US embassy cable - 03ANKARA5039

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005039 
 
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 8, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER 
THREE THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
--------------------------------------------- - 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
 
 
Parliament to Hold Extraordinary Session for Troop 
Deployment - Hurriyet 
Great Dangers in Iraq for Turkish Troops - Turkiye 
Psychological Operation - Milliyet 
PM Erdogan: "We Might Send Troops to Iraq" - Sabah 
444 Militants Applied to Benefit under Repentance Law - 
Hurriyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
 
 
Kurdish Obstacle for Turkish Troops - Cumhuriyet 
Iraq Briefing for President Sezer - Radikal 
PM Erdogan: "Turkey's Decision for Troop Deployment in Iraq 
Will Not Come as a Surprise" - Zaman 
Felluce Trap for Turkish Troops - Yeni Safak 
FM Gul: "We Should Consider Sending Troops Even Without UN 
or NATO Decision - Yeni Safak 
Returning Home Speeds Up - Radikal 
444 Applications for Repentance Law - Cumhuriyet 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Troop Deployment in Iraq: "Milliyet" reports that Turkey 
will send a delegation to Iraq next week to check the 
feelings of the Iraqi people against Turkish troops.  The 
delegation will consist of Turkish military and civilian 
officials.  To understand Iraqi's feelings against Turkish 
troops, the delegation will meet with the local leaders in 
Baghdat, Felluce and Tikrit.  "Hurriyet" reports that PM 
Erdogan and FM Gul met with President Sezer yesterday to 
convince him to send troops to Iraq without waiting for a UN 
or NATO decision.  PM and FM announced at their party 
meeting yesterday that, in order to pass the motion for 
troop deployment, they might call Parliament for an 
extraordinary session at the end of August or beginning of 
September.  "Hurriyet" also covered Secretary of State Colin 
Powell's remarks about Turkish troop deployment.  Speaking 
at the Foreign Press Center, Powell was quoted as saying 
that `I informed Turkish Foreign Minister Gul two weeks ago 
that we want Turkish troops in Iraq.  Mr.Gul told me that 
the issue will be evaluated by the Turkish government in 
detail.  I presume, it will take time.  We trust that 
Turkish troop existence in Iraq would be accepted by all the 
groups, including Kurdish groups.  In order to end the 
PKK/KADEK threat, we are coordinating with our Turkish 
friends.  And we are very pleased with our relations with 
Ankara on all these issues'. 
 
 
Response to the Repentance Law: All papers report that the 
response to the law was immense on the first day of the 
application.  "Hurriyet" reports that at a press conference 
yesterday, Interior Minister Aksu stated that so far 444 
militants had applied for amnesty.  333 of those are inmates 
and 111 are militants.  "Milliyet" notes that four PKK 
militants had already been set free following their 
application. 
 
 
Turkey and TRNC Delay Customs Union Agreement:  "Zaman" 
reports that Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern 
Cyprus(TRNC) would postpone the signing of a customs union 
agreement scheduled for today. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
 
 
-- Iraq's Effect on Arab world 
-- US-Turkey Relations/Iraq 
 
 
"Arab World's Stance" 
Ahmet Tasgetiren commented in Islamist-intellectual Yeni 
Safak (8/8): "The Arab League's decision about not 
recognizing the Iraqi Governing Council was interpreted as a 
surprise development because the general expectation was to 
see a more moderate approach than this.  However, members of 
the Arab League were pushed to make such a decision due to 
their public opinion pressure.  . The fact of the matter is 
that the US is not a beloved figure in the region, and the 
occupation for whatever reason is not approved.  Thus any 
American initiative, including the Iraqi Governing Council, 
is considered as illegitimate. . It looks as though it is 
best to suggest the US withdraw from Iraq at once.  It will 
serve the interest of all parties in the region when and if 
authority is left to the Iraqis before any more chaos and 
more power vacuums.  It will also serve the US interests in 
particular when and if Washington saves itself from neo-cons 
in policy making." 
 
 
"Turkish PM Dreams of Hosting Bush in Ankara" 
Zeynep Gurcanli wrote in the tabloid Star (8/8): "The 
decision process on whether or not to send Turkish troops to 
Iraq will be a tough one.  . Yet it seems the AKP government 
expects a political gain by taking a risk of sending Turkish 
soldiers to an unstable area.  Turkish government officials 
are trying to eliminate the last bits of worry about the 
policy and intention of the AKP within the eyes of 
Washington.  Ankara is aware of the fact that working 
together with the US on Iraq is the best possible way to 
achieve this goal.  And there is more to that.  Turkey will 
host the NATO summit next year.  President Bush will be in 
Turkey to attend.  The Erdogan government wants to realize 
an extended tour for President Bush with the hope that he 
will visit Ankara before or after the summit.  The idea of 
Erdogan hosting President Bush is interpreted by the AKP as 
the final stage of AKP's legitimacy vis-a-vis the western 
world." 
 
 
DEUTSCH