US embassy cable - 03ANKARA4867

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 004867 
 
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, AUGUST 1, 2003 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Two Blows Against the Uzan - Sabah 
$4 Billion Fine and Arrest Warrant for the Uzans - Hurriyet 
PM's Wife's Head Scarf Cancels High Military Council (YAS) 
Dinner - Hurriyet 
Erdogan Cancels YAS Dinner - Milliyet 
Head Scarf Overshadows YAS Reception - Sabah 
FM Gul: We did not say `yes' to US Troop Deployment Request 
- Milliyet 
Two Resignations from CHP - Turkiye 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Bad News for Uzan Family-Cumhuriyet 
High Military Council Convenes Today-Zaman 
Deputy Sec. Armitage: `No UN Decision for Deployment in 
Iraq' - Cumhuriyet 
Approval of Repentance Law Brings Second Resignation from 
CHP - Zaman 
Europe Welcomes 7th Package-Radikal 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Uzan Family: All papers report that a US federal judge has 
ordered the Uzan family to pay $4.3 billion for fraud in the 
Nokia-Motorola case.  The judge also issued an arrest 
warrant for 5 members of the Uzan family.  According to the 
court, Motorola and Nokia transferred $2.7 billion to 
Telsim, which was owned by the Uzans.  The Uzan family spent 
$1billion of this money for their personal use. The judge 
ordered the Uzans to transfer their Telsim shares to the 
registry of the court within one week.  Meanwhile, another 
blow against the Uzans came from Turkey.  Through a last- 
minute adjustment in the banking law, a bank's owners will 
be personally responsible for any differences between 
official bank records and the records of bank customers. 
"Sabah" draws attention to the fact that the new regulation 
will allow the government to seize all of the Uzans' 
property in order to claim the money deposited illegally in 
Imar Bank. 
 
 
Higher Military Council (YAS) Meeting: "Hurriyet" reports 
that today's meeting of the High Military Council (YAS) has 
been overshadowed by the headscarf of PM Erdogan's wife. 
Dinners are traditionally given by the General Staff Land 
Forces commander and by the Prime Minister during the course 
of the four-day meeting.   The commanders reportedly 
canceled the two dinners to avoid the participation of the 
PM's wife, who wears a headscarf.  "Milliyet" reports that 
the generals canceled only the dinner traditionally given by 
the Prime Minister on the second day of the meetings.  The 
Prime Minister is expected to participate in all the other 
events by himself. 
 
 
Troop Deployment: "Hurriyet" reports that at parliament 
speaker Arinc's reception, Foreign Minister Gul told 
journalists that `Turkey has not reached a decision yet 
about a troop deployment in Iraq.'  Gul noted that Turkey 
does not want to act as a `gendarme' for the United States 
in Iraq.  According to Gul, Turkey wants to go to Iraq if 
Turkish troops will be welcomed by the Iraqis as they were 
in Bosnia.  Turkish inteliigence officers are studying what 
kind of welcome Turkish forces are likely to receive in 
Iraq.  Todays papers also report on British envoy John 
Sawers' visit to Ankara.  Sawers told  journalists that the 
UK would welcome the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq. 
CHP Defections: Two parliamentary deputies have resigned 
from the CHP in the past two days, after a disagreement with 
the CHP leadership about the party's opposition to the 
repentance law.  The deputies, both of whom are Kurdish, 
criticized their party's `anti-democratic' tendencies. 
"Sabah" reports that three CHP provincial chairmen in the 
Southeast strongly criticized Baykal for his opposition to 
the repentance law. 
 
 
EU Welcomes 7th package:  Papers report that the EU has 
welcomed the approval of Turkey's 7th package of EU 
harmonization reforms.  Turkey's EU General Secretary. Murat 
Sungar, noted that the package was passed by the government 
despite the objections of the Turkish military.  EU 
expansion chief Verheugen said that the EU `expects Turkey 
to actively implement all reforms that have been passed.' 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
"A Kurdish state if Iraq disintegrates" 
Mehmet Ali Birand commented in the mass appeal Posta (8/1): 
"Kenneth Pollack, a leading expert on Iraq, predicts that 
the Kurds might declare sovereignty if the confusion in Iraq 
evolves into a civil war. .  The U.S., struggling to handle 
such a chaotic situation, might not do anything to hold back 
the Kurds. .  Despite his negative views of the Bush 
administration, Pollack believes Turkey should send 
peacekeeping troops to Iraq. .  Washington has understood 
that fighting with Turkey over differences on Iraq will not 
be beneficial.  The U.S. has seen the need to share the 
responsibility in Iraq with other countries, and now wants 
to turn a new page in its relations with Turkey.  Pollack 
notes that the Bush administration was successful in 
toppling Saddam quickly, but believes that Washington failed 
in planning for the post-war period." 
 
 
"War is bad, but what about occupation?" 
Erdal Guven wrote in the intellectual/opinion-maker Radikal 
(8/1): "Compared with the period before the rejection of the 
March 1 decree, the current situation in Iraq is worse for 
Turkey.  You cannot find a reasonable explanation for 
sending troops to an occupied land from a country that had 
denied military access to its soil during the Iraqi 
campaign. .  Sending troops for peacekeeping in Iraq will 
erase all the credit Turkey won worldwide by its March 1 
decision.  Ankara is playing a dangerous game once again." 
 
 
DEUTSCH