This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 003458 
 
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, MAY 27, 2003 
 
 
THIS REPORT WILL PRESENT A TURKISH PRESS SUMMARY UNDER THREE 
THEMES: 
 
 
HEADLINES 
BRIEFING 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
                    -------------------- 
 
 
HEADLINES 
 
 
MASS APPEAL 
Gen. Ozkok: No disagreement among TGS command - Milliyet 
Wolfowitz continues firing at Turkey - Hurriyet 5/25 
Wolfowitz: Turkish military should have supported government 
- Radikal 5/25 
Papadopoulos: Turkey's EU entry will help solving Cyprus 
problem - Turkiye 
Gul thinks EU might lift sanctions on TRNC - Sabah 
Athens, Ankara might sign `Aegean Accord' - Aksam 
Dogfight in Aegean to end - Vatan 
Turkey wants to host Israel, Palestine summit - Hurriyet 
Israel says `Yes' to Palestine state - Hurriyet 5/26 
20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq - Milliyet 
U.S. intends to topple the Iranian regime - Sabah 5/26 
U.S. moves to incite rebellion in Iran - Milliyet 5/26 
 
 
OPINION MAKERS 
Gen. Ozkok: I'm proud to be a democrat - Radikal 
Gen. Ozkok denounces military coup rumors - Zaman 
Gen. Ozkok: TGS concerned about AKP partisan moves - 
Cumhuriyet 
Arabs, Turkomans might boycott Kirkuk elections - Radikal 
5/26 
The Observer: Americans mistreating Iraqi POWs - Yeni Safak 
Denktas: Don't need the Annan Plan - Radikal 
Greece wants solution by Annan Plan - Zaman 
 
 
FINANCIAL JOURNALS 
UN: Iraq's needs must be met from Turkey - Dunya 
Foreign Capital Ass'n. (YASED) plan meetings in New York, 
London, Tokyo - Finansal Forum 
 
 
BRIEFING 
Gen. Ozkok on TGS `discomfort' of AKP: In a meeting with 
bureau chiefs of dailies on Monday, TGS Chief General Ozkok 
responded to press reports about the young military 
officers' uneasiness with the AKP government's `regressive' 
policies.  Gen. Ozkok condemned the report, and said there 
was no such thing as `hawks' and `doves' in the military. 
Gen. Ozkok has strongly stood against the possibility of a 
military take over, papers say.  However, he also stressed 
that if the reasons that had drawn military intervention in 
the past emerge again, the result would be the same.  Gen. 
Ozkok denied recent press reports about `orchestrated' 
cooperation between the government and military.  He openly 
voiced discomfort over the AKP government's assignment of 
fundamentalists to key bureaucratic posts, reports note. 
`Not only the young officers, but the whole military is 
upset with such partisan appointments,' Gen. Ozkok said.  He 
also added: `A NATO member, the Turkish army has been part 
of Europe for 50 years.  Our military is not against EU 
membership.  However, we believe that Turkey should join the 
EU on equal conditions, and by preserving its national and 
geographical unity.'  Mainstream papers agree that Gen. 
Ozkok has issued serious warnings to the AKP government. 
Commenting on the Ozkok remarks, Prime Minister Erdogan said 
they were part of the democratic process in Turkey, and that 
everything was normal. 
 
 
U.S., Turkey relations: Dailies carried on Sunday excerpts 
from Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz's op-ed in the 
Boston Globe, in which Wolfowitz allegedly `reiterated' his 
criticism of Turkish military for failing to display 
leadership during the Iraq crisis.  Wolfowitz has sent 
supportive messages for the AKP government, papers claim. 
Had the military encouraged the government to support the 
U.S. in war with Iraq, it would have backed the new civilian 
government rather than interfering in Turkey's international 
affairs, Wolfowitz is cited as writing.  Wolfowitz said that 
Foreign Minister Gul, who has read the transcript of his 
interview with Turkish journalists, saw his strong support 
for Turkey's democracy, papers note.  Meanwhile, Monday's 
papers report recent meetings General David McKiernan held 
with Iraqi political groups.  Gen. McKiernan is quoted as 
saying at the meetings that he would disarm all Iraqi groups 
except the Kurds, and proposed that the `peshmerge army' 
should protect Iraq's borders, according to papers.  Such a 
`rewarding' of Kurds drew significant reaction from Arab and 
Shiite leaders, who believe the move will bring 
`Lebanization' of Iraq.  A Washington official said Gen. 
McKiernan's decision was `controversial,' and that it would 
probably be withdrawn, says `Sabah.' 
 
 
A UN decision on Iraq will enable Turkey to get paid for 
$1.5 billion of agreements Turkish companies have tied with 
Iraq within the oil-for-food program, Sunday's "Hurriyet" 
reports.  $948 million of the agreements are approved by the 
UN, the report claims.  State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, who 
had paid a controversial business trip accompanied by a 
large delegation of businessmen to Iraq under Saddam 
Hussein's rule, said he saw no problem regarding the 
agreements that were tied with Baghdad on that visit. 
Tuzmen claimed a recent UN decision said the oil-for-food 
program would be valid for six months, and that Turkish 
companies should act fast to get their money. 
 
 
Cyprus: Greek and Turkish foreign ministers, Papandreou and 
Gul came together in the Greek island of Crete have worked 
out `confidence building measures' such as the exchange of 
army officials and cooperation between military hospitals, 
Tuesday's papers say.  Papandreou welcomed free passage on 
Cyprus and Ankara's decision to allow Greek Cypriots in 
Turkey without visas, while Gul called for removal of 
international sanctions on Turkish Cypriots, and promised, 
in exchange, additional positive steps forward from the 
Turkish side.  All papers expect an end to dogfights between 
Turkish and Greek pilots over the Aegean. 
 
 
 Eurovision Song Contest; Soccer; Plane crash: A military 
plane carrying 62 Spanish peacekeepers returning from 
Afghanistan crashed near Turkey's Black Eastern province of 
Trabzon while attempting to land in thick fog on Monday, 
papers report.  Spanish soldiers and the 13-memebr crew all 
died in the crash. 
 
 
Turkish singer Sertab Erener won the Eurovision Song 
Contest, weekend papers report.  Greek Cypriots and Greeks 
contributed to Turkey's success by giving high points to 
Erener's song `Every Way That I Can,' reports underline. 
Papers tie this outcome to the prevailing sympathy in 
European countries for Turkey's defiance of U.S. in war with 
Iraq. 
 
 
Istanbul's `Besiktas' soccer club has become Turkey's soccer 
league champion after defeating its closest rival 
Galatasaray in the derby game on Sunday, all papers report. 
Besiktas is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. 
 
 
EDITORIAL OPINION 
 
 
a) Iraq sanctions lifted 
b) US-Turkey 
 
 
"United Nations of America" 
Haluk Ulman argued in economic-political Dunya (5/27): "The 
UNSC resolution is a declaration of the US shaping the Iraq 
issue.  The resolution which passed after France and Russia 
failed to block it, provides extraordinary authority to both 
the US and the UK on Iraq's future political and economic 
structure.  This means that the Bush administration has now 
obtained international legitimacy which did not exist during 
the Iraq operation. . The latest resolution at the UN is an 
indication of France and Russia `turning themselves in' 
before the US supremacy.  Therefore the US will not be 
looking for a new international organizational system in 
order to have its policies approved.  From now on, the 
United Nations will serve to provide approval for the 
unilateral acts of the US." 
 
 
"Tuning the relations with Washington" 
Zeynep Gurcanli wrote in tabloid Star (5/26): "There is 
going to be an important visit from Turkey to US, --a first 
after the parliamentary motion-led crisis about Iraq. 
Details are still in the works for a visit by Foreign 
Ministry Undersecretary Ziyal to Washington.  His mission 
will be `tuning up' the bilateral relations. . This visit is 
designed to take place in a silent fashion so that a follow- 
up by Foreign Minister Gul can be done.  FM Gul hopes to go 
to Washington if Ziyal comes back with `continuation of 
strategic partnership as well as normalization' messages 
from Washington. . The main issue for discussion during U/S 
Ziyal's visit to Washington will be Iraq, and Turkey's 
possible role in the rebuilding process.  The US is distant 
to the idea for Turkey being part of multi-national 
stability force, therefore, Turkey is very much interested 
in involving economic and social projects for Iraq. . Among 
other things, Turkey will offer Washington to train the 
whole Iraqi police force.  Ziyal's visit is an important one 
to eliminate `back channels' in the bilateral relations. 
And the follow up visit, when it takes place, will be even 
more important." 
 
 
PEARSON