US embassy cable - 03ANKARA4131

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004131 
 
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 
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Iranian students warn Khatami - Sabah 
Bush's company Vinnell to train new Iraqi army - Hurriyet 
State Dept., CIA disagree over Iraqi weapons program - Aksam 
Arafat expects support from Turkey - Milliyet 
Turk and Armenian women's Yerevan summit - Hurriyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Mideast cease-fire attempts in vain - Radikal 
Arafat: Peace depends on Israel - Radikal 
U.S. official: U.S. unprepared for post-war Iraq - Zaman 
Annan: UN unprepared for Iraq - Yeni Safak 
CIA's dirty company Vinnell in Iraq - Yeni Safak 
As-Sahaf was released after a short detention - Cumhuriyet 
Historic agreement for London, Moscow natural gas pipeline - 
Cumhuriyet 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
NSC meeting: The National Security Council (NSC) has 
discussed on Thursday the EU adjustment package, and amnesty 
for PKK/KADEK members.  A NSC declaration said Turkey's EU 
harmonization attempt should be carried out in line with 
"republican principles", and that EU should not delay 
accession negotiations with Turkey.  All papers say that the 
NSC's military wing is concerned that amendment to the Law 
on Struggle Against Terrorism, and broadcast in languages 
other than Turkish could boost terror. 
 
 
President against unrestricted access to bases: President 
Sezer has voiced objection to a government decision to give 
the U.S. and its coalition partners unlimited access to 
Turkish bases and harbors, and advised the cabinet to limit 
the access period to one year, papers say.  Sezer approved 
the classified government decision to open bases for Iraqi 
humanitarian efforts after access for foreigners was limited 
to one year, reports note.  Foreign Minister Gul is reported 
as saying that combatant forces would not use Turkey's bases 
for transit passage to Iraq. 
 
 
Susurluk suspect acquitted: Former DYP deputy Sedat Bucak, 
who was charged for sheltering criminals and involvement in 
underground activities was acquitted in the Susurluk case 
for investigating links between the state and mafia, dailies 
report.  Bucak, a southeastern tribal leader, has survived a 
crash while travelling in the same car with a high level 
police officer and a former right-wing terrorist near the 
Aegean town of Susurluk in November 1996. 
7th EU harmonization package underway: Foreign Minister Gul 
said that a 7th "adjustment package" drafted by the 
government for Turkey's EU drive would primarily regulate 
relations between the military and civilians, papers say. 
The new package will expand freedom of expression, bring 
reforms to the judiciary, and raise the level of 
accountability in the public sector, Gul noted. 
 
 
HR commission meets Armenians: A delegation of the 
parliamentary human rights commission has paid a visit to 
the Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II in Istanbul on Thursday to 
hear complaints and problems, papers report.  The commission 
will continue meetings with other minority groups in Turkey, 
reports say. 
 
 
Run Agra Co. to breed cattle in Turkey: Turkey's Yasar 
Holding Group of companies has tied a preliminary deal with 
the U.S. Run Agra company for breeding of beef cattle, 
"Hurriyet" reports.  U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Robert 
Pearson, will attend the signing ceremony in Izmir on June 
30.  The U.S. government has guaranteed a $460,000 grant for 
the project, Hurriyet says. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq 
 
 
"Things are getting messy" 
Hasan Unal argued in Islamist-intellectual Zaman (6/27): 
"Despite the media overlook, the fact of the matter is that 
things in Iraq are getting messier for the US everyday. 
Arabs are becoming more displeased with the occupation 
itself as well as the occupation forces. . The anti-American 
or anti-British incidents seem to be individual cases yet 
the US should not be surprised if this kind of resistance 
turns into an organized movement in the course of time. 
Americans in Iraq did not take the necessary steps for 
establishment of a new Iraqi administration in the post 
Saddam era.  Instead their focus somehow shifted from 
administrative issues to organize Kurds in the north.  The 
US plan might be using the Kurds in order to block the rise 
of Arab nationalism, yet it does not seem to be working 
well." 
 
 
"US in the post war era" 
Fehmi Koru observed in Washington in Islamist-intellectual 
Yeni Safak (6/27): "It seems the popular support that both 
US and UK administrations have been enjoying before the war, 
has started diminishing.   There are many confused minds in 
Washington and they all seem to be in the process of 
recalculation.  The US administration is not presenting a 
unified picture, and Pentagon's power has become a 
disturbing factor for the other administrative departments. 
There are more comments and analysis than before about the 
neo-cons being solely influential over the Bush 
administration. . Turkey, on the other hand, had proven its 
functioning democracy before the Iraq war.  And its 
importance was once again underlined by President Bush as he 
was reaffirming US support for Turkey's EU accession." 
 
 
PEARSON