This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006291
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, OCTOBER 7, 2003
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER
THREE THEMES:
HEADLINES
BRIEFING
EDITORIAL OPINION
HEADLINES
MASS APPEAL
Turkish troops to Iraq's Sunni-Turkmen region - Sabah
PM Erdogan: We must be in Iraq - Hurriyet
PUK: Regardless of nationality, foreign troops in Iraq might
face attack - Turkiye
White House takes over Iraq responsibility from Pentagon -
Hurriyet
Rice holds reins on Iraq - Milliyet
U.S. protecting Israel - Milliyet
Simitis threatens Turkey - Hurriyet
OPINION MAKERS
World denounces Israel, U.S. warns Syria - Zaman
Arab League denounces Israel, urges UN to intervene -
Cumhuriyet
U.S. blocks UNSC resolution denouncing Israel - Yeni Safak
Sharon is pulling the region to war - Cumhuriyet
Turkish troops due in Baghdad by mid-December - Yeni Safak
American snipers will guard Iraqi oil pipelines - Yeni Safak
Bush Administration gives Iraq authority to Rice - Radikal
Rice is Iraq's new boss - Yeni Safak
Putin: U.S. in Iraq looks like USSR in Afghanistan - Zaman
UN peace plan for Cyprus will cost $28 billion - Radikal
BRIEFING
Turkish peacekeepers to Iraq: The Council of Ministers
approved a motion for deploying Turkish troops in Iraq and
submitted it to the parliament on Monday. A Turkish troop
contingent to be deployed in Iraq will operate under Turkish
command, and will not act as a military unit reinforcing the
occupation, according to the parliamentary motion.
Government Spokesman Cemil Cicek said that besides
contributing to Iraqi peacekeeping militarily, Turkey will
extend support in various fields from health services to
engineering. Cicek said that Turkey, as a NATO member,
cannot afford to be excluded from U.S.-led plans to reshape
the Middle East. Cicek said he was certain that the request
would be approved. Prime Minister Erdogan told his cabinet
that Turkey will strengthen its hand in talks with the U.S.
if parliament votes to send troops. Dailies quote State
Department Spokesman Boucher as welcoming the Government's
decision. U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Eric Edelman, voiced
confidence that Turkish troops would provide a significant
contribution in Iraq if the parliament opts to deploy
troops. Ankara wants to set up five military stations in
Northern Iraq to deter possible provocative attacks, papers
report. "Radikal" claims that the U.S. is reluctant to meet
the expenses of Turkish peacekeepers in Iraq, and has
instead offered Turkey a larger share from Iraq's
rebuilding. Turkish soldiers will police the region, which
stretches northwest of Baghdad to the Syrian border. Sunni
Arabs and many Turkmen will be under Turkish protection,
"Sabah" reports. "Zaman" writes that Turkey will be allowed
to choose between the Kurdish town of Salahaddin and the al-
Anbar region. Following the approval of the motion, Turkey
and the U.S. will sign an MOU regarding the nature and scope
of the peacekeeping operations in Iraq.
Ankara condemns Israeli raids, terrorism: The MFA condemned
last week's suicide attack in Haifa, Israel, which claimed
20 lives. The MFA also said the Israeli air raid on a camp
near Damascus was unacceptable and constituted a violation
of Syrian sovereignty. The MFA expressed concern that the
Israeli attack could trigger fresh tensions in the region.
Simitis warns Turkey: In a meeting with Prime Minister
Erdogan in Rome last week, Greek Prime Minister Simitis said
that Athens would not approve the EU's agreement to start
accession negotiations with Turkey in late 2004 if there is
no breakthrough in the Cyprus and Aegean problems. Dailies
report that EU leaders are busy discussing whether to add a
`Cyprus warning' to a declaration to be released at the EU
summit meeting in Rome on December 12-13.
EDITORIAL OPINION: Mideast/Iraq
"What the Israeli Government Wants"
Oral Calislar wrote in the social democrat-intellectual
Cumhuriyet (10/7): "Following the Iraq war, the Israeli
government pressured the US to impose sanctions against
Syria and Iran, but to no avail. It seems that the Sharon
administration has decided to implement this plan by itself.
There was speculation that Sharon played an influential role
during the decision-making process in the US administration
for the war in Iraq. The Israeli bombing of Syria
demonstrates that Israel is an active element in the hawkish
policy of the Bush administration. . The situation in
Palestine looks like a blood feud, and poses a great threat
to the entire Middle East. The mounting tension and
increasing violence cast a serious shadow over the future of
mankind. Let us bear in mind that the problems of this area
served as fertile ground for Al-Qaeda. . Violence has never
solved problems, and it never will. The people of Israel
should be able to stop the ongoing insanity and force Sharon
from office."
"Iraq is not the most important piece"
Hadi Uluengin commented in the mass appeal Hurriyet (10/7):
"Regardless of whether or not Turkey deploys troops in Iraq,
we should realize the fact that the gist of the Middle East
issue does not stem from Iraq. Actually, it never did. The
heart of the issue is the ongoing Israel-Palestine dispute,
and it will continue to be so. . Normalization of the Middle
East region will remain a far-fetched dream as long as the
Israel-Palestine dispute remains unresolved. The US is the
only power that can effect such a positive change, yet the
Bush administration has no will to do so. . Unfortunately,
the problem will likely grow even bigger in the days to
come. The whole world will once again realize that the
essence of the Middle East problem goes through Israel and
Palestine, not Baghdad and Kirkuk."
EDELMAN