US embassy cable - 03ANKARA4655

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 004655 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Powell to officially ask for Turkish troops for Iraq - 
Milliyet 
General Abizaid: Iraq solution difficult without Turkey 
- Aksam 
General Abizaid: We can't succeed in Iraq without 
Turkey - Hurriyet 
Gul: U.S. has asked for Turkish troops for Iraq - 
Turkiye 
AKP lawmakers against sending troops to Iraq - Milliyet 
Two `aces' killed in Mosul - Hurriyet 
Uday was known for torture, rape - Sabah 
Uzan family siphoned $5 billion from Imarbank - 
Hurriyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
General Abizaid: We need Turkish troops in Iraq - 
Radikal 
AKP lawmakers cold to Turkish troops for Iraq- Zaman 
Mahmud Osman: No need for Turkish soldiers in Iraq - 
Zaman 
Saddam's sons are killed - Cumhuriyet 
Blair losing popular support fast - Yeni Safak 
Shimon Peres: Jerusalem holy sites should be under UN 
control - Yeni Safak 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Turkish troops for Iraqi peacekeeping: CENTCOM Chairman 
General Abizaid pressed hard to convince Ankara to send 
troops to Iraq during his visit here last week. 
`Turkey is an essential factor in the region, and we 
need Turkish soldiers in Iraq,' Abizaid reportedly 
said.  Commentaries argue that the U.S. has ignored the 
Shiites and Sunnis who form the majority of the Iraqi 
population for the sake of cooperation with the Kurds. 
The U.S. request for Turkey's military support in Iraq 
has strengthened the hand of Ankara on the eve of 
Foreign Minister Gul's meetings in Washington. 
"Hurriyet" claims that Ankara has three conditions for 
cooperation in Iraq: that one of Bremer's two political 
assistants should be a Turk, that a Turkish Major 
General should assist General Abizaid, and that Iraq 
should have a single budget (i.e., a separate budget 
for the Kurds should be eliminated).  Papers expect 
Secretary Powell to officially ask Gul on Thursday for 
 
SIPDIS 
Turkey's contribution to the Iraq stabilization force. 
 
 
AKP confused about Iraqi peacekeeping: "Cumhuriyet" 
claims that the reluctance of AKP lawmakers and 
concerns in the TGS over deploying Turkish troops to 
Iraq have weakened the hand of FM Gul for his meetings 
in the U.S.  A new motion for dispatching troops could 
lead to a new crisis in AKP.  Cumhuriyet draws 
attention to the strong opposition within the AKP, led 
by Parliamentary Speaker Bulent Arinc. 
Denktas sacks dissident activists: Turkish Cypriot 
leader Denktas sacked leaders of two Turkish Cypriot 
civilian organizations working for a peaceful 
settlement on the divided island, "Radikal" reports. 
The two organizations had refused to attend official 
ceremonies on July 20 marking the 29th anniversary of 
the Turkish military intervention in Cyprus.  The Head 
of the Martyrs' Association was fired, and the 
president of the Migrants' Association lost his 
academic post at Eastern Mediterranean University. 
 
 
Uzan-owned Imarbank fraud: The Banking Supervisory 
Board (BDDK) announced that most private accounts at 
Imarbank, which the Board recently seized from the Uzan 
family, had not been shown in the bank's records.  The 
money stolen by the Uzans from Imarbank is about $5 
billion, according to press reports.  The IMF's Turkey 
desk chief Riza Moghadam is closely monitoring the 
Board's actions on Imarbank. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraqi Stabilization Force/FM Gul to 
the US 
 
 
"Sending troops" 
Yilmaz Oztuna opined in the mass appeal-conservative 
Turkiye (7/23): "Turkey should send its troops to Iraq 
only as long as certain conditions are met.  The 
Turkish army presence in Iraq will be a good symbol of 
Turkish nationalism.   However, setting the UN decision 
as a precondition for that is not a realistic move on 
Turkey's part.  This kind of approach will serve no 
purpose other than further deterioration in Turkish- 
American ties.  Turkey will not be able to present a 
convincing argument about the need to wait for a UN 
decision on Iraq while ignoring existing UN resolutions 
on Cyprus. . Sending Turkish troops to Iraq will help 
us have a say in Iraqi restructuring and facilitate the 
reestablishment of the strategic alliance between 
Turkey and the US." 
 
 
"FM Gul to Washington" 
Fikret Bila wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (7/23): 
"Ankara is displeased with the structure of the Iraqi 
Governing Council.  The representation of the Turkmen 
remains a worry for Ankara, and FM Gul is going to 
voice his concern during his meetings in Washington. . 
On the issue of sending Turkish troops to Iraq, Turkey 
does not want to play only a gendarme role, but also 
wants to gain influence over Iraq's restructuring. . 
The Gul visit will help both sides to understand each 
other better.  FM Gul's tendency is not to drag on the 
issues, and he'd rather resolve some of the outstanding 
issues without losing time.  The visit of FM Gul to 
Washington will also serve as a guide to Ankara's 
future policies." 
 
 
"We should send troops to Iraq" 
Gokalp Yildiz commented in the mass appeal-sensational 
Aksam (7/23): "Turkey's participation in the 
stabilization force should be taken without 
emotionalism.  Turkey should be a part of the 
Stabilization Force, but this does not necessarily mean 
that Turkey would be protecting the US occupation. 
Turkey and US share common interests in Iraq despite 
recent disagreements.  Turkey should make its plans 
based on its own security considerations.  Thus, the 
Turkish military presence in Iraq serves Turkey's 
national security interests as well as regional 
stability. . Turkey shares a common history, culture 
and religion with the people of Iraq.  Turkey has a 
more favorable position in the eyes of the Iraqi people 
than the Americans." 
 
 
DEUTSCH