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 002700 
 
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 
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2003 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                    -------------------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Ankara's Garner pain - Turkiye 
Saddam's  best man, Tarik Aziz, turns himself in to  U.S.  - 
Hurriyet 
`Eight of Spades' in U.S. hands - Aksam 
Rumsfeld: We won't leave Iraq to mullahs - Sabah 
White House: Hope Iraq will take Turkey's democracy as model 
- Vatan 
U.S. might close Incirlik AB - Milliyet 
Fox TV members `embedded looters' - Sabah 
`Uncle Sam TV' for Arab world - Sabah 
U.S. happy with free movement in Cyprus - Milliyet 
More Greek Cypriots go North than Turks to South - Hurriyet 
Denktas did it - Turkiye 
Verheugen: Turkey might join the EU in 2011 - Milliyet 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Ankara angered at Garner's Kirkuk remarks - Zaman 
Garner unease in Ankara - Yeni Safak 
May  5  key  Washington meeting for Iraqi  reconstruction  - 
Radikal 
Washington  warns  Tehran  not  to  interfere  in   Iraq   - 
Cumhuriyet 
Greek Cypriots queue up to enter Turkish side - Cumhuriyet 
Old friends meet in Cyprus - Cumhuriyet 
Smiling faces in Cyprus - Radikal 
Greek Cypriots ahead of Turks on visits - Zaman 
NSC to discuss `National View' fundamentalist activities  in 
Germany - Cumhuriyet 
8 Turks in Guantanamo prison camp - Zaman 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
FM  Gul: Turkish businessmen will benefit most from  Iraq  - 
Dunya 
OECD  skeptical  about AKP: 2.5 percent  growth  -  Finansal 
Forum 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Iraq/Garner:  Dailies expect Ankara to present a  diplomatic 
note  to  the  U.S. about the remarks of  the  head  of  the 
interim  Iraqi administration, retired general  Jay  Garner. 
The note says that Kirkuk is not a Kurdish town, and reminds 
about  the joint declaration by the U.S., Turkey and Kurdish 
groups on March 19, in which it is confirmed that Mosul  and 
Kirkuk  do not belong to a particular ethnic group.  Foreign 
Minister  Gul  said that Garner's remarks were  against  the 
guarantees given by SecState Powell during his recent  visit 
to  Turkey.  Gul said that Garner must have made a  mistake. 
A  "Hurriyet" column claims that Garner is influenced  by  a 
map  drawn the White House advisor Edward Mortimer, in which 
Sulajmanija  is  shown  as the Kurds'  capital.   The  op-ed 
claims  that  the  U.S.  is considering  three  states  with 
separate  assemblies in Iraq, and a national  parliament  in 
Baghdad  to supervise the distribution of oil revenue  among 
the entities.  Meanwhile, Gul denied on Friday press reports 
that  five  Turkish liaison officers in Northern  Iraq  were 
expelled for providing arms to the Turkomen. 
 
 
Cyprus: On the second day of the free passage implementation 
between  the Turkish and Greek sides in Cyprus, 2,090  Greek 
Cypriots  made  a day trip to the north, while  741  Turkish 
Cypriots visited the Greek sector.  Dailies report that  the 
Greek Cypriot administration and press are unhappy about the 
high number of their citizens traveling to the Turkish side. 
A  Greek  Cypriot government spokesman reportedly said  that 
the  sides  were still far from a settlement, and that  free 
travel could not bring a solution.  All papers believe  that 
the  free passage implementation is welcomed by both peoples 
on  the  divided  island following 29 years  of  separation. 
Thousands  are enjoying freedom of movement by  crossing  to 
the  `other side' to see their homes and old friends, papers 
report. 
 
 
Disciplinary amnesty for fundamentalist activities: The  AKP 
has  submitted  to  parliament a  motion  to  pardon  public 
employees  -- including judges and prosecutors --  who  have 
been   disciplined   for   involvement   in   fundamentalist 
activities, "Hurriyet" reports.  Disciplinary punishment for 
state  employees' fundamentalist activities since 1999  will 
be declared null and void, and will be removed from official 
documents and evaluation reports. 
 
 
Amnesty  on  illegal construction: The government  hopes  to 
raise  $15-20 billion in new revenue by declaring an amnesty 
on  illegal  construction, "Sabah" reports.  The plan  would 
allow  owners  of  illegally-built houses or  rooftop  flats 
("gecekondu")  to pay a sum to purchase a  license  for  the 
structures.    There  are  700,000  such  constructions   in 
Istanbul  alone,  according to the  report.   AKP  officials 
voiced hope that such revenues would help Turkey emerge from 
its  economic  stagnation, thus enabling the  government  to 
raise significantly the salaries of public employees. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: Post Saddam governance 
 
 
"Islamic revolution in Iraq with US support" 
Sedat  Ergin  opined  in mass appeal Hurriyet  (4/25):  "The 
Shiite  reality in Iraq seems to be a big surprise  for  the 
US, particularly the active role Shiites play in the society 
and  their  effective organization.  Pentagon  generals  are 
receiving  a  series  of briefings about  the  Shiites,  and 
American   officials  acknowledge  that  they  were   caught 
unprepared on the dimension of the Shiite factor. . There is 
a  great similarity between Iran's post-Shah era and  Iraq's 
post-Saddam  era.   The  Mullahs  are  rapidly  assuming   a 
leadership role and taking charge within the collapsed state 
structure  in Iraq, and the Shiites are becoming  a  driving 
force  to fill the existing power vacuum.  Like the  Iranian 
Shiites,  the Iraqi Shiites stand against the US, and  their 
priority  is Islam. . It seems very likely that the Islamist 
factor   will  play  a  determinative  role  during   Iraq's 
transition to democracy." 
 
 
"The transitional administration in Iraq" 
Mustafa   Balbay   argued  in  social  democrat-intellectual 
Cumhuriyet  (4/25): "Watching Jay Garner  in  Iraq  gives  a 
clear  picture about the intention of the US for the  future 
of  Iraq.   Iraq  will be divided among three major  groups: 
Shiites,  Sunnis,  and  Kurds.  There  will  be  some  other 
contributing groups, such as the Turkmen.  This is the  only 
way  for  the  US  to  be  able to control  the  groups  and 
manipulate  them  as needed. . The US is not  interested  in 
disagreements or disputes between the Iraqi groups, as  long 
as the oil business remains secure and under US control.  US 
policy  for Iraq can be summed up as follows: The new  Iraqi 
administration should be as fragmented as possible, and  the 
US  should take the biggest chunk from both the oil and  the 
reconstruction process." 
 
 
PEARSON