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 003093 
 
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, MAY 12, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                    -------------------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Ambassador Pearson: We must now look at the future - 
Hurriyet 
Bush to change his Iraq team - Vatan 
U.S. couldn't find Iraqi WMD - Turkiye 
Iraq's Khomeini, Al-Hakim, back from exile - Milliyet 5/11 
Ahmad Chalabi invites Turkish firms to Iraq - Sabah 
Papandreou moves to scrap Aegean Wall - Hurriyet 5/11 
Papadopoulos: We've made mistakes - Aksam 
Erbakan rolls sleeves against Erdogan - Aksam 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Garner's Iraq mission terminates - Yeni Safak 
New colonial governor Bremer to Iraq - Yeni Safak 
Greek Cypriots can file court cases to claim property - 
Zaman 
Denktas, Papadopoulos do not inspire hope for peace - 
Radikal 
Denktas says Greeks can apply to Turkish courts - Cumhuriyet 
Turkey excluded from U.S., Mideast Free Trade Zone - 
Cumhuriyet 5/11 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
Koc Group: Exports must not slow down due to diving Dollar - 
Dunya 
Defense Undersecretariat to announce Hews systems contracts 
- Finansal Forum 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
U.S. Ambassador defends removal of Iraqi sanctions: In an op- 
ed on Turkey's leading daily "Hurriyet"s front page on 
Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson wrote that 
friendship between the U.S. and Turkey would continue, and 
stressed that this friendship must be a cooperation that 
eyed the future.  Ambassador Pearson pointed to the fact of 
UN sanctions as an impediment to the recovery of the Iraqi 
people, and underlined the necessity that Turkey, having a 
leadership position in the region and at the UN, should make 
its voice heard to see an end to sanctions.  `Working 
together with Turkey in the new Iraq will be a cooperation 
that will build our relationship on solid ground.  It will 
provide a huge benefit for Turkey's economy, creating new 
market and business partnerships for Turkey,' Pearson noted. 
He also added that Americans, after removing Saddam through 
military means, have now targeted building a democratic and 
prosperous Iraq living in peace with its neighbors. 
Ambassador Pearson said that was the main objective behind 
the U.S., British and Spanish move at the UN, proposing 
removal of economic sanctions on Iraq. 
 
 
Iraq: Weekend papers speculate that the messages issued by 
Wolfowitz and Grossman were designed to persuade Ankara to 
comply with U.S. demands.  The U.S. is pressing Turkey to 
pull back troops from Northern Iraq, but Ankara is reluctant 
to do so unless the Iraqi national army takes over control 
in the region, and can control terrorist groups, Sunday 
papers say.  Turkey maintains a limited number of troops in 
Northern Iraq in an effort to monitor PKK activities.  U.S. 
has been vowing to the Turks that the issue of the PKK/KADEK 
would be resolved.  All papers note that Ankara expects 
clearer messages from Washington.  Weekend papers also 
highlight the opening of the Turkish embassy in Baghdad, 
despite warnings from U.S. that the Turkish envoy's safety 
could not be guaranteed.  Turkey's Baghdad Ambassador, Osman 
Paksut said Turkey would not be excluded from Iraq, and that 
Ankara was planning to open consulates in Mosul and Kirkuk 
as well, according to papers.  Meanwhile, President's office 
on Friday has stated that `Turkish-American strategic 
relations date back 50 years.  Disagreement among allies 
over issues such as Iraq is natural.  Dailes reported on 
Saturday that the sides must leave behind such discord, and 
look at the future,'.  Weekend papers also quote the head of 
the Turkey-U.S. Caucus, Congressman Robert Wexler as finding 
`insolent' the assessment of Turkey by Deputy Secretary of 
Defense Wolfowitz.  Wexler also advised Ankara to establish 
stronger relationship with Israel, and to act in line with 
U.S. sensitivities against Iran and Syria. 
 
 
New Aegean opening by Greece: Sunday's "Hurriyet" reports 
that the Greek Foreign Minister Papandreou was pressing for 
EU permission to lift visa requirement for Turkish tourists 
doing day trips to the Greek islands in the Aegean. 
`Papandreou wants to tear down the wall that divides the 
Aegean,' Hurriyet says on front page, reporting also about 
Papandreou's project for transfer of Turkish water to arid 
Greek islands, which might help establish lasting peace in 
the region. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION: 
US-Turkey relations in the post Iraq war period 
 
 
"Turkish-American relations in the long run" 
Kamuran Ozbir wrote in nationalist (MHP Party) Ortadogu 
(5/12): "Let's be clear and candid.  The Turkish government 
has made a mistake during the Iraq war by fooling itself 
with the `the US is incapable of taking action without 
Turkey' idea.  Thus the statements from Wolfowitz and 
Grossman should be taken seriously and should not be 
misinterpreted.  Both of them have a long-standing record 
for being on Turkey's side.   There is a common message in 
both statements of Wolfowitz and Grossman: `Turkey should 
refrain from making evasive or unclear moves if it wants to 
go back to good old days of Turkey-US relations.  Turkish 
policy adjustments should take Washington's expectations 
into utmost consideration.'  I believe this is a clearcut 
and well-phrased message and it tells us the truth.  If 
Turkey starts being adventurous in foreign policy it will 
definitely do a great harm to itself.  Turkey's interest is 
to move forward along with its friend of 50-years, the US." 
 
 
"Where did we go wrong?" 
Retired diplomat Gunduz Aktan noted in liberal-intellectual 
Radikal (5/12): "The fact of the matter is that the 
government has made a serious political mistake, and it 
requires the AKP government to admit its mistakes vis--vis 
the Turkish people first, not before Washington.  Any 
government is doomed to correct its mistakes and policy 
mishandling, unless they are admitted.  In normal western 
standards, a policy failure is subject to investigation by 
an independent commission.  We unfortunately do not have 
such a tradition in our political system. . On the other 
hand, those in the US who are close enough to Turkey and who 
are shaped Washington's policy by taking Turkey for granted 
have gone wrong, too.  They are now either disappointed or 
bitterly angry against Turkey.  Turkey and the US should 
start cooperation and utmost coordination to tune each 
other's policy especially on Syria and Iran.  Our relations 
cannot possibly tolerate another mistake or failure." 
 
 
PEARSON