US embassy cable - 03ANKARA3958

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003958 
 
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, JUNE 19, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Bush: Iran a nuclear threat - Aksam 
Bush won't tolerate Iranian nuclear weapons - Turkiye 
French support to mullahs - Vatan 
Grossman: Gul will be given warm welcome in U.S. - Vatan 
Gul to U.S. in July - Hurriyet 
U.S. disarms PKK in N. Iraq - Sabah 
Iraqi snipers hunt coalition troops - Sabah 
Greek envoy complains of Turkish military flights over Greek 
islands - Hurriyet 
Verheugen: Cyprus solution needed before May 2004 - Milliyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Demonstrations growing throughout Iran - Radikal 
U.S. officials confirm strategic partnership with Turkey - 
Radikal 
Powell visit might bring cease-fire to Mideast - Zaman 
Americans fire on Iraqi demonstrators - Cumhuriyet 
Verheugen: Need for solution before 2004 non-negotiable - 
Zaman 
Denktas blocks efforts for Cyprus solution - Radikal 
Alan Larson: Turkey attractive for investment - Yeni Safak 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
U.S. grant awaiting IMF review - Dunya 
High fares keep cruise ships away from Turkish ports - 
Finansal Forum 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
MFA delegation in U.S.: Ankara's package of measures on 
Iraq, presented to the U.S. by the MFA delegation led by U/S 
Ziyal, has been welcomed by American officials.  Turkey and 
the U.S. have agreed to hold a high-level military meeting 
in November, and a meeting of the Economic Partnership 
Council in the Fall.  Dailies point to a statement by Phil 
Reeker, in which he underlined the long-term strategic 
partnership between the two countries.  Dailies also carry 
Grossman's remarks urging the U.S. and Turkey to look to the 
future following the tension over the Iraq war.  `We have a 
long list of things to do together,' Grossman said.  He also 
noted that Foreign Minister Gul was welcome to visit the 
U.S. anytime.  Amb. Ziyal said at a press conference in 
Washington on Wednesday that FM Gul may pay an official 
visit to the U.S. in the next month.  "Cumhuriyet" says that 
in an effort to please the U.S., Ankara is reshaping its 
Iraqi policy, normalizing ties with Armenia, and moving away 
from Arafat, Iran and Syria. 
EU harmonization laws: The parliamentary justice committee 
approved the 6th EU harmonization package and submitted it 
to the general assembly to be discussed on Thursday.  All 
signs point to a swift approval procedure, with new positive 
amendments on the anti-terror law and Kurdish broadcast and 
education.  Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil 
Cicek said Ankara hoped to receive a date for membership 
negotiations before December 2004.  The European 
Commission's Turkey Representative, Hans-Jorg Kretschmer, 
said he was pleased that the package had been forwarded to 
parliament without being discussed at the National Security 
Council (NSC). 
 
 
Anti-corruption move; $1 billion U.S. grant: The 
Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee is expected to 
decide on an investigation of former ANAP leader Mesut 
Yilmaz and five other former cabinet members on charges of 
irregularities and graft in energy contracts and 
privatization.  Investigations could pave the way for 
criminal prosecution of the former politicians.  Meanwhile, 
dailies report U.S. Congressional sources as saying that the 
$1 billion U.S. grant for Turkey could be delivered in four 
tranches within a five-year period, depending on the 
completion of the fifth review of Turkey's $16 billion IMF 
package. 
 
 
WT article blames Ambassador Pearson: Most papers carry 
excerpts from a Washington times article holding U.S. 
Ambassador Pearson as responsible for leaking to the press 
negative information about Turkey during negotiations with 
Ankara leading up to the Iraq war. 
 
 
American Corners: In coordination with local chambers of 
commerce, the U.S. Embassy inaugurated American Corners in 
the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep, Bursa and Kayseri.  The 
Corners will serve as information offices to help Turks 
manage business and educational relationships with their 
American counterparts. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:   Iraq 
 
 
"Iraq" 
Cengiz Candar opined in the conservative DB Tercuman (6/19): 
"Turkey should evaluate its policy about the future of this 
region rather than obsessing over the rhetoric of the 
Turkish-American relationship. Turkey's stance on the 
region's future will be the most determining factor in 
shaping its relations with the US.  Given that fact, it is 
useless to stick with the line that `America does not know 
what to do in Iraq, but Turkey can do a lot for the US 
there.' . Turkey better be answering the following question: 
Does Turkey really know what type of Iraq it wants to see in 
the post-war era?  How will Turkey try to realize its 
vision?  The future of Turkish-American relations is 
directly linked to these questions." 
"A War after the war in Iraq" 
Sami Kohen observed in mass appeal Milliyet (6/19): 
"Following the end of Iraq war, it seems that the US is 
seeing a new type of war in Iraq.  Recent incidents, which 
appear to be growing, might signal a `war after the war' for 
the US.  This has the potential to continue for a longer 
period, and might cause more US casualties than the war 
itself. .The current atmosphere in Iraq - illegality, 
unemployment, and poverty -- is problematic enough to drive 
Iraqis mad.  The existing power vacuum is negative enough, 
and anti-American sentiment among various ethnic and 
religious groups is only making it worse. .Military 
strategists in the Washington administration knew well how 
to win the war.  Yet political strategists seem to have 
failed to plan for establishing order in the post-war 
period. . The US will be facing an even more serious 
situation unless it manages to establish a new political and 
economic order in Iraq as fast as possible." 
 
 
PEARSON