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 006136
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
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2003
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
--------------------------------------------- ---------
HEADLINES
MASS APPEAL
Amb. Edelman: Our position against KADEK same as Ankara's -
Sabah
Edelman: Turkey must open Armenia border - Sabah
WP: Erdogan reluctant to deploy peacekeepers in Iraq -
Hurriyet
Gul: We might deploy 10,000 troops in Iraq - Sabah
AKP threatens to call early elections - Hurriyet
Election puzzle - Milliyet
Wesley Calrk: Bush seeks American Empire - Milliyet
CIA complains about the White House - Hurriyet
CIA looking for Turkish teachers - Turkiye
Verheugen praises Turkey - Milliyet
Greek Ambassador to Ankara: Turkey belongs in Europe - Sabah
OPINION MAKERS
Amb. Edelman assures Turkey on PKK - Radikal
Edelman: We'll work together to eliminate PKK/KADEK in N.
Iraq - Zaman
U.S. official: Turkey must develop new approach on KADEK -
Cumhuriyet
Rumsfeld, Rice to pay the price for Iraq chaos - Yeni Safak
Wesley Clark: I'll first sack Rumsfeld - Yeni Safak
Powell still hopeful of Turkish contribution to Iraq
peacekeeping - Cumhuriyet
U.S. State Dept., Pentagon blame each other - Cumhuriyet
U.S. Congress report blames CIA - Radikal
Bremer hires former Saddam operatives - Radikal
General Jones: NATO's priority shifting to Middle East -
Zaman
Iraq's occupation protested in Hollywood - Yeni Safak
BRIEFING
Pro-Kurdish party convicted for election fraud, early polls
likely: The High Court of Appeals (Yargitay) unanimously
approved prison sentences given to the pro-Kurdish party
DEHAP leadership for presenting false documents in order to
take part in Turkish general elections held November 3,
2002. The High Election Board (YSK) is to decide whether
the election results will be rendered invalid. Under
another scenario, votes cast for DEHAP might be declared
invalid and distributed among the three parties in
parliament. In this case. , 66 seats would go to the
opposition True Path Party (DYP), which currently holds
three seats. The YSK can turn down the application for
reviewing the election results, or leave the decision to the
parliament. Papers do not expect the YSK to adopt a
decision which will upset political stability in Turkey.
`Political chaos is not an option,' the board's head has
commented. A deputy chairman of the ruling AK Party says
the government will call early polls if the election board
backs the conviction against DEHAP for election fraud.
EU expansion chief Guenther Verheugen's office voiced
concern that the decision might negatively influence
political stability in Turkey. Turkish markets responded
negatively to the decision - the stock index dipped 3.6
percent, and interest rates increased by half a point.
Businessmen have warned that a negative decision by the YSK
could cause turmoil in Turkey's economy.
Ambassador Edelman issues messages for Turkey: U.S.
Ambassador Edelman said at an international defense
symposium in Ankara on Monday that the U.S. wants Turkey to
reach all its economic and political goals. The U.S. has
drawn a roadmap for destroying terrorism, said Edelman, and
he urged Turkey to support the U.S. in this struggle.
Edelmam stressed that the U.S. is ready to work with an
empowered Palestinian prime minister to eliminate terrorism,
and he noted that Turkey has considerable significance as a
friend of Israel. Edelman voiced support for the amnesty
law passed by Ankara for those who defect from terror
organizations. The threat posed by the PKK/KADEK in
Northern Iraq will be eliminated through cooperation between
the U.S. and Turkey, Edelman emphasized. He also pointed to
the significance of the UN-sponsored peace plan for Cyprus.
`Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas should not block progress in
Cyprus anymore, he said. The Cyprus problem must be
resolved before the EU accession of Greek Cyprus in May
2004.' Edelman also called for fair elections observed by
international monitors in Northern Cyprus. Ambassador
Edelman called on Ankara to open its border with Armenia.
U.S. official on Iraq, $8.5 billion loan for Turkey:
Dailies write about comments by a U.S. Embassy official in
Ankara on Iraq and the $8.5 billion U.S. loan for Turkey.
The U.S. official said that the loan condition that Turkey
not take unilateral action in Iraq was put in place at a
time when Turkey had massed troops on the Iraqi border last
April. The official stressed that Iraq no longer poses a
threat to its neighbors, and there is no need for unilateral
Turkish action. The U.S. would welcome a Turkish decision
for sending peacekeepers to Iraq, but this is not a
precondition for the loan, the American official said. `The
U.S. is determined to eliminate the PKK/KADEK presence in
Northern Iraq. Turkey has intervened in Northern Iraq
several times in the last 12 years, but failed to remove the
terror threat. Maybe a new approach would be helpful,' the
official said.
Turkey to decide on Iraq peacekeeping soon: Dailies report
Foreign Minister Gul's comments to the Wall Street Journal
that Turkey might deploy 10,000 peacekeepers in Tikrit, the
most troublesome region in Iraq. Papers cite the WSJ as
writing that Ankara would wait for a UNSC resolution before
deploying soldiers in Iraq. Meanwhile, government spokesman
Cemil Cicek said that Turkey would make a decision about
contributing to the Iraqi peacekeeping mission next week.
EDITORIAL OPINION: Iraq
"Possibility of Changing US Policy on Iraq"
Sami Kohen wrote in mass appeal Milliyet (9/30): "Is there
any possibility that the US administration will change its
Iraq policy? The Bush administration does not even consider
changing the basics of the policy, yet Washington is also
willing to give a greater role to the UN. The Bush
administration's policy is based on unilateral, preemptive
action. This approach reflect the self-assured attitude of
the United States. Given the circumstances, no significant
change is likely in American policy toward the region. . On
the other hand, a change in the US administration would
probably not lead to much change either. A chat with
Congressman Hastings, a Democrat, proved this analysis.
Hastings said that the US would never withdraw from Iraq if
the job is only halfway finished. In the event of a
Democratic administration, we should only expect more
cooperation with the international community and some
rhetorical changes."
"The Limits of Power"
Haluk Ulman commented in economic-political Dunya (9/30):
"Despite the ongoing campaign to create a positive
atmosphere between the US and the UN, no concrete result has
been achieved from the bilateral meetings that President
Bush had with French, German and Russian leaders. The
leaders of Europe are seeking a greater role for the UN in
Iraq, and looking for the US occupation to end as soon as
possible. . Following the negative developments in Iraq,
the Bush administration is really looking for the
establishment of an international force. Yet the Bush
administration's unilateralist policy continues to be a
hurdle for Washington. Most of the countries are unwilling
to participate in the absence of UNSC resolution."
EDELMAN