Cablegate: Ankara Media Reaction Report

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

191216Z Sep 03

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005945

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
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2003

THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:

HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- ---------

HEADLINES

MASS APPEALS
Osman Koruturk, Turkey's Special Coordinator to Iraq -
Milliyet
Baykal to Amb. Edelman: "Hand Over PKK/KADEK Militants to
Turkey" - Sabah
FM Gul: "Separate Permissions Will be Needed for Each Flight
in Turkish Air Space - Sabah
Babacan: "$8.5 Billion Credit is Not Vital for Turkish
Economy" - Hurriyet
PM Erdogan Wants UN Leadership in Iraq - Hurriyet

OPINION MAKERS
Baykal to Edelman: "Eradicate PKK" - Radikal
Turkish Foreign Ministry Assigns Representative for Iraq -
Radikal
Babacan: "We Did Not Count on U.S. Credit in Our
Calculations" - Radikal
Turkey and India Sign Four Protocols for Cooperation -
Cumhuriyet
Gul: "U.S. Did Not Ask For New Permission to Use Turkish Air
Space" - Yeni Safak
Ambassador Edelman Visits Baykal - Yeni Safak
Denktas Says New Attempts of Turkish Side on Agenda - Yeni
Safak
Ankara Could Not Convince India to Send Troops to Iraq -
Zaman

BRIEFING

Ambassador Edelman-Baykal Meeting: Most papers cover
Ambassador Edelman's visit to CHP chairman Deniz Baykal
yesterday. "Hurriyet" reports that the Ambassador and
Baykal had a 70-minute meeting. During the meeting, Baykal
urged the U.S. to transfer authority in Iraq to the UN and
to neutralize the terrorists and hand them over to Turkey.

Erdogan Wants UN Leadership in Iraq: All papers and TV
channels draw attention to PM Erdogan's remarks of
yesterday, saying that `Turkey would like to see UN
leadership in Iraq.'

FM Gul Remarks on the Use of Turkish Air Space: The
permission authorizing the U.S. use of Turkish air space is
said to expire on September 20. Foreign Minister Gul
reportedly said that the US has not yet presented Turkey
with new requests. If necessary, Turkey would issue
separate authorizations for each individual flight. Gul
denied allegations regarding the existence of a secret
decree covering the use of Turkish air space.

Cyprus: TRNC President Rauf Denktas said that as a goodwill
gesture, the Turkish Cypriot side has placed on the agenda
the opening of Maras (Varaso) for settlement under the joint
control with the UN.

EDITORIAL OPINION
"Sending troops to Iraq"
Cengiz Candar opined in mass appeal DB-Tercuman (9/18): "The
U.S. Administration, concerned about the upcoming elections
and the rising cost of the Iraq bill, is planning to bring
troops to Iraq from Muslim Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and
India. . Even conservative Republicans point to the
possibility that the Bush Administration's Iraq policy might
end up as a fiasco. . They believe that Iraq's Sunni/Arab
zone, which is to be left under Turkish peacekeepers'
mandate, will become a safe haven for the Baath Party
supporters. . Republican conservatives warn that Bush will
suffer a significant loss of votes if the U.S. brings
`improper' peacekeepers to Iraq. After his meetings in
Iraq, Secretary Powell had qualified the issue of Turkish
troops in the region as `sensitive.'"

"Orientalist rhetoric on Iraq"
Akif Emre wrote in the Islamist intellectual Yeni Safak
(9/18): "Americans' occupation of Iraq not only targeted the
physical resources of the region, but also aimed at
destroying the memory of a civilization that goes beyond
Iraq's borders. . The U.S. has brought back to the region
something unseen in American history - colonialism. . The
main question that should be posed regarding Iraq is the
number of civilians who have lost their lives under
occupation. . Robert Fisk says that about 1000 Iraqi
civilians are killed every week. . A large majority of
these Iraqis are killed by American soldiers during raids or
at checkpoints. Panicky Americans pull the trigger without
much thinking while fighting the Iraqis. . Is there an
international institution to define this humanitarian crime?
. Our government said it would not become a police force
for the Americans in Iraq. Who are we going to protect in
Iraq - the American troops there, or the Iraqi people from
the American troops?"

EDELMAN

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