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 001908 
 
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 
MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                         ------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Bush angered: We've told Turks to stay away from Northern 
Iraq - Hurriyet 
Full speed to Baghdad - Hurriyet 3/23 
Tears, death: Nothing new at the front - Milliyet 3/23 
Poor Baghdad - Milliyet 3/22 
U.S. furious about footage of captured soldiers - Sabah 
Turkey isolated; AKP home alone - Sabah 
`Iraq Governor' Gen. Franks: Tough days ahead - Sabah 3/23 
Protests growing worldwide - Sabah 3/22 
U.S. startled by Iraqi resistance - Turkiye 
Ramadan: Real war in Baghad - Turkiye 
Saddam sets up wall of fire around Baghdad - Aksam 3/23 
Night of horror - Aksam 3/22 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Iraq halts U.S. advance on ground - Radikal 
Turkey alone on Northern Iraq - Radikal 3/23 
Shock and horror: Unprecedented air assault on Baghdad, 
Mosul - Radikal 3/22 
Civilians are being killed - Cumhuriyet 3/23 
Millions of war protesters rally worldwide - Cumhuriyet 3/23 
Massacre-like bombing on Baghdad - Cumhuriyet 3/22 
Desert shock for U.S. - Yeni Safak 
U.S. troops leaving Turkey - Zaman 
Defense of Baghdad will be stronger - Zaman 
Iraq in flames - Zaman 3/22 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Iraq: All dailies carry a warning by President Bush urging 
Turkey to stay away from Northern Iraq.  `Turkey is aware 
that the U.S. is working with the Kurds in the region, and 
we see no reason for the Turks to intervene in Northern 
Iraq,' Bush said.  EU's Belgian Foreign Minister Louis 
Michel stressed that if Turkey launched a military action in 
the region, it would not be admitted to the EU.  Germany 
threatened to withdraw its AWACS and Patriot systems from 
Turkey in the event of a cross-border operation into Iraq. 
Papers echo strong criticism by the Iraqi Vice President, 
Yasin Ramadan, who slammed the `Islamist AKP government,' 
saying that the `Turkish people are not traitors, but the 
party in power is a product of the U.S.'  Mainstream papers 
criticize the `failure' of AKP policies which drew fire from 
all sides.  Papers are concerned that the Northern Iraq 
issue has become a source of tension between Turkey and the 
U.S.  Addressing the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister 
Erdogan said that Turkey would set up a buffer zone inside 
Northern Iraq to halt possible terrorist infiltration and to 
control refugee flow.  U.S. hopes for a quick victory in 
Iraq have been shattered after growing losses suffered by 
U.S. and UK troops and the broadcast of video footage of 
captured U.S. soldiers.  Reports comment that the U.S. was 
shocked by the fierce Iraqi resistance, and that seizing 
Baghdad would be tougher than previously thought.  Weekend 
papers say that Turkey's opening its air corridor to U.S. 
was an effort to ease tension with the U.S.  Sunday's papers 
report TGS Chief General Ozkok's denial of Saturday's press 
stories concerning an alleged Turkish troop incursion into 
Northern Iraq.  Papers claim that the U.S. has laid down 
three conditions for a Turkish military presence in the 
region: Turkey should wait before dispatching troops; heavy 
weaponry should not be deployed; troops should not advance 
further than 15 km inside Northern Iraq.  Saturday's papers 
say that the U.S. has urged Ankara to expel Iraqi diplomats 
for alleged involvement in espionage activities.  The MFA 
has asked the U.S. for further evidence, reports note.  U.S. 
troops are leaving their logistical and operations centers 
in southeast Turkey, taking back military equipment through 
the port of Iskenderun, all papers report on Monday. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION:  War in Iraq 
 
 
"The 5th Day" 
Social democrat-intellectual Cumhuriyet carried this front 
page editorial comment (3/24): "Whether the war in Iraq 
takes longer than expected as President Bush has suggested, 
or shorter, the result will be the same: nothing will be 
easy in the future.  The people of Iraq have not welcomed 
the foreign troops as saviors, contrary to what Bush and his 
aides had hoped and expected.  In this context, Turkey's 
position stands on basic principle and is the right one. 
Turkey cannot be part of an unjust war, and cannot subvert 
international law and legitimacy for the sake of our 
strategic ally. . The bilateral atmosphere between Ankara 
and Washington is cool at the moment.  Yet the fact of the 
matter is that the Bush administration is in need of 
Turkey's cooperation if it aims to establish US sovereignty 
over the oil region in the Muslim world." 
 
 
"A mistake which can last for the next two generations" 
Fatih Altayli criticized Turkey's handling of the Iraq issue 
in mass appeal Hurriyet (3/24): "From the very beginning, 
the AKP government constantly gave the wrong signals. 
Moreover, advisers or bureaucrats `close to the AKP' misled 
Washington even more.  In the end, Turkey took the necessary 
steps, but it was too late for them to do any good.  There 
are clear messages coming from the US now.  Even well-known 
pro-Turkish Congressmen are keeping their distance from 
Turkey.  Handling some critical issues in the near future, 
such as the Armenian genocide resolution, might not be as 
easy as it used to be.  Turkey is hurting itself by not 
giving a clear `yes' or `no' answer to the US.  There is a 
big price to pay -- not only for us, but for the next 
generation as well." 
 
 
"The current situation" 
Hasan Unal commented in the Islamic-intellectual Zaman 
(3/24): "It would be different had Turkey stood against the 
war clearly from the very beginning.  This, of course, would 
have required no negotiation and no bargaining with the US. 
. Now we look like an undesired, abandoned baby who nobody 
wants to care for.  Turkey seriously damaged its very 
important relationship with the US.  At the same time, 
Turkey failed to prevent the war from happening.  Moreover, 
Turkey's rights and interests -- not only in Iraq, but in 
the entire region  -- are now at stake.  Such incredible 
strategic planning and diplomatic achievement (!) deserves 
to be a future case study in universities." 
 
 
PEARSON