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 003186 
 
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 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                    -------------------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEALS 
Al-Qaida is back: 29 dead - Milliyet 
Al-Qaida takes stage again - Sabah 
Welcome with bombs: 29 dead - Turkiye 
Ladin's Iraq retaliation: 29 dead - Vatan 
Al-Qaida hits father Bush's company, Vinnell - Hurriyet 
Powell: Terror a threat on civilized world - Sabah 
General Franks turns down promotion - Milliyet 
Wolfowitz: I didn't ask Turkey to apologize - Sabah 
Berlusconi mediator between Bush, Ankara - Hurriyet 
IISS: Military might topple AKP government - Aksam 
Tehran to cut support to Hizbullah - Vatan 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
U.S. is hit in Riyadh - Radikal 
Bloody welcome for Powell in Saudi Arabia - Cumhuriyet 
Americans experience September 11 horror in Saudi Arabia - 
Zaman 
September 11 in Riyadh - Yeni Safak 
Amb. Pearson w/ Guler: Ties with U.S. warming - Radikal 
Greek Archbishop: No place for Turkey in EU - Zaman 
Parliament of Europe: Turkey's military slows down reforms - 
Yeni Safak 
U.S. media toward monopolization - Radikal 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
Riyadh bombing rockets oil prices - Dunya 
U.S., UK organize London meetings for Iraq cake - Finansal 
Forum 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
Ambassador Pearson visits Energy Minister: All major dailies 
reported that U.S. Ambassador to Ankara, Robert Pearson 
called on the Minister of Energy, Hilmi Guler on Tuesday to 
discuss Kirkuk-Yumurtalik, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil 
pipelines and the Shah Sea project.  Minister Guler voiced 
hope that the U.S. will open the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline, 
and finalize the BTC and Shah Sea projects soon.  Ambassador 
Pearson said that the U.S. wanted to see the Shah Sea 
project tied to the BTC, and assured Guler that the Haifa 
route could not be an alternative to the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik 
pipeline, papers note.  Pearson also asked for support for 
removal of UN economic sanctions on Iraq which will 
accelerate oil distribution from Yumurtalik, Turkey. 
 
 
Wolfowitz: Deputy Secretary of Defense, Wolfowitz denied to 
having urged Ankara to apologize in his interview with CNN- 
Turk last week.  Papers quote him as saying that .  `What I 
said was Turkey should see that it erred in grasping the 
situation in Iraq, and that this failure should have been 
discussed.' 
 
 
Berlusconi: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose 
country is due to assume the EU term presidency in July, 
says Turkey could join the bloc as early as 2007 with 
Romania and Bulgaria, reports say.  `Even in case of no 
solution, the Cyprus issue should not hinder Turkey's EU 
accession.  A divided Cyprus should not have joined the EU,' 
Berlusconi said.  He also vowed, in his talks with President 
Bush during his upcoming visit to the U.S., to press for 
Turkey getting a share in Iraq's rebuilding. 
 
 
TOBB hopes for a share in Iraq: In Washington for talks with 
the State Department and IMF officials, Turkey's Union of 
Chambers (TOBB) Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu voiced 
expectation that the U.S. will not block Turkish firms from 
getting jobs in post-war Iraq, all dailies and TV networks 
report.  Despite some recent strains, economic cooperation 
between U.S. and Turkey must continue advancing, 
Hisarciklioglu said. 
 
 
IISS report on Turkey: All media report on the London-based 
Institute for International Strategic Studies' (IISS) annual 
report said Turkey's military might take power in the face 
of fundamentalist moves by the AKP government, all papers 
report.  TGS will first try non-military means to prevent 
radical attempts by AKP, but will not hesitate to intervene 
directly at a critical stage even under the risk of possible 
reaction from the Western world, the report emphasized.  The 
IISS report sees the deadlock in Cyprus as a hindrance to 
Turkey's EU membership, and notes that EU members Germany 
and France have been upset about the U.S. support for 
Ankara's EU drive. 
 
 
`Repentance Law': TGS is worried that a `Repentance Law' 
drafted by the government might help PKK/KADEK's 
politicization attempts, "Cumhuriyet" reports.  Targeting 
mainly the militia cadres of the PKK/KADEK in Northern Iraq, 
the draft brings cuts in penalties, and some social 
rehabilitation help to defectors.  However, the government 
is acting carefully to avoid inciting anger among relatives 
of terror victims, the report says. 
 
 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
a) Powell visit/Riyadh bombings 
b) Iraqi rebuilding 
 
 
"The roots of terror" 
Fehmi Koru argued in Islamic-intellectual Yeni Safak (5/14): 
"Trying to find a reason or excuse on terrorist acts is not 
only a dangerous thing, but also a meaningless effort.  The 
best way of eliminating terrorism is to be able to take 
proper measures.  However, the measures and ways of the Bush 
administration in handling Middle Eastern-based terrorism 
seem to be providing no results at all.  One of the reasons 
for the failure of coping with terrorism stems from the 
perception of US decision makers.  The overall intention 
might be different, but the US decision mechanism continues 
to draw a direct link between Islam and terrorism. 
Therefore those with evil minds find this perception very 
facilitative for their executing terror.  They easily find 
volunteers to carry out their dark aims.  It is like a 
vicious circle.  The more a parallel is made between Islam 
and terror, the more the terrorists find ways for their 
goals to be achieved. . This is the time to think about 
finding other ways to handle terrorism on a global scale. 
One of them might be the US determination to end injustices 
globally." 
 
 
"The return of SCIRI leader to Iraq" 
Fikret Ertan wrote in Islamic-intellectual Zaman (5/14): 
"The return of Hakem to Iraq is a significant step in the 
restructuring of Iraq.  He is one of the major figures in 
his SCIRI leadership capacity and he comes with enough 
influence to have a say in the future of Iraq. . If he 
manages to unite all three Iraqi Shiite groups under his 
leadership, which might be his goal, Iraq's political future 
will certainly center around what he says and what he does." 
 
 
PEARSON