This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 003480
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
SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2003
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE
THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
-----------------
HEADLINES
MASS APPEALS
Gul urges Arabs to support Mideast peace, Iraq - Milliyet
Simitis: We've tamed Turkey - Hurriyet
Gul: Road map huge opportunity for Mideast - Aksam
Sharon admits Israeli `occupation' - Milliyet
Turkey continues gas, diesel sale to Iraq - Turkiye
Pentagon reshapes its global strategy - Aksam
EU extends Euro12 million aid to Turkish Cypriots - Vatan
EU won't concede Britain - Vatan
OPINION MAKERS
Simitis: Athens' Aegean policy won't change - Cumhuriyet
Rumsfeld: Iraq won't become Iran - Cumhuriyet
Arabs, Turkomans worried of Kirkuk polls - Zaman
Iraqi attacks against U.S. troops on the rise - Yeni Safak
Governor crisis in Kirkuk - Radikal
`Genocide' comes to life at U.S. Senate - Zaman
Damascus: Road map won't succeed - Yeni Safak
FINANCIAL JOURNALS
Euro sets historical record against Dollar - Dunya
Kahkonen: Turkey won't need IMF after 2004 - Finansal Forum
BRIEFING
Foreign Minister Gul at OIC: Mainstream papers expect
Foreign Minister Gul to issue radical messages for the
Muslim world at the Organization for Islamic Conference
(OIC) meetings in Tehran on Wednesday. Bringing to focus
the changing regional scales after the U.S. campaign against
Iraq, Gul will call for democratization, transparency, fair
distribution of natural resources, equality between the
sexes, and enhanced education, papers say. Gul will
underline the problems caused by the current political rule
in Islamic countries, and will urge his Iranian and Syrian
counterparts to support the process of change and attempt
democratization, reports note.
Greece, Turkey disagree on Aegean: Dailies point to the
`fresh' tiff between Ankara and Athens over the Aegean.
Papers believe Greece wanted a new phase by carrying the
Aegean problems to the EU. "Cumhuriyet" reports about some
messages by TGS Chief General Ozkok the other day: Turkey
prefers betterment of ties with Greece, but provocative
policies pursued by Athens harmed bilateral ties, Ozkok has
said, adding that the Greek effort to expand its airspace
and territorial waters was provocation. Dailies report the
Greek Prime Minister Simitis blaming Turkey on Tuesday for
following aggressive policies. `We have shown the world
that Turkey has been ignoring international regulation. Our
pressure made Ankara see that it had no option but abide by
international rules,' Simitis reportedly said. Greek
Foreign Minister Papandreou has also criticized Turkey for
violations in the Aegean. Responding to a question,
Papandreou said that in democracies, the military had to be
subject to political power, not vice versa.
NSC meeting: The National Security Council (NSC) will
convene today to discuss the partisan bureaucratic
appointments by AKP, the threat of fundamentalism, Cyprus,
and EU reforms package. The council is expected to finalize
the controversial `Repentance Law' as well, papers say. The
law envisages reduction in penalties for terror group
defectors.
Iraq: U.S. intervention to get a Kurd elected as the
governor of Kirkuk caused Arabs to boycott the local polls
in the oil-rich Northern Iraqi town, papers say. The
Turkoman candidate has a narrow chance of winning the
election because of the `unbalanced' structure of the town
council, reports note. The American intervention has cast a
shadow on the polls, diminishing chances for ethnic peace in
the region, papers add. Dailies also report that Secretary
of Defense Rumsfeld stressed that Iraq's neighbors would not
let Iraq turn into an Islamic republic, and that Iraq would
not become another Iran.
AIPAC at Istanbul panel: AIPAC representative Keith Wiessman
said at a business panel meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday that
henceforth, Washington expected from Turkey `action, not
words,' reports "Zaman." To repair ties, Wiessman advised
Turkey to `seek constructive cooperation with U.S. in Iraq,
improve relations with Israel, end interest in Arafat, and
support U.S. policy targeting Iranian WMD.' Turkey will be
supported to the extent it acted in line with U.S.
interests, Wiessman said according to Zaman.
IMF Review: IMF Turkey Desk Chief Juha Kahkonen, who is in
Turkey for the latest IMF review, said that if economic
indicators continue appearing positive, Turkey might not
need the Fund's support after 2004. Kahkonen has voiced
confidence that Turkey would reach macro economic targets,
papers report. IMF's fifth review is to be concluded on
Friday.
EDITORIAL OPINION
The new target
Sami Kohen noted in mass appeal "Milliyet" (5/28): "Even the
`hawks' in Washington are not planning to hit Iran. . The
hawks, including Secretary Rumsfeld are getting tougher on
Iran because of allegations about Tehran's backing of the
last month's al Qaida suicide attack in Saudi Arabia. .
Another reason is the concern that Iran was attempting to
exert influence on the Iraqi Shiites via their leader Al-
Haqim, who came back to Karbala from his long exile in Iran.
. The Bush Administration might see the Iranian problem as
an opportunity to `test' Turkey's closeness to the U.S.
After Iraq, this will be a tough test for Turkish diplomacy,
for Ankara would not want tension with Iran and Syria. If
the Bush Administration chooses to compromise, instead of
fighting with Tehran, Ankara's good dialogue with both
countries might help U.S. to that end."
PEARSON