US embassy cable - 03ANKARA4451

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004451 
 
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, JULY 15, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Turkish liaison officer to Baghdad - Hurriyet 
US does not apologize; Gul goes to Washington - Aksam 
The US: We're sorry - Turkiye 
Duel of words with the US - Sabah 
The AKP's gamble on referendum - Sabah 
Crisis over the Turkomen - Milliyet 
Ankara is unhappy about Turkoman representation - Vatan 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Not mistrust; lack of communication - Radikal 
Talabani seeks ways for reconciliation - Yeni Safak 
Greenpeace act in Izmit - Radikal 
Turkey-US to coordinate in Iraq - Zaman 
Turkey will remain in northern Iraq as long as PKK 
threat exists - Cumhuriyet 
Greenpeace prevented the burn - Cumhuriyet 
US has acknowledged its mistake - Yeni Safak 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish-U.S. commission for Suleymaniye detentions: The 
Turkish-American commission probing the detention of 
Turkish troops in Northern Iraq released a joint 
statement early Tuesday.  The U.S. side admitted that 
the arrests were wrong, but declined to apologize. 
`Both sides expressed regret over the incident, and for 
the treatment of Turkish soldiers during the detention 
period,' the statement read.  Both sides have agreed to 
take additional measures to improve cooperation and 
coordination to prevent a recurrence of similar 
incidents.  "Sabah" claims that at the commission 
meetings on Monday, U.S. officials presented to the 
Turks documents proving that Turkish troops in Northern 
Iraq had given weapons to the Turkomen.  The Turks 
responded by showing the Americans photos of U.S. 
officials meeting with PKK/KADEK members. 
 
 
U.S. wants Turkomans disarmed: "Milliyet" writes that 
U.S. troops in Northern Iraq will launch an operation 
against Turkomen offices in Irbil, Kirkuk, Mosul, and 
Suleymaniye because the Turkomen have so far refused to 
relinquish their weapons.  The Turkomen have told the 
Americans that they wished to keep the weapons because 
of safety concerns, and agreed to be disarmed only if 
KDP and PUK also lay down their arms. 
 
 
Talabani sends warm message to Ankara: PUK leader 
Talabani has encouraged Ankara to open a consulate in 
Suleymaniye, according to "Yeni Safak.".  Believing 
Talabani to be the main figure responsible for the 
Suleymaniye incident, Ankara has refused to renew the 
PUK leader's Turkish passport.  The paper regards the 
Talabani offer as a goodwill gesture to mend fences 
with Turkey. 
 
 
Ambassador Pearson expects no delay in aid for Turkey: 
Speaking to the press after a farewell visit to 
Turkey's Union of Chambers (TOBB) on Monday, U.S. 
Ambassador Pearson said that the U.S. would not delay 
the $1 billion grant to Turkey for damages suffered 
during the Iraq crisis.  Pearson said that the U.S. 
side is expecting a Turkish delegation in Washington to 
discuss final details of the assistance package. 
 
 
Turkey downsizes military: Turkey's military has 
decided to reduce its troops by 17 percent, and began 
dismissing 90,000 soldiers, dailies report.  The 
duration of compulsory military service has been 
reduced from 18 to 15 months, and from 16 to 12 months 
for reserve officers. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq 
 
 
"The Turkoman Shock for Ankara" 
Sedat Ergin evaluates the Iraqi governing council in 
mass appeal Hurriyet (7/15): "For the Turkoman 
representative, Ambassador Paul Bremer's choice was a 
lady from the Turkoman Women's Union as opposed to 
Ahmed Aga, leader of Iraqi Turkoman Front.  This choice 
is completely against what Ankara had been expecting to 
see, and it has a special meaning.  The US took care to 
include all political organizations in Iraq, with the 
notable exception of the Turkoman.  The Turkoman 
community has been given representation in the 
governing council not through its main political 
organization, but through a non-governmental 
organization.  The US apparently does not want to 
involve Turkey in the process of Iraq's political 
future. . Bremer's final list clearly says to Ankara 
that Turkey will not be a part of the political 
dialogue with the US about Iraq. . After all, this is 
the `political operation' that comes after the recent 
military operation against the Turks in Suleymaniye." 
 
 
"The Global Gangster" 
Ozgen Acar argued in the social democrat-intellectual 
Cumhuriyet (7/15): "It seems the situation for 
President Bush is getting messier every day.  He is now 
labeled as a `liar,' and things are not promising for 
the future, since the Iraq occupation is becoming an 
increasingly complex issue.  . Popular support for Bush 
has dropped from 90 percent to 58.  The Defense 
Secretary is after supplemental budget, which signals 
 
SIPDIS 
that in Iraq the US will have to spend more than it can 
possibly earn from oil revenues. . The US failed to 
capture Usama Bin Laden in Afghanistan or Saddam in 
Iraq.  Yet US intelligence managed to capture 11 
Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq prior to their 
assassination attempt against the governor of Kirkuk. 
It looks like the day is approaching when nobody will 
take the CIA seriously." 
 
 
PEARSON