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 008440 
 
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, NOVEMBER 19, 2002 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                    ------- 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Sezer adjustment - Milliyet 
Chess game at the Presidential Palace - Sabah 
Cabinet of Hope - Turkiye 
Moderate and reasonable - Hurriyet 
From historical rivalry to strategic partnership - Turkiye 
EU delays expansion decision to ease time pressures in 
Cyprus - Hurriyet 
"Stay on the side" bribe from US to Turkey - Sabah 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Sezer makes adjustments in the Cabinet list - Cumhuriyet 
The cabinet formed through dialog - Radikal 
Sezer requested adjustment on the Cabinet list - Zaman 
The history changes in the Aegean - Yeni Safak 
Simitis support to Erdogan for EU - Radikal 
Simitis: Don't expect date for negotiations - Cumhuriyet 
Greek Cypriots ready to discuss Cyprus plan - Cumhuriyet 
UN inspectors are in Iraq after four years - Radikal 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
Markets respond positively to the new Cabinet - Dunya 
IMF will love the emergency action plan - Finansal Forum 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
New Government:  All papers and TV channels cover 
extensively the formation of the new government.  After the 
Prime Minister-designate Abdullah Gul presented the new 
government list to President Sezer, the President made some 
adjustments on the list , mainly on the key ministries such 
as education, defense and interior.  Sezer's only rejection 
was of the proposed education minister Besir Atalay.  Besir 
Atalay had been  sacked from his post as Rector of Kirikkale 
University by the Higher Education Board for fundamentalism. 
The education ministry has been given to former ANAP deputy 
Erkan Mumcu.  Initially, the number of the ministers in the 
new cabinet was expected to be 23 plus the Prime Minister. 
However, the number became 24 in the last minute when Vecdi 
Gonul was given a ministerial post after Bulent Arinc's 
demand for the Parliament Speaker post.  Observers say that 
the new cabinet is moderate and reasonable.  The list of new 
cabinet members is as follows: 
 
 
Prime Minister : Abdullah Gul 
Deputy PM: Abdullatif Sener 
Deputy PM:Mehmet Ali Sahin 
Deputy PM: Ertugrul Yalcinbayir 
State Minister: Mehmet Aydin 
State Minister: Besir Atalay 
State Minister: Ali Babacan 
State Minister: Kursat Tuzmen 
Education: Erkan Mumcu 
Interior: Abdulkadir Aksu 
Foreign: Yasar Yakis 
Justice: Cemil Cicek 
Defense: Vecdi Gonul 
Finance: Kemal Unakitan 
Housing: Zeki Ergezen 
Health: Recep Akdag 
Transport: Binali Yildirim 
Agriculture: Sami Guclu 
Labor and Social Security: Murat Basesgioglu 
Industry: Ali Coskun 
Energy: Hilmi Guler 
Culture: Huseyin Celik 
Tourism: Guldal Aksit 
Forestry: Osman Pepe 
Environment: Imdat Sutluoglu 
 
 
Erdogan in Athens, Madrid: All papers front a warm welcome 
given to AKP leader Erdogan in Athens as he continues the EU 
lobbying for Turkey.  Erdogan's statement in Athens about 
the AKP's desire to solve the Cyprus issue and readiness to 
negotiate the UN's Cyprus peace plan are the major 
highlights in Turkish reports.  Papers also noted that Prime 
Minister Simitis pledged Greek support for Turkey's EU 
membership while advising Erdogan to only expect a `date for 
setting a negotiation date', not a negotiating date, for 
Turkey during the upcoming Copenhagen summit.  A large 
number of columnists as travelling press for the Erdogan 
visit emphasize that Erdogan and Simitis had a long tete-a- 
tete meeting without participation of both sides' Foreign 
Ministry delegations.  Reports note that following a 
delegation to delegation meeting in Madrid, Erdogan is 
expected to visit EU headquarters in Brussels. 
 
 
Cyprus:  Papers welcome the EU Commission's announcement to 
defer the implementation of the enlargement plan until May 
1, 2003.  Although Brussels announcement cites `due to 
budgetary reasons,' Turkish papers and television reports 
attribute this decision to the Cyprus issue and the UN peace 
plan in particular.  The overall approach is the 
interpretation of EU's delay as `we are deferring our 
decision so that you can reach a settlement on Cyprus.' 
Reports note that the new government is to take an 
initiative on the Cyprus issue and might declare its 
official position on the Cyprus plan once the cabinet starts 
functioning.  The Turkish Cypriot leader Denktas is quoted 
as saying `they need some time to evaluate and come up with 
a final decision'.  The Greek Cypriot side has already 
committed itself to negotiate the UN plan, and so will the 
Turkish Cypriot side, the reports surmise. 
 
 
Iraq:  Foreign affairs pages focus on the arrival of UN arms 
inspectors in Baghdad.  Apart from Hans Blix's remarks, the 
reports also note that formal inspection is to start 
November 27 and the first results of the inspection to be 
reported to the UN on January 27, 2003. 
International news pages also highlight a NY Times story 
which talks about Washington's plan to comfort Turkey and 
Israel's worries.  Apart from an extensive aid package for 
Turkey, the Pentagon also plans to station US soldiers to 
the oil-rich region of Kirkuk in order to prevent any 
attempts by locals to establish a separate Kurdish state. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
New Turkish Government/U.S.-Turkey/Cyprus 
 
 
"No government has ever been as lucky as the AKP" 
Mehmet Ali Birand noted the foreign support in mass 
appeal/sensational Posta (11/19): "One of the facts which 
make the AKP government a very lucky one is that it comes 
with US support.  Due to the Iraq issue, AKP has received 
instant support from Washington.  Thus its religious 
tendencies have not even been questioned.  . On the Cyprus 
issue, the AKP is lucky as well.  After years of great 
efforts by Denktas and by the Turkish Foreign Ministry 
bureaucrats, we have reached the current stage that calls 
for a final step to be taken.  That requires courage.  Yet 
the current stage comes along with a very lucky climate as 
well.  If the Turkish side manages to achieve what it wants 
in Cyprus, Turkey's horizon will be cleared incredibly." 
 
 
"Dream Might Come True in Cyprus" 
Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Y. Yilmaz wrote in mass appeal 
Milliyet (11/19): "Turkish people want to see a settlement 
in Cyprus.  Turkish people want to see Turkey in the EU. 
And as for the Turkish Cypriots, they do not want to be left 
out while the Greek Cypriots join the European Union.  . 
This common desire calls Denktas to evaluate the UN plan 
very seriously.  An experienced leader like Denktas has the 
ability to perform a diplomatic juggling act and he is 
capable of correcting some mistakes in the plan at the 
negotiation table.  If Denktas believes he does not want to 
discuss this plan at the negotiation table, then I think, he 
should retire."