US embassy cable - 03ANKARA4019

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004019 
 
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 
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2003 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Warm chat between Gul, Powell, Bremer - Hurriyet 
Iranians urge mullahs to leave - Vatan 
John Bolton: U.S. retains right to strike Iran - Aksam 6/21 
U.S. seeks looted uranium in Iraq - Turkiye 
Iraqi Kurds to unite their administrations - Milliyet 6/14 
Iraq to exchange oil for diesel with Turkey - Sabah 6/22 
Bush vows to continue Cyprus effort - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Hundreds of students missing in Iran - Radikal 
Washington locked on Iran target - Cumhuriyet 
Ankara prefers `evolution' in Iran - Cumhuriyet 6/21 
Iraqis not happy with U.S. troops - Radikal 6/21 
Bush determined to find Iraqi WMD - Zaman 6/22 
Sabotage on pipeline delays Iraqi oil flow to Turkey - Yeni 
Safak 
Powell: Hamas the enemy of peace - Zaman 6/21 
Gul: Turkey a source of inspiration for Middle East - Zaman 
Erdogan thanks Greece for EU support - Radikal 
Washington urges Ankara to back Annan plan - Cumhuriyet 
Saudi intellectuals demand reform - Zamn 6/22 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Gul meets Powell at WEF: Foreign Minister Gul had a brief 
meeting with Secretary of State Powell and Paul Bremer, the 
U.S. overseer in Iraq.  Gul discussed with his American 
counterparts ways to boost bilateral relations, as well as 
recent developments in Iraq and the Middle East.  In his 
speech to the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit, Gul said 
that Turkey's democracy, respect for civil rights, and 
transparency could inspire change in the Middle East. 
 
 
EU summit at Thessaloniki: The EU praised Ankara for 
enacting the 6th EU reform package, and stressed at meetings 
in Thessaloniki, Greece that accession negotiations with 
Turkey would begin in late 2004.  Turkey has been invited to 
an EU conference in October as an observer.  Turkish leaders 
Erdogan and Gul had dinner with the German, French, Italian 
and Greek leaders, which was seen as an indication of Greek 
support for Turkey.  The final communique of the summit 
urged Turkey to continue the reform process and to finalize 
all legal changes before the end of 2003. 
 
 
Americans meet KADEK: A delegation of U.S. officials held a 
meeting with KADEK officials on June 12 in the region 
controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), 
Saturday's "Cumhuriyet" reported under a front page headline 
that read `Bush plays the KADEK card.'  The American 
delegation, headed by a colonel from Kirkuk, urged KADEK to 
disarm, and promised them security guarantees. 
Military service to be reduced: The TGS announced on Sunday 
that compulsory military service would be reduced from 18 to 
15 months, and tours for reserve officers will become 12 
instead of 16 months.  The decision will reduce the number 
of soldiers in the Turkish military from 546,000 to 
approximately 450,000.   Papers expect the move to please EU 
countries, which had been urging Turkey to cut defense 
spending. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iran/US-Turkey 
 
 
"New illusions" 
Ali Aslan observed in Islamist-intellectual Zaman (6/23): 
"From the public affairs perspective, the characterization 
of U/S Ziyal's visit to Washington for public opinion has 
the potential to create new illusions in Turkish-American 
relations.  Both Ziyal and Grossman spoke strongly about 
`two strategic partners and allies.'  Yet the real picture 
was not as good.  It seems that the two countries used the 
media to disseminate their arguments, and now have decided 
to make things up by using the media. . The fact of the 
matter is that Turkish-American relations are suffering from 
the lack of depth, which is the true measure of a strategic 
partnership.  There are efforts to upgrade bilateral 
contacts, and Ziyal's visit is one of them.  The visit did 
make a positive impact on Washington. . Another illusion is 
about the future of Iran.  There is an overall picture 
given in the media that Turkey has assured the US that `we 
are with you on Iran.'  Both the Bush administration and 
certain lobbying groups managed to eliminate Ankara's 
concerns about possible US plans for Syria and Iran. 
However, this does not necessarily mean that Turkey is 
committing itself to support the US no matter what. On the 
other hand, Ankara and Washington have a common vision of 
the future of Iran as a democratic country free of nuclear 
weapons." 
 
 
"Making up with the US" 
Zafer Atay wrote in the economic-political Dunya (6/23): 
"Turkey's new message on Iran was fine-tuned according to 
what Washington wants to hear.  Yet it requires a 
clarification on Turkish policy to set the criteria for 
supporting US policy and action in Iran.  . Iran, on the 
other hand, is in real trouble.  The IAEA has issued some 
very strong claims, including that Iran is secretly 
producing nuclear weapons.  Apart from the international 
troubles with the US and IAEA, Iran is also suffering from 
domestic disturbances which seem to be leading to a strong 
anti-regime effort.  . Turkish FM Gul has been invited to 
the US in the midst of these developments.  His visit should 
be very carefully prepared so that he does not find himself 
in trouble in Washington." 
PEARSON