seen to what extent the 
US will be successful in establishing a legitimate political 
and administrative structure in Iraq while at the same time 
remaining as an occupation force.  Initial signs are not 
promising though, because Washington is busy with correcting 
the remarks by a retired American general who is designated 
to be the chief of the Iraqi restructuring mission. . The 
question yet to be answered: How will the US be able to 
legitimize the restructuring process even though the 
operation itself was suffering from a lack of legitimacy to 
begin with?" 
 
 
"To take a look at Iraq once again" 
Omer Celik, an MP of the ruling AKP (and a close advisor to 
PM Erdogan) wrote in the tabloid Star (4/29): "Turkey did 
not see the full picture on the Iraq issue, and made a 
mistake when designing its `red lines.'  Turkey viewed the 
entire issue through the prism of northern Iraq, and the 
northern Iraq issue itself was minimized to the `Turkoman 
card.'  Northern Iraq is certainly more important to Turkey 
than to other countries in the region.  However, the Turkish 
strategy for Iraq requires a wider perspective. . First of 
all, the military operation against Iraq has ended by 
turning the US into an immediate neighbor for Turkey.  It 
seems that the US presence will be longer and will include a 
different strategy. . Turkey should pay attention to the 
policies the US will pursue in Iraq.  It is very likely 
that, just as France and the UK adopted their models 
everywhere they went, the US will try to adapt its federal 
system to the conditions in Iraq.  The US began the 
operation without legitimacy, so the legitimacy issue will 
have to be sorted out during the restructuring of Iraq. 
During this process, the US will be more `pragmatic' and 
`flexible' in its own red lines.  As for Turkey, it is wrong 
to pursue a solid and static stance regarding Ankara's `red 
lines' which prevents Turkey from adapting itself to the 
regional dynamics. . Turkey is in a process which calls for 
the reevaluation of its regional perspectives." 
 
 
PEARSON